Mayor of London Boris Johnson’s housing strategy unveiled last month, has been welcomed by industry but some concerns have been expressed. London council’s executive member for housing councillor Jamie Carswell praised the mayor’s £5 billion investment plan to support the capital’s housing market, particularly the pledge to deliver more family-sized and more environmentally friendly homes for London, but was not convinced the plans would withstand the tough economic climate: “London councils see this very much as a working document, as the housing landscape will change rapidly as the fallout from the economic situation increases – and when the government publishes its housing green paper in spring.” Carswell suggested the mayor should concentrate on ways to make the private rented sector a more viable option for Londoners as this would ease the pressure off the rest of London’s housing stock. He also expressed fear that the mayor’s focus on low cost home ownership would not hold in the current economic climate.<br><br>Imtiaz Farookhi, chief executive of the NHBC, stated that the mayor’s goals were significant to the capital’s future housing stock, but cautioned that he should be realistic about the skills needed to deliver such an ambitious vision: “The mayor must be …