The councillor responsible for housing in Harrow says the policy to convert offices into homes is "deeply flawed".

Cllr Glen Hearnden spoke out after the Harrow Times reported last week that Queens House, in Kymberley Road, Harrow town centre, is due to be converted into 64 self-contained flats.

The scheme, which has been submitted to Harrow Borough Council, is the latest in the borough to convert empty office space into homes.

So far there have been a total of 43 schemes of office to residential conversion in the borough, which will create more than 760 new homes.

Cllr Hearnden, Harrow Borough Council's cabinet member for housing, said: "While we welcome the building of much-needed homes in Harrow, this is a missed opportunity to build affordable homes.

“The policy of office conversions is like many central government initiatives, deeply flawed.

“There is no planning requirement for developers to build into their developments the much-needed affordable housing that residents in Harrow are crying out for.

"There are more than 4,000 people on the social homes waiting list, with many more residents struggling to afford to buy or even rent a property."

Last year the Government brought in measures make converting offices into homes easier with the aim of providing more housing.

Developers now only need prior approval, rather than full planning permission, to get change of use from office to residential.

Last year Harrow Council, along with almost every other London Borough, appealed to the Secretary of State to make it exempt from these changes but the request was denied.

Cllr Hearnden added: “Instead of encouraging developers to convert much-needed office space, with no requirement to build homes that local people can afford, the Government should be supporting Harrow Council in our efforts to build affordable housing.

“The Labour administration has already announced plans to build 550 new homes in the borough, which is just the start of our ambitions to tackle Harrow’s housing crisis, but sometimes it feels as if we are fighting fires with the government stood on our hosepipe.”