Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has approved the building of two ‘hideous’ high-rise tower blocks in north London despite strong local objections and their failure to meet his own affordable housing targets.

A 17-storey development in Palmerston Road, Wealdstone, and a 21-storey tower block in Hale Wharf, Haringey, were approved after being ‘called in’ by the Mayor – the first time he has taken such action since taking office.

Neither of the applications meets his pre-election affordable housing target of 50 per cent and both were rejected in the strongest terms by local planning committees.

Harrow’s planning committee made a cross-party decision to reject what one member described as ‘ugly, inappropriate and unpopular 17-storey towers that will blight the landscape’.

In Haringey, the Hale Wharf application was rejected by seven votes to one and was opposed by 160 residents as well as deputy mayor for Education and Childcare Joanne McCartney, who called the original plans “clearly unacceptable”.

London Assembly member Tony Devenish said: “This is a huge slap in the face for local democracy and the people of Harrow and Haringey.

“These decisions not only contradict Sadiq Khan's commitment to respect London Boroughs’ democratic autonomy in planning decisions, they also categorically break his pledge for 50 per cent affordable housing.

“During his election campaign, Sadiq Khan criticised the former Deputy Mayor of London for being too pro high rise. Now he has u-turned, run rough-shod over locally elected councillors and approved two hideous 17 and 21-storey towers.

“These are worrying signs for the future standard of house building in the capital and suggest the Mayor is willing to rubber stamp anything to get his so far dismal house-building record off the ground.”