His decision to call in and then approve the schemes after they were altered to increase the affordable housing element means construction can proceed on nearly 700 homes.

Haringey Council had rejected an application for up to 505 homes, including a 21-storey tower at Hale Wharf in Tottenham, over concerns that it would be too tall and would adversely impact Green Belt land.

The Allies and Morrison designed scheme for joint developer Muse and the Canal and River Trust will now start first phase piling this summer.

Stace is project manager and Ramboll the civil and structural consultant for the Hale Wharf scheme

Likewise, an application for 186 homes in Palmerston Road in Wealdstone was also rejected by Harrow Council, as the 17-storey development was deemed too high.

Now Origin Housing Association can go ahead with its plans for the £15m project, which is being bid by Galliford Try and Keepmoat.

Khan said: “We’ve worked with the applicant on the Hale Wharf scheme in Haringey to increase the level of affordable housing and ensure the project will not encroach on our precious green belt, as was the case in earlier designs.

“The development at Palmerston Road in Harrow also offers a high level of affordable housing, which is particularly important as we move towards my long-term strategic target of 50% affordable.”

Developer Ocubis aims to build the 166-home twin-tower scheme at 36-46 Albert Embankment at a former Texaco garage site in the heart of Vauxhall overlooking the River Thames.

Designed by architect Make, the scheme will test the appetite in the London market for prime residential in the Vauxhall area.

The design presents several engineering challenges with several sections of the stepped 85m tall buildings cantilevered to break up the profile.

Watermans is both M&E and structural consultant on the project.

Waterman’s Director, Peter Downing said that the complex building geometry presented structural engineering challenges that were solved by adopting reinforced-concrete framing, comprising core-and-outrigger stability systems, balanced cantilever floors and “walking walls” to dramatic effect.

The development for site owner Hotchkiss will use combined heat and power to provide over 70% of the heating requirements and have renewable energy provided by 35m² of photovoltaic cells.

View from Vauxhall Gardens to the south

The regeneration project is expected to cost over £300m to build

The vast scheme is being promoted as the flagship project in the Government’s crusade to bulldoze and rebuild the country’s worst sink estates.

The £1bn Winstanley and York Road scheme will regenerate a 32 acre site creating a new better-designed mixed-use neighbourhood of around 2,000 homes with new retail, leisure, community and office space.

Taylor Wimpey managed to beat rival bids from industry heavyweights Berkeley, Balfour Beatty, Lendlease and C&C Properties UK & Pinnacle Group.

Council tenants and owner occupiers are being offered new homes in the development so they can stay and share in the area’s revival.

Tenants have already supported a wholesale redevelopment option for the two estates rather than a revamp of existing buildings.

The estates sit side-by-side between Clapham Junction station and new luxury housing along the river.

Under the favoured option 3 some existing blocks will be refurbished and large areas of the York Road estate will be rebuilt.

The redeveloped areas will be extended further to include Ganley Court, Gagarin House and Shepard House. New housing would be constructed in modern buildings fronting onto clearly defined streets.

Two towers on York Road estate will be retained under present plans but Chesterton House would be redeveloped.