It has also sold on a complete block in a build and sale deal.

Barratt said: “Market conditions in London at higher selling prices remain more challenging.

“To mitigate these risks we have taken pricing action on a number of our sites in London.

“Further actions to de-risk London delivery include an exchanged build and sale agreement on a bespoke development of 39 apartments for a total value of £47m.”

Barratt described the overall market as “healthy” as it prepared to return a record dividend of £248m to shareholders this month.

It is also trialling modern construction methods on sites to reduce dependency on some trades as skills shortages continue.

Chief Executive David Thomas said: “Barratt’s commitment to quality design, build and excellence in market-leading customer service has supported our strong sales performance.

“Our focus remains on maintaining good operational and financial performance, and delivering attractive shareholder returns.”

The crossings, which will be completed within the next five to 10 years, include a new road tunnel at Silvertown, a Docklands Light Railway crossing at Gallions Reach and a tilting pedestrian and cycle bridge linking Rotherhithe and Canary Wharf.

Khan is also considering two more crossings, one for London Overground running from Barking Riverside to Abbey Wood, and a new ferry between North Greenwich and the Isle of Dogs.

TfL will look to source the majority of funding for the trio of crossings through third-party developer contributions and Community Infrastructure Levies.

The most controversial plan for a £1bn Silvertown Tunnel has been ‘greened’ with pledges to design it for buses able to carry bicycles and strict environmental curbs on construction.

These will include transporting 55% of construction material by river.  All trucks on the project will be Euro 6 standard and comply with the Mayor’s new Direct Vision Standard.

A planned £100m pedestrian and cycle bridge linking Rotherhithe to Canary Wharf will be the world’s largest span for an opening bascule bridge.

Proposals have been developed with Elliott Wood engineers and cost management advice from Arup.

The 185m central span is supported by cables from angled masts at each side. These wishbone-like structures pivot to enable the bridge to lift at its centre to allow tall and large ships to pass.

The masts also act as counterbalance weights, so that the bridge can open very efficiently requiring just £10 of electricity to open.

A competitive procurement process will be held next year and subject to funding, availability of land and relevant approvals, the new bridge could be open by as soon as 2020.

The Mayor has instructed TfL to take forward a new extension of the Docklands Light Railway from Gallions Reach towards Thamesmead. This will help to support the development of around 17,000 new homes across Newham and the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

Khan, said: “With new homes and economic growth across East London, it becomes even more important that we deliver new greener transport links that allow Londoners to cross the river quickly and more easily.

“But we don’t want these to have a damaging impact on our environment, and that’s why I’ve reviewed and improved plans for Silvertown Tunnel and why I’m pushing forward with crossings that encourage public transport, walking and cycling.

“As we continue to unlock the massive economic potential of East London, we must secure the very best transport infrastructure that improves the quality of life for everyone living and working in the area.”

Alex Williams, Acting Managing Director of Planning at TfL, said: “The Mayor’s new vision for river crossings in East London is firmly rooted in supporting growth and providing better public transport links for all. We will now work hard to develop the designs for these new crossings, as well as identify potential funding opportunities, to allow them to be constructed more quickly.”

The scheme, which was introduced three years ago to stimulate the housing market, gave first-time buyers the chance to buy a home with a Government-backed loan worth up to 95% of the value of the property.

In a letter to Bank of England governor Mark Carney, the Chancellor Philip Hammond said the scheme had a “specific purpose that has now been successfully achieved”.

The scheme was scheduled to expire this year, but mortgage lenders had called for it to be replaced, warning that its closure would push the first-time-buyer market back into decline.

The mortgage guarantee scheme, which formed part of the wider Help to Buy policy still being retained, had proved controversial because of worries its would contribute to an unsustainable housing bubble boosting demand for homes without raising supply.

The government will continue offer the highly popular Help to Buy equity loan and ISA schemes.

Latest figures show that over 185,000 completions under the schemes have taken place, of which over 150,000 households have been first time buyers.

Stewart Baseley, executive chairman of the Home Builders Federation, said: “Help to Buy continues to drive demand for new build homes by making home ownership more affordable and realistic.

“Its success is directly leading to more homes being built as it provides the confidence developers need to invest in the land and people required to increase their output.”

The computer giant will occupy 500,000 sq ft of space across six floors of the central Boiler House inside the power station.

Apple is expected to move in during 2021 to its new new London campus which will be home to 1,400 employees.

Rob Tincknell, CEO of Battersea Power Station Development Company said: “We are delighted that Apple has chosen to make Battersea Power Station its home in 2021.

“It is testament to our fantastic building and the wider regeneration of the 42-acre site which offers a carefully curated mix of homes, businesses and leisure amidst extraordinary open spaces and new transport links.

“It has always been our clear objective to create one of London’s most thriving new communities and this commitment from Apple will undoubtedly help us achieve our goal.”

It is understood that the transaction represents the largest office letting in London’s wider West End in the last twenty years.

The new team is being funded by a levy on residents looking to extend their homes below ground.

The average charge for a domestic property will be £8,000 with bills of up to £30,000 for commercial residential schemes.

The noise, dust and traffic impacts of basement development have had a major effect on local residents in central London.

The levy is being drawn-up as part of the council’s new Code of Construction Practice which will also be rolled out over the coming months to cover larger developments in the city.

Cllr Robert Davis, Westminster City Council Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for the Built Environment, said: “We are sticking up for local residents, many of whom have found the explosion of basement development in recent years hellish.

“It is right that those who want to build basements should contribute to this new service, which will work to help mitigate the negative impacts.

“Westminster City Council supports the right kind of growth and is not against all basement development, but they must be carried out in a way that is considerate to local residents and the environment.”

Over the last five years Westminster City Council has received on average 150 applications each year and has seen a trend towards more ‘iceberg’ basements where homeowners dig down two or more storeys.

New rules include planning controls limiting basements to a single storey and no more than 50% of total garden land.

The new basement squad will:

• take a degree of oversight and control, for example making sites coordinate their deliveries and reduce the cumulative impact on residents
• check that developers are keeping neighbours informed for instance via newsletters or site meetings
• enforce stricter working hours so as to avoid noisy works at inconvenient times such as Saturday mornings
• provide a point of contact for residents with complaints – with the power to enforce against overly noisy sites under statutory powers
• monitor the level and impacts of traffic to sites
• also police development sites of over 10 residential units, or over 1000m2 commercial floorspace

The levy on a residential basement scheme will cost around £8,000 on average with the largest developments charged around £30,000.

The new powers will only apply to basements which gained planning permission from August 2016 onward, and other major development schemes from September.

Work will be completed by the first quarter of 2019 on the the 250,000 sq ft scheme which has a development value of £275m.

The building will consist of a basement and 12 storeys with a plaza and a new urban park.

Demolition of the existing Bechtel House on the site is already underway.

Neil Martin, Managing Director of Lendlease’s construction business, said: “We are really pleased to be working again with Legal & General and Mitsubishi Estate London – both are longstanding clients of ours and the strong relationships between our companies add great value to the development.

“Lendlease excels at just this kind of high-end scheme, with a high-specification design, mixed-use element, and a tight urban footprint.”

Lendlease’s construction business has previously worked in partnership with Legal & General and Mitsubishi Estate London to construct the Central Saint Giles development in central London.

Other shared projects include Legal & General’s headquarters at One Coleman Street and Mitsubishi Estate London’s 8 Finsbury Circus scheme in the City of London.