Haringey has been named as one of the first five boroughs to pilot a house building scheme.

Chancellor George Osborne and Mayor of London Boris Johnson have announced a joint project to accelerate house building in London by granting potential sites “housing zone” status.

Tottenham Hale has been earmarked as a pilot area following work by both Haringey Council and the Greater London Authority.

The scheme, which will benefit from £200 million of public funding from City Hall, aims to accelerate housing development by waiving certain planning procedures and granting councils money to spend on infrastructure.

A spokesperson from City Hall said that the exact planning laws to be waived would be decided “on a case by case basis”, following an application from the council.

She added:  “Haringey Council will still need to bid for the money, but we’ve been working with them to scope out the area.”

Haringey Council now has until 30 September 2014 to prepare a bid by drawing up plans for the area in partnership with developers.

Council leader Claire Kober said that the project was “a vote of confidence in Tottenham”.

She said: “We’re clear that our bid for a housing zone would put new affordable homes, high-quality design and a mixture of tenures at the heart of any plans.

“Our ambition is for a Tottenham Hale where thousands of new families are helped onto the housing ladder, taking advantage of the revolution in transport links that is already underway.

“We are committed to bringing long-term regeneration to Tottenham Hale that benefits our residents with better homes and long-lasting employment opportunities.”

Paul Burnham, of Haringey Defend Council Housing, was critical of the plans.

He said: “This is a typical private sector-led project that removes planning control from the council.

“They talk about affordable housing but it’s really only council housing that’s affordable, and that’s what they need to invest in.

“Affordable housing is not really affordable, it is near market value and designed to make investors money.”

Chancellor George Osborne said on Friday that the scheme was an “urban planning revolution”, adding, “in effect development on these sites will be pre-approved – local authorities will be able to specify the type of housing, not whether there is housing.”

The Mayor’s Office has said it hopes to create 50,000 new homes across 20 Housing Zones in London.