At 2.4 people per home, we need 49,000 new builds each and every year.”

Why would assume 2.4 people per home? This does reflect the increased need for homes.

The majority of the inward bound immigration into London is adults in there 20-30 who will require a home per two people. The outward migration is dominate by couples in with small children and only free up one homes per couple ( not per person). There if have 3 people moving out ( 2 adults and 1 child) and 2 adults moving in then the housing crisis gets worse even though the population appears to be stable. The number of homes need should be significantly less than 2 adults per homes.

Setting such low targets and repeating them over and over again is continually done by politicians who object to the homes and are happy for the situation to continue.