The Mayor of London is in the process of producing a new London Plan. An initial draft was published for consultation in late 2017 and a panel of independent Inspectors conducted an Examination in Public (EiP) over the course of January to May 2019.
The Plan seeks to deliver a step change in planning policy for London and sets out an ambitious strategy for Good Growth, including making the best use of London’s land, delivering the homes that Londoners need and growing a good economy. We support these overarching principles, however, following extensive consultation with our Members, had some concerns about the detailed policies that underpin delivery of the Plan, their potential to deliver the growth envisaged, and their cumulative impact on development viability in London.
As part of the EiP process, we prepared and submitted 39 written statements and participated in 24 hearing sessions on behalf of our Members. You can read our written submissions and our take on the discussions at the hearings here.
In October 2019, the Inspectors issued their report to the Mayor setting out their findings including recommendations on several issues that London First campaigned on (read our analysis here). Subsequently, in December 2019, the Mayor sent his ‘Intention to Publish’ version of the Plan to the Secretary of State for Housing (SoS), accepting many of the recommendations, but rejecting fifteen.
The SoS is then entitled to intervene in the process on two points: inconsistency with national planning policies; and detrimental impact on neighbouring authorities. He responded in March 2020 with a direction that the Plan cannot be adopted unless eleven further changes are made. We continue to monitor the situation and hope that the Government and the Mayor can work constructively together to reach agreement.
For further information please contact our Programme Director for Planning and Development, Sarah Bevan.
