PPS News & Blog

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, last night published his draft London Plan for consultation, setting out a framework for the development of London to 2031.  As expected, the plan builds on Boris’s paper ‘Planning for a Better London’, published last year and follows on from the introduction of the controversial Crossrail Levy which has already been successfully challenged by major developers in the capital.  One of the key changes is the abolition of the 50% affordable housing target set out by his predecessor Ken Livingstone.

 

Population growth, migration and changing demographics are a core focus for the Plan with regard to social housing, employment and climate change, placing emphasis on the need for flexibility in spatial development in order to respond to the changing demands and requirements of London’s population based on the assumption of economic growth over the cycle of development (it is hopefully a safe assumption that the recession will end a good length of time prior to 2031…)

 

The Plan takes a focused look at specific sectors and, in line with the theme of Boris’s mayoralty so far, takes a distinctive policy approach towards Outer London, treating it as important as Central and Inner London (something which Livingstone was accused of failing to do during his tenure as Mayor of London).  The structure of the Draft Plan is very much in consultative form, setting out aspirations and commitments to develop and specify policy areas as opposed to setting out these policies and specific guidance at this stage.  The intention is to ensure that the final document can be a succinct yet all encompassing Plan which will shape and guide the future of London to 2013 in a sustainable manner.

 

Highlighting some of the key points in the Plan, the Major pledges to:

 

Place

• Establish five new sub-regions with a Central London sub-region.  However, these are to be used primarily for monitoring and management rather than as an economic development too with the London Plan implementing a more flexible approach to boroughs and partner agencies to work cross boundary allowing a more targeted approach to spatial development
• Strengthen the role and influence of the Outer London Commission as a core part of formulating Plan policies and proposals
• Set out a specific section of the Plan to deal with the unique challenges and opportunities of Inner London
• Enable greater flexibility in the Central Activity Zones, Opportunity Areas and Areas for Intensification to recognise and respond to key issues affecting them and to allow boroughs to progress their own proposals
• Review existing town centre classifications and provide indication for future growth, changes in function and management strategies
• Firmly resist inappropriate out of centre development
• Strengthen guidance on the management of strategic and industrial locations with consideration given to freight and transport requirements
• Extend green grid principles and focus on green infrastructure
• Focus on physical environment and open space

The Outer London Commission has been a key policy area setting Boris apart from Ken.  It is known that a significant part of Boris’s core vote is from the pouter London Boroughs and he will be keen to protect this – cynicism aside, there is a generic feeling that the outer boroughs have not received the attention they deserve over recent years therefore the reinforcement of this approach will be welcomed by a majority (assuming it is not at the expense of inner and central London).

 

At this stage, the pledges remain rather vague with the detail yet to be filled in.  There will be a particular interest from many in the approach taken to town centres and out of town development – how this is to be formed and implemented in the context of PPS6 and how it related to the new system of town centre classifications (see ‘Economy’).

 

Housing

 

An estimated 33,000 new homes are required each year in London to 2013.  However, this is currently constrained by economic difficulties and restrictive planning guidance.

• The GLA will publish the results of the London Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) in the autumn of 2009
• Make more efficient use of empty homes as a means of addressing the shortfall
• Improve provision of student accommodation  and accommodation for those with special needs
• Improve social and intermediate housing provision
• Reduce the number of affordable housing policies in the Plan and Introduce a numeric, rather than percentage based, regional target for affordable housing
• Review the targets for intermediate housing including a review of the income threshold for eligibility
• Increase the emphasis on the need for more family-sized housing
• Introduce minimum internal space standards for all new homes with a renewed emphasis on the quality of design and lifetime homes standards
• Require the preparation of planning frameworks for developments over 500 homes of 5 hectares in size to demonstrate how the development fulfils the ambitions and policies of the Mayor
• Strengthen the requirements for social infrastructure as a specific aspect of planning policy in London and facilitate local authorities to plan and identify sites for social infrastructure in their LDFs

Housing was always going to be a key focus.  Developers have been made very aware of Boris’s desire for larger residential units and less of the ‘rabbit hutch style housing’ that he railed against during his election campaign.  However, there will need to be a debate on the approach to densities, units sizes and flexibility in the context of creating sustainable development and responding to demand.  Excluding current economic circumstances, the industry is likely to be keen to see a flexible rather than rigid approach to the size of units.  Perhaps of more notice is the intention to have a minimum internal space guidance governing how large (or rather how small) any one unit is permitted to be in order for it to be deemed as acceptable in planning terms.  If the change in the economy hadn’t already put paid to some of the very small yet very expensive units that were coming onto the market this is certainly likely to.

 

The requirement for specific planning frameworks on larger developments will be interesting to see unfold – in particular, at what point in the planning process it is brought in and how it applies to public as well as private land.  In some respects, this may make planning easier once a planning framework has been agreed but it runs the risk of simply creating another layer of bureaucracy to go through – the devil will be in the detail.

 

It will be interesting to monitor over several years the impact of the change in approach to affordable housing and whether this achieves an uplift in supply, particularly when taken against a toolkit assessment which has been known to reduce the number of units against original estimates.

 

Economy

• Set out policies focused on the needs of SMEs, ensuring the availability of workspaces suitable for their needs and affordable
• Set out demand benchmarks for office and commercial space and promote a flexible approach to enable different parts of London to establish their own needs
• Support the conversion of surplus office space to other uses along with a more managed approach to the release of surplus industrial land
• Provide more guidance to enable arts and culture to play a part in physical regeneration
• Set out the broad quantum of retail floor space required by London to 2031
• Support local shops and markets

Part of Boris’s election campaign focused on the need to preserve local shops and independent retailers.  This is something which he clearly remains committed to and which is likely to be supported by a large number of individuals and businesses – particularly at a time when margins are being increasingly squeezed and small businesses are under pressure.  However, the time lag for implementation is unlikely top provide the support required in the immediate future.,

 

Climate Change, Environment and Waste

• Set out London specific CO2 emissions tarots
• Strengthen the policy approach to area based heating and cooling networks
• Consider use of the national Code for Sustainable Homes
• Focus on energy efficiency and support the provision of energy infrastructure and renewable resources
• Strengthen energy efficiency policies
• Set out key air quality issues to be assessed in planning applications
• View waste as a resource, not simply a disposal problem
• Manage as much of London’s waste within London as is practical
• Use the preference for new and emerging technologies but consider environmental outcomes rather than waste technologies on an individual basis
• Commission new, independent, borough level projections of London’s waste arisings
• Adopt a ‘zero waste to landfill outside London’ aspiration

Climate change and energy efficiency measures are ever-rising up the development agenda.  It is notable that the Draft Plan aspires to ensure that developers achieve the highest possible standard on the Code for Sustainable Homes without committing developers – or the Plan itself-  to a specific level.  This will come as some relief to housebuilders who find the costs added by potentially unrealistic targets too much to bear in some cases.  The policies on waste will need to be further developed to specify how the aspirations are to be achieved, they rely on an adequate supply of waste disposal facilities situated across London.  Given the complexities and controversy surrounding planning for such facilities this may prove be a longer term aim.

 

Transport

• Support rail infrastructure
• Resist the expansion of Heathrow and instead promote a new airport in the Thames Estuary
• Bring together and streamline policy on public transport to improve services
• Review shared street space schemes and approaches to the building of new roads based on new criteria and congestion considerations
• Prioritise cycling and new cycling standards

The Mayor also pledges to review the process of Planning Obligations to encourage collaborative working between boroughs and to focus on specific areas of need, in addition to implement the CIL when (if?!) it is introduced.  There may well be some scepticism regarding any policies or guidance which seeks to encourage cross-borough working on planning obligations – many in the industry bear the scars and frustration of seeking to work with multiple boroughs on developments where conversations on S106 seem to stall across borough boundaries – it will be interesting to see how this is proposed to work in practice.

 

All in all, there is a significant amount to consider in the Draft Plan, much of which has positive aspirations and, if developed properly and effectively, could form a strong framework for London moving forward.  That said, there are likely to be concerns over some aspects within the Draft where aspirations appear a little too vague, idealistic or simply unworkable which will no doubt stimulate much debate over coming months.  We will keep you updated.

 

The consultation ends of 30th June 2009 with the final new Plan intended to be published in the winter of 2011-12.