London's drivers first in the country to benefit from roadworks permit scheme

Mayor's Office release 11 January 2010

The Mayor of London has succeeded in his bid to see the capital's roads become the first in the country to operate a scheme where utility companies and other organisations will have to apply for permission first before digging them up.

Today (11 January) Transport for London and 16 of the capital's boroughs officially launched a permit scheme that means any company digging holes without permission or breaking the conditions of their permit risks being fined. It is hoped the move will reduce the 300,000 holes dug in London's roads each year by utility companies, by encouraging companies to work together. The scheme was a manifesto pledge by Mayor Boris Johnson as part of his efforts to smooth traffic flow.

Permitting will enable TfL and the boroughs to plan and coordinate the timing of when roadworks take place, to give companies the opportunity to work on the same sections of road at the same time.Read more

British Museum wins battle for new extension

from Evening Standard 18 December 2009

Revised plans for a £135 million extension to the British Museum have been given the go-ahead.

Camden councillors voted by nine to three last night to grant planning permission for the revised proposal, which was unexpectedly thrown out in July.

The scheme has been modified to put more than a fifth of the development in Bedford Square behind the museum below street level, with building work above the ground narrowed to allow more light to penetrate.

Museum managers also promised greater energy efficiency for the scheme, called the World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre.Read more

Shaping London: consultation for three mayoral strategies

In October the Mayor issued a draft new London Plan to replace the one that has been in use since February 2008, plus draft strategies for Transport, Economic Development, Air Quality and Water. He published also a report on London's potential housing capacity and the land available to meet it.

Comments have to be made by 5pm on Tuesday 12th January 2010. The London Plan team,Transport for London and the London Development Agency will consider responses, so there is a chance to influence the content and policies in the strategies. Read more

Chelsea Barracks chapel refused listed status

Mira Bar-Hillel
Evening Standard

The Victorian garrison chapel on the site of Chelsea Barracks will not be given listed status, Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw has decided.

The chapel, built in 1859, is all that remains of the military base, which has been bulldozed to make way for a new multi-billion-pound housing development.

Campaigners including the Bishop of London, Dr Richard Chartres, want the historic building preserved and have appealed to Mr Bradshaw to give it legal protection.

The site's owners, Qatari Diar, run by the Qatari royal family, originally resolved to demolish the chapel but have now have made its retention part of the developers' brief.Read more

Minister promises to redraft PPS15 after outcry

By Andrew Gilligan
Daily Telegraph 15 November 2009

John Healey, the planning minister, said he would "redraft" new rules on historic buildings following an outcry over the original version.

The proposed regulations, known as Planning Policy Statement 15, will become national policy which all local councils must follow.

But they were attacked by the professional body representing town planners as "fundamentally flawed," "unfit for purpose" and a potential "charter for people who want to knock buildings down".Read more

Open Spaces Society joins fight to save Welsh Harp Greenspace

Release from Open Spaces society
26 November 2009

The Open Spaces Society,founded in Victorian times originally to save London's open spaces, has joined the campaign against development on metropolitan open land adjoining the popular Welsh Harp reservoir, on the boundaries of the London Boroughs of Barnet and Brent.

The society has backed the pressure group, Save Our Remaining Bits of Green, and has submitted a strong objection to both boroughs against development of the greenspace for housing.Read more

Profession pans 'EasyCouncil' two-speed planning proposals

Architects Journal 2 September 2009
by Richard Waite

Plans by Barnet Council to introduce a faster planning process for applicants who pay more have been condemned by architects, planners and consultants

It is feared the proposed scheme, which has been likened to the extra charges demanded by no-frills airlines such as EasyJet and Ryanair for services 'once considered part of the standard fare', could create a two-tier planning system.

Matt Thomson, head of policy at the Royal Town Planning Institute said: '[We] agree that our planning system needs to be properly resourced but creating a system that seems ready-made for conflicts of interest and raised expectations among applicants of the success of their proposals is not the way to proceedRead more

'Don't develop until we get in', say Tories

Architects Journal 1 September 2009
by Richard Waite

The Conservative Party has told Tory councils and MPs to delay any 'major' developments until it comes into power, according to reports at the weekend

The Observer claims it has seen a leaked letter sent by shadow communities secretary Caroline Spelman warning authorities not to press ahead with large commercial and housing schemes.

It is understood a new Conservative administration would want to bring in its own local government and housing bill - a move that would, in effect, tear up Labour's regional development targets.Read more

Boris to set historic precedent with Columbus Tower decision

from Architects Journal 28 August 2009
by Merlin Fulcher

The Mayor of London has 'called in' a planning application for a 63-storey skyscraper, in a landmark move which could overturn Tower Hamlets's decision to reject the tower earlier this month

It is the first time the new power for intervening in local planning decisions, which only came into force at the beginning of Boris Johnson's office, has been used.

If the Mayor approves the Columbus Tower scheme in the city's Docklands, it could raise up to £5 million for the pan-London rail link, Crossrail.

'This is a decision I have not taken lightly, however the Columbus Tower proposal clearly meets the test of a planning application of major significance to the whole of London,' said Johnson.Read more

Tourism plan aims to maximise opportunities from 2012 Games

Mayor's Office Release 14 August 2009

The Mayor of London has today published London's tourism vision for taking full advantage of the huge opportunities for the capital's economy arising from the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It aims to strengthen the capital's position as the world's most popular destination for visitors.

The London Tourism Action Plan 2009-13, produced by the London Development Agency, sets out how it will deliver the Mayor's key priority of ensuring the capital remains the number one choice for international travellers and that the city provides an inspirational experience for everyone in the capital during the 2012 Games.

In 2006, a 10-year vision for tourism in the capital outlined how London was to achieve number one status with targeted, innovative, competitive and dynamic marketing. Most importantly, it committed London to become a city that welcomes the world. The Plan 2009-13 will support the delivery of this vision.Read more