Category archive
Insights are our long-form review articles on key matters of interest to members; this version is the category archive. You may want to check the former newsletter format and Newsforum editions on the main Insights page
Draft London Plan response – linked policy by policy
The GLA’s consultation on the draft London Plan 2026 closed on 15 October 2026, London Forum submitted a 39-page response. This is the short version: the main points, then in Our Comments policy by policy, a one or two-line summary of key comments on each, with links to the GLA’s original text, and to our full response. 
Why the draft Plan falls short
We agree strongly that the Government’s 85,000-a-year target for new homes is [more…]
Key policies in the NPPF
The following is a blog recently written by the lawyer Simon Ricketts which is intended to help developers to get a planning application approved. It is helpful for London Forum’s members to understand parts of the new NPPF and for considering its content when assessing whether or not a proposed scheme for their area has been designed and presented in a way that takes account of the key NPPF policies identified in the blog. We reproduce the blog by kind permission of the author.… Read more...
Garden Annexe, Caravan, or Mobile Home?
Tim Catchpole of the Mortlake and East Sheen Society writes…
Our Society has had a recent experience which we would like to share with other London Forum members who may or may not have had a similar experience.
As a rule we do not normally make comments on planning applications for any development that is not visible from the public realm. However, the application in question was for planning permission for the ‘construction of a granny annex ancillary to the main house.’… Read more...
![TBM 'Florence' [Photo: HS2 ltd]](https://i0.wp.com/www.londonforum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/HS2-Florence.jpg?resize=1280%2C853&ssl=1)
HS2 Reset
The High Speed 2 railway has had numerous resets yet it clings on to its existence albeit in a truncated form. The latest announcement by the Secretary of State for Transport followed the publication of the Lovegrove report into what went wrong, and some interim recommendations from the on-going review of how the project should be reset that is being conducted by HS2’s CEO, Mark Wild. The Lovegrove report is useful because it finally nails the claim repeated over many years by politicians and many of those directly involved in the HS2 project, that its core aim is to increase railway capacity.… Read more...
![BID's in London [image: LSE]](https://i0.wp.com/www.londonforum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/BIDs.png?resize=1024%2C738&ssl=1)
What are BIDs doing for Town Centres in Central and Outer London?
Earlier this year, London Forum organised a very interesting open meeting with members about the state of London’s High Streets and the night-time economy. One of the presenters was from a BID (Business Improvement District), highlighting their work in improving business areas in central London. That raised a question, what are BIDs doing in outer London?
Once a BID has been voted in by local businesses it is funded by a supplement to the business rates paid in the area. Of the 76 BIDs in London, around half are in central London typically with an income of over £1m pa, though a few have more than £3m.… Read more...
Planning for Telecoms Masts
Most of us now carry smart phones around with us all the time: they have become an essential part of modern life. For most of the time when we are out and about, using our phones depends on signals from telecoms masts. Since the first dozen masts were erected by Vodafone in 1985 to cover London and the M4 corridor, they have become ubiquitous across the country. In London alone there are estimated to be some 7,000 of the monopole masts we see on streets and the tops of buildings.… Read more...
Architects should rejoice that Britain’s latest new towns aren’t new towns at all
By Ben Derbyshire, chair at HTA Design, former RIBA president, and President of the London Forum.
I don’t generally play for laughs, but I got one anyway at Design West’s Arnolfini conference on Labour’s then-new housing plans when I urged the audience not to hold their breath waiting for the twelve promised new towns. We still haven’t finished the ones Richard Crossman began in the 1960s. As it turns out, we needn’t have worried because of the seven finally announced, all but one are not new towns at all, but much more sensible urban extensions.… Read more...
Densifying the Suburbs – A presenter’s Insight
Our President, Ben Derbyshire, provides his Insights into our recent Densifying the Suburbs event.
I welcomed the invitation to speak at an open meeting of the Forum, ‘Densifying the Suburbs’ alongside Professor Tony Travers of UCL and local planners, Paul Lewin and Justin Carr from Waltham Forest and Brent councils respectively. My challenge – most people who have time to participate in their local civic societies will already be well housed, so what, I asked, should be our collective response to fellow citizens who are not?… Read more...
![London Bus [Unsplash]](https://i0.wp.com/www.londonforum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/jonathan-chng-uIsygO87jtM-unsplash.jpg?resize=1280%2C853&ssl=1)
The rise and fall of bus passenger numbers in London
Bus passenger numbers in London reached a peak of 2.4 billion in 2014, but since then have fallen to 1.8 billion in 2025. This decline is now exercising the Mayor and GLA Transport Committee, but it is not a new phenomenon. From 1958 to the early 1980s there was steady decline in bus usage. In the ten years to December 1969 the scheduled fleet fell from 7756 to 6900, if Country buses and Green Line services are included. Scheduled red buses fell from 6451 to 5785.… Read more...
![Statutory consultees jigsaw - inspired by image by Markus Winkler [Unsplash] and made with AI](https://i0.wp.com/www.londonforum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Statutory_consultees.jpg?resize=320%2C202&ssl=1)
Statutory Consultees
Statutory consultees play an important role in the planning application process by providing expert advice on significant environmental, transport, safety, and heritage issues. There are currently 13 organisations that local planning authorities (LPAs) must consult about specialist issues when they receive relevant planning applications, from the Environment Agency and National Highways to Historic England.
Their role is very important, but there is widespread agreement that the system is not working well, causing needless duplication of effort and delays in making decisions.… Read more...
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![Sewage in the Thames {Photo: Chiswick Calendar]](https://i0.wp.com/www.londonforum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Sewage-in-the-river-Thames.jpg?fit=150%2C100&ssl=1)
Rebuilding trust in the water sector
The Independent Water Commission published its report with 88 recommendations on restoring public and investor confidence in the water sector ...
Planning in London, Issue 139, Oct-Dec 2026
Issue 139 of Planning in London (Oct-Dec 2026), the journal of the London Planning and Development Forum, has been published.
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Community engagement in growth
London Forum's President, Ben Derbyshire, has written an article on his conclusions from the work of the Historic Places Panel.
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Draft London Plan response – linked policy by policy
The GLA’s consultation on the draft London Plan 2026 closed on 15 October 2026, London Forum submitted a 39-page response. This is the short version: the main points, then in Our Comments policy by policy, a one or two-line summary of key ...
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Annual General Meeting 2026
📆 Wed 28th October | 18:30 - 20:30
🚩 77 Cowcross Street, EC1M 6EL (map)
Wednesday 28 October 6.30pm at The Gallery, 77 Cowcross Street, EC1M 6EL Notice is hereby given to member societies of the 2026 AGM of the London Forum of Amenity and Civic Societies. Doors open for networking, drinks and nibbles from 6.00pm. Please book your place(s) using the booking facility ( https://www.londonforum.org.uk/events/agm-2026#booking ). Agenda Welcome and Introduction Approval of the Minutes of the AGM of 16 October 2025, available here ( https://www.londonforum.org.uk/agm-papers/ ) Chair’s Report – Chair Michael Jubb Financial Report – Treasurer Ali Dezyanian Approval of the Annual Report and Accounts for 2025-2026, available here ( https://…
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