Reforming judicial review for infrastructure
A Policy Paper has been published on this subject.
The Government wants to reduce delays in the delivery of nationally important infrastructure, as in the Banner review but also the Fingleton review on enabling nuclear delivery through regulatory reform.
A Government-backed indemnification scheme is proposed to give developers greater financial certainty when facing legal challenge; and the NSIP judicial review reforms will be extended to other major planning regimes, including those under the Town and Country Planning Act.
West London Regional Park
The West London Regional Park has been proposed to combine green areas and water routes to promote climate resilience and economic development.
Ealing and Hounslow Councils, Canal and River Trust, The National Trust, Environment Agency and the Mayor are developing this legacy landscape of green spaces. The project is supported by the West London and Park Royal Business Group led by Andrew Dakers.
The details on their website highlight the extent of existing green spaces and waterways and will be updated as the project evolves.
Local Audit Reform
In December 2025 a policy paper on Local Audit Reform was published following a significant backlog of outstanding unaudited local authority accounts. The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill established the Local Audit Office (LAO) to oversee and improve the system requiring local public bodies to publish independently audited accounts on time annually.
Bill Butler has been announced as preferred candidate for chair of the Local Audit Office, subject to a Parliamentary hearing.
A new consultation on preventing financial mismanagement in local government runs from May 28 to August 6.
How to petition Parliament
There has been a relaunch of Parliament’s e-petitions website, with a refreshed design and improved functionality to make it easier to find, sign and start petitions. The updated site includes improved accessibility, and enhanced search tools. The changes follow user feedback and aim to provide a smoother experience. Petitions are one way the public can raise issues with the UK Government and Parliament. Petitions that receive 10,000 signatures receive a Government response, and those that reach 100,000 are considered for debate by the Petitions Committee.
![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.… Read more...
Old Kent Road development – update
Urban Design London has issued another video on what is happening in the Old Kent Road Opportunity Area.
An update on 13th May 2026 had links to earlier videos.
In the latest one, Colin Wilson reflects on the challenges – and successes – of adding cycle lanes and a district heat network during an estate regeneration, with the additional complication and benefit of uncovering the Roman road that sits underneath the Old Kent Road.
High Value Council Tax Surcharge
There is a consultation ending on 14th July 2026 on a proposed High Value Council Tax Surcharge (HVCTS) on owners of homes for each £500,000 of value above £2 million.
The Forum will respond to the consultation and we urge members to send to chair@londonforum.org.uk any comments or suggestions on points London Forum ought to make by 26 June 2026.
There are four questions in the main part of the consultation to which responses can be submitted by societies, which we urge you to do, through the online survey or by emailing responses to the questions to hvcts@communities.gov.uk… Read more...
Crystal Palace National Sports Centre Redevelopment
The GLA’s redevelopment of the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre will cut carbon emissions by 90% and eliminate fossil fuels through a £23m investment in efficiency and heat pumps. While the project sits in Bromley, it follows the GLA’s climate-focused policies rather than Bromley Council’s, which largely ignores carbon reduction and has yet to declare a climate emergency.
As Bromley consults on its local plan this summer, the public is urged to use the GLA project as a benchmark.… Read more...
Building the Homes London needs
Centre for London has published a long report with recommendations on how London’s housing crisis could be resolved.
The announcement of their report provides details of the background to London’s housing crisis and outlines their recommendations.
The document discusses the London housing crisis, framing it as a matter of supply and demand. It explores how well current housing needs are met and reviews the effectiveness of policies aimed at improving housing availability. Solutions proposed include expanding local authorities’ capacity to manage homes and addressing demand-side inefficiencies.
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How Effective is Planning Enforcement? Meeting Record & Video
Last week we held a well-attended talk on the subject of Planning Enforcement, chaired by Brian Keane of PE&T, which ...
Consultation on Heathrow expansion
A Draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement (HENPS) consultation has been published with a deadline for responses by 1st September ...
AI tool to halve planning decision times
A new AI facility is being tested in Barnet and Camden boroughs to speed up decision times.
The facility assesses ...
![TBM 'Florence' [Photo: HS2 ltd]](https://i0.wp.com/www.londonforum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/HS2-Florence.jpg?fit=1501%2C1000&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...
Most Popular This Week
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Member Services Committee meeting
📅 Thu 6th August | 14:00 - 16:00
🚩 Room F3 70 Cowcross St, EC1M 6EJ (map)
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Planning, Environment and Transport committee meeting
📅 Thu 13th August | 14:00 - 16:00
🚩 Room B1 70 Cowcross St, EC1M 6EJ (map)