Ongoing District Line service problems
East Putney, Southfields, Wimbledon Park and Wimbledon stations together see over 29 million entries and exits a year but there are frequent District Line service delays. That section was left out of an upgrade scheme, as in an article in Putney News.
Campaigners urge people to visit a demonstration on 17 September, sign a petition and share it with anyone else who uses the branch, as delays affect also the District Line service east of Earls Court.
More detail on the campaign’s case is at fixthedistrict.org… Read more...
Tackling high street decline
High streets that have been hollowed out by the unchecked spread of vape stores, betting shops, and rogue businesses that do little to serve local communities are set to face a crackdown under new powers announced by the Prime Minister.
Details of the new powers are here.
There will be a 20% cut to business rates for pubs, social clubs and live music venues across England from next year to help them – fully funded by reviewing reliefs for businesses that do not make a positive contribution.
Mayor challenges Heathrow expansion
In a letter to the House of Commons Transport Committee the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, claims the government’s case for increasing Heathrow Airport’s capacity relies heavily on outdated evidence from 2015.
The Mayor and TfL have accused the government of relying on the 2015 report from the Airports Commission, which recommended a new runway be built, and have pointed out that the revised environmental tests do not provide sufficient reassurance that an expanded Heathrow can be delivered without serious environmental impacts. … Read more...
AI for decision making
This week’s edition of LDN has useful information on the use of AI in decision making, the never-ending story of HS2 in London and a roundup of London’s politics and planning news.
London Forum suggests that member societies sign up to receive LDN weekly newsletters and to use their information in communications with members.
If you find the LDN updates useful, they welcome donations.
Response to Heathrow Expansion Consultation
The London Forum has submitted a highly critical response to the Government’s consultation on Heathrow expansion policy – link below.
The economic appraisal which forms part of the consultation shows that the relevant costs taken together, including environmental costs, greatly exceed the expected benefits. We cover many other issues in our response; but for that reason alone, we cannot support the draft policy statement.
You only have until 1st September to respond – our previous article has some useful guidance.
Our response is in the What we’ve said archive as usual.
Feedback required on draft London Plan
An update on 17th August 2026 asked for feedback on the ten Broad Locations for Growth (BLG) in the 2026 draft London Plan. See this article.
The draft plan has also a section on Brownfield Opportunity Areas (BFOAs).
Any LF member society with a BFOA in their area is asked to comment on its status, the indicative number of homes, its boundary, purpose and aims of the OA and any transport required.
For either or both, please comment by 15th September 2026 to planning@londonforum.org.uk
Accelerating housebuilding
The Minister of State for Housing and Planning, Rt Hon Matthew Pennycook MP, wrote to mayors and leaders of local authorities about the government’s next phase of reforms to accelerate growth and housebuilding.
On 17 August 2026, the government published its response to the public consultation on a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and announced wider measures to create a faster, more certain planning system.
The government has also published the recent Housing Delivery Test (HDT) results.… Read more...
Chief Planning Officer’s newsletter
The latest newsletter by Chief Planner of MHCLG, Joanna Averley, was published to local authorities’ planning officers on 18th August 2026.
It draws attention to
- the publication of the new National Planning Policy Framework, including the main changes following consultation as well as the government’s response to the consultation;
- reforms to the statutory consultee system, including changes to the roles and requirements of statutory consultees;
- publication of the 2024 and 2025 Housing Delivery Test results, alongside an updated Rule Book;
- new digital planning tools and guidance, including the rollout of Extract to all local planning authorities and new guidance on using digital tools for site identification and assessment;
- new Sustainable Drainage Systems resources, including national SuDS Strategy Templates and new training for planners; and
- upcoming Green Infrastructure webinars, covering new evidence, mapping tools and practical support for planners and other practitioners.
Grants available for local projects
The London Friends of Green Spaces Network has published a seven page document on the availability of grants for local authorities, resident groups and amenity societies. See the list here.
London Forum’s members are asked to forward details to organisations in their locality which may be eligible for the grants described.
Planning in London, Issue 138, Jul-Sep 2026
Issue 138 of Planning in London, the journal of the London Planning and Development Forum, has been published, covering the period July-September 2026.
Contents:
- Housing, devolution & new towns — Burnham’s growth agenda, National Housing Bank.
- London’s office squeeze — shortage of prime workspace & economic impact.
- Olympia unveiled — Spparc & Heatherwick’s £1.3bn regeneration in Hammersmith.
- £9bn in unspent developer contributions — why S106 & CIL funds are stuck in council accounts.
- Planning policy & appeals — City Plan 2040 stalled, station-led development & rising appeal rates.
- High streets [more…]
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Draft London Plan response – linked policy by policy
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