News

The emergency measures introduced in 2020 that allowed boroughs to conduct planning committees on-line have not been renewed and meetings would not be able to be held that way after 6th May 2021. They were popular with communities and a recent survey of London Forum’s members indicated how they would like to see such committees operating in future and some safeguards, as here.
The lawyer Zak Simmons has published his reaction to the ending of ‘virtual’ planning committee meetings.
There is a Government consultation on the subject in a call for evidence for 12 weeks from 25 March 2021.… Read more...

The Mayor published the final version of the replacement London Plan, first seen in 2017, on 2nd March 2021. It provides the basis for revision of Local Plans with the introduction of design codes. The GLA web site has key points about the new London Plan with a link at the end to the full document.
Policies for Green Belt in the new London Plan and in the NPPF have been extracted, as here.
The GLA has issued amendments to the plan in light of changes by Government to the Use Class Order.… Read more...

A consultation was launched by Government with a closing date of 27th March 2021 on a Model Design Code and associated revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
London Forum’s response to the consultation is here.
The introduction of design code standards will support the implementation by boroughs of the replacement London Plan and its guidance for the use of such codes by boroughs for suburban densification of small sites by more ‘Homes for Londoners’ for which London Forum provided a summary.

The Mayor published proposals on this subject to support the suburban densification and small site housing policies in the imminent replacement London Plan and sought responses from communities, boroughs and other stakeholders.
London Forum has summarised for members the content of the draft guidance and it submitted a response by the consultation closing date of 15th January 2021.
The Mayor’s guidance on this subject will become a London Plan Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) document in the summer of 2021. The state of all London Plan SPGs is here.… Read more...