Youth unemployment
Centre for London has published a report on London’s high youth unemployment figures. One in four young Londoners are unemployed.
The report examines apprenticeships, which London businesses are less likely to offer than elsewhere and the shrinking of the entry level job market.
Centre for London concludes that the problem is not that young Londoners lack ambition or that London’s education system is failing. It is that the transition from education into employment has become too fragile, too competitive and too dependent on informal support.
Planning agreements for medium-sized sites
The Government has launched a consultation on a set of standard planning agreements for medium-sized housing sites. The proposals are intended to help streamline the negotiation of Section 106 agreements, provide greater certainty for local planning authorities and developers, and reduce the time and resources spent negotiating standard provisions.
Details are on page 3 of the latest newsletter to local authorities by Joanna Averley, MHCLG’s Chief Planner.
The Government thinks Section 106 agreements can secure affordable housing, despite the cross-subsidy model not achieving its aims recently.
Protection for Public Green Space
The Government will review the fragmented and outdated nature of current legislative protections for public recreational green spaces, assess how these protections complement those in the planning system, and consider the lack of central records on protected land.
The review will engage a wide range of stakeholders including NFPGS to understand how the current framework operates in practice and will identify options to improve clarity, coherence and accessibility of the legislative framework, informing future policy development.
The findings will be published by Spring 2027.
![Greenwich Park, London [Photo: Pexels]](https://i0.wp.com/www.londonforum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Greenwich-Park-London-Pexels.jpg?resize=1280%2C853&ssl=1)
Parks and Climate Change
The Heritage Fund worked with Historic England to better understand how the climate crisis is affecting the UK’s natural heritage sites and the people that manage them.
As the first research of its kind, owners and managers of historic parks, gardens and cemeteries were asked how these 2,700+ registered heritage sites are coping and how they are being managed and maintained in response to climate challenges.
View Historic parks, gardens and cemeteries climate change executive summary
View Historic parks, gardens and cemeteries climate change full report
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 [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.
Also see our response to the [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.
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 published the also recent Housing Delivery Test (HDT) results.
Relevant Planning Practice Guidance will be updated.
Didn’t find what you’re looking for? Try a new search:
Youth unemployment
Centre for London has published a report on London’s high youth unemployment figures. One in four young Londoners are unemployed.
...
Planning agreements for medium-sized sites
The Government has launched a consultation on a set of standard planning agreements for medium-sized housing sites. The proposals are ...
Protection for Public Green Space
The Government will review the fragmented and outdated nature of current legislative protections for public recreational green spaces, assess how ...
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 [more…]
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