London Forum

Chief Planning Officer’s newsletter

London Forum — Sun, 26 Jul 2026 10:00:24 +0000

A newsletter by Chief Planner of MHCLG, Joanna Averley, was published to local authorities’ planning officers on 21st July 2026.

It draws attention to the final regulations on the national scheme of delegation of decisions on planning applications and planning committees which will come into force on 31 October 2026. Guidance on it was published to Local Authorities. London Forum objected to the changes as here.

Biodiversity Net Gain regulations from 6th August 2026 will introduce new exemptions.… Read more...

The Role of Civic Societies in London’s Planning and Development

London Forum — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 10:00:37 +0000

What role do civic societies really play in shaping London? Are they powerful defenders of local communities, or are they unfairly blamed for blocking the homes and infrastructure the capital desperately needs?

In an episode here of Talk About London by The London Society, Leanne Tritton and Dave Hill are joined by architect and former RIBA President Ben Derbyshire, London Forum’s President, to explore the history, purpose and future of London’s civic societies.

Healthy Street Scorecard 2026

London Forum — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 10:00:19 +0000

The annual results have been published by CPRE (London) for the Healthy Streets scores by borough.

Visit their website to see all the results, including the ones for Your Borough and the new TLRN (red routes) Scorecard.

The launch presentation slides are here and list the Input indicators for the scores:

20 mph
Controlled parking zones
Low traffic neighbourhoods
Cycle tracks
School streets + Travel for Life
Bus Priority

The launch event was recorded and is at https://youtu.be/FoWPgJRc5iI… Read more...

Modular construction in Old Kent Road

London Forum — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 10:00:39 +0000

Urban Design Learning (UDL) has published another video in their series on development in the Old Kent Road Action Plan area.

In it, Colin Wilson looks at a pair of recent buildings in the Opportunity Area, one student housing, one mixed use, and discusses detailing, how new development relates to the local industrial heritage, and modular vs traditional construction methods.

Here is a link to the video and earlier ones.

Government announcements

London Forum — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:00:15 +0000

Bill Butler has been appointed by the Government as the first chair of the Local Audit Office.

The Government has made a response to the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee report on housing conditions in temporary accommodation.

Councils can issue fines of up to £7,000 from 22 June 2026, if landlords are found to have serious hazards in their rented properties.

Details have been published for the Government’s plan for capital investment to transform healthcare infrastructure over the next decade.… Read more...

Vagrancy Act repealed

London Forum — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 10:00:50 +0000

The Government repealed the Vagrancy Act on Monday 29 June 2026, ending nearly two centuries of legislation that has criminalised rough sleeping and begging. More details.

Clarification of CIL on home extensions and build

London Forum — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 10:00:45 +0000

Matthew Pennycook MP, Minister of State for Housing and Planning, wrote a letter to all local authorities on how Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) should be applied to large home extensions and self-build.

Due to procedural errors and confusion about the 2014 process, some householders have failed to obtain an exemption. The Government is to consult on amendments to the CIL Regulations to deal with the issues. It provides clarity to local authorities over their existing discretion to take action as they see appropriate in specific cases.

Action on extreme heat

London Forum — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 10:00:31 +0000

The GLA has issued a Heat Ready London report.

The Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee has pushed the Government on action to tackle the “silent killer” of extreme heat.

In a letter he asks the Government how it plans to tackle overheating in hospitals, care homes, schools and prisons, as well as measures such as establishing maximum workplace temperatures, prescribing active cooling such as air conditioning, changing school timetables and ensuring new housing is resilient to future heat.