London Forum https://www.londonforum.org.uk/ Working to protect and improve the quality of life in London Thu, 24 Sep 2026 00:13:22 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.2 https://i0.wp.com/www.londonforum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/cropped-Logo-512x512px.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 London Forum https://www.londonforum.org.uk/ 32 32 240479893 West London Orbital overground https://www.londonforum.org.uk/2026/09/24/west-london-orbital-overground/ Thu, 24 Sep 2026 09:00:34 +0000 https://www.londonforum.org.uk/?p=14344 TfL is making plans for a new rail service on existing, underused rail lines in west London – this would become part of the London Overground network. The West London Orbital rail service would run between Hendon in north London towards Hounslow in southwest London.

A new station at Lionel Road will serve Brentford football stadium and relieve pressure on nearby stations.

The consultation runs until 18th November 2026, as here 

Members near the stations are asked to respond and copy London Forum at planning@londonforum.org.uk… Read more...

]]> 14344 Planning Resources Are Stretched Thin https://www.londonforum.org.uk/2026/09/22/planning-resources-are-stretched-thin/ Tue, 22 Sep 2026 10:00:38 +0000 https://www.londonforum.org.uk/?p=13745 According to research by the Home Builders Federation (HBF) nine in ten local authority planning departments in England and Wales are understaffed, delaying planning decisions and threatening the Government’s target of 1.5 million new homes.

HBF’s Planning on Empty report is based on a Freedom of Information survey of councils across England and Wales examining staffing levels, vacancies, staff turnover and the use of agency workers during the 2025/26 financial year.

What is the situation in your Council? Responses are welcome

]]> 13745 Presentation slides: Will the London Plan deliver the housing and places London needs? https://www.londonforum.org.uk/2026/09/21/presentation-slides-will-the-london-plan-deliver-the-housing-and-places-london-needs/ Mon, 21 Sep 2026 09:30:27 +0000 https://www.londonforum.org.uk/?p=14306 The slides from last week’s London Forum/GLA event on the draft London Plan have been added to its event page.

]]> 14306 Information for members https://www.londonforum.org.uk/2026/09/18/information-for-members/ Fri, 18 Sep 2026 10:00:39 +0000 https://www.londonforum.org.uk/?p=14090

Within the ‘Resources‘ page of the website, ‘External Resources‘ provides links to news on London and on the activities of the Government and the GLA. Societies and London Plan team members can subscribe to several of these for periodic updates.

A new link to the Planning Portal has been added which is well worth monitoring regularly for news on proposals of Government and changes that they have implemented. The list of topics that you can read about is here.

… Read more... ]]> 14090 Key policies in the NPPF https://www.londonforum.org.uk/2026/09/16/key-policies-in-the-nppf/ Wed, 16 Sep 2026 16:00:27 +0000 https://www.londonforum.org.uk/?p=13737 The following is a blog recently written by the lawyer Simon Ricketts which is intended to help developers to get a planning application approved.  It is helpful for London Forum’s members to understand parts of the new NPPF and for considering its content when assessing whether or not a proposed scheme for their area has been designed and presented in a way that takes account of the key NPPF policies identified in the blog.  We reproduce the blog by kind permission of the author.… Read more...

]]> 13737 Youth unemployment https://www.londonforum.org.uk/2026/09/15/youth-unemployment/ Tue, 15 Sep 2026 10:00:14 +0000 https://www.londonforum.org.uk/?p=13664 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.

]]> 13664 Annual General Meeting 2026 https://www.londonforum.org.uk/events/agm-2026/ Tue, 15 Sep 2026 05:23:33 +0000 https://www.londonforum.org.uk/?post_type=mec-events&p=14172 Wednesday 28 October 6.30pm at The Gallery, 77 Cowcross Street, EC1M 6EL

Notice is hereby given to member societies of the 2026 AGM of the London Forum of Amenity and Civic Societies. Doors open for networking, drinks and nibbles from 6.00pm. Please book your place(s) using the booking facility.

Agenda

  1. Welcome and Introduction 
  2. Approval of the Minutes of the AGM of 16 October 2025, available here
  3. Chair’s Report – Chair Michael Jubb
  4. Financial Report – Treasurer Ali Dezyanian 
  5. Approval of the Annual Report and Accounts for 2025-2026, available here
  6. Appointment of the Independent Examiner 
  7. Election of Officers and Trustees 
  8. Any Other Business

—  End of formal business  —

Presentations

We look forward to hearing from both our Patron Professor Tony Travers CBE and our President Ben Derbyshire.… Read more...

]]> 14172 Planning agreements for medium-sized sites https://www.londonforum.org.uk/2026/09/11/planning-agreements-for-medium-sized-sites/ Fri, 11 Sep 2026 10:00:03 +0000 https://www.londonforum.org.uk/?p=13652 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.

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