Updates

Christopher Pincher Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government) made the following statement on 20th July 2021.
“We have today published the response to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and National Model Design Code consultation. The updated NPPF has been published at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-planning-policy-framework and the response to the consultation is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/national-planning-policy-framework-and-national-model-design-code-consultation-proposals.”
There is a document showing NPPF changes from the 2019 to the 2021 version.
The UK Green Building Council has criticised the NPPF as here and here.
The lawyer Zack Simons [more…]

Joanna Averley provided an update on Government planning activities to local authorities. It includes new fire safety rules for development.

The Mayor has published a strategic evidence report supporting boroughs wanting Article 4 Directions to control commercial to residential permitted development conversions (Use Class E to C3). Details are here and here.
The GLA report relates to the 2021 London Plan and new government policy on Article 4s and supports geographically targeted Article 4s for the whole of the Central Activities Zone and Northern Isle of Dogs; for strategically significant office locations beyond the CAZ; for town centres and high streets and for industrial areas, including [more…]

The Healthy Streets Scorecard shows the health of each borough’s streets. Councils and communities should work together to make improvements.

The June 2021 planning update by Historic England (HE) is published here.
London Forum members can request to subscribe for HE’s planning bulletins by emailing governmentadvice@HistoricEngland.org.uk

Civic Voice has published an interim report by the University of Reading on a scrutiny of the quality of local authorities’ Statements of Community Involvement. SCIs in LB Southwark and LB Brent are to be examined further.

A new Historic England Advice Note no. 16 on Listed Building Consent is published at https://lnkd.in/e7vPR4s
It gives general advice for owners of listed buildings about Listed Building Consent as an application process; how to judge whether proposals need consent or not; how to achieve certainty on the need for consent; how to make informed applications; works which may or may not need listed building consent depending on how the works are proposed to be carried out.

Parliament’s Housing, Communities and Local Government committee published its report on evidence it received for its examination of the Government’s ‘Planning for the Future’ White Paper (PWP) and its recommendations.
London Forum responded to the PWP consultation as here and finds the HCLG committee’s recomendations meet many of its concerns.
The HCLG committee interviewed Rt Hon Christopher Pincher MP, Minister for Housing, on Permitted Development Rights, as here.

At least 25% of a developer’s requirement to build at least 10% affordable housing will need to be First Homes from 28th June 2021, so at least 2.5% of all homes built in a scheme would need to be First Homes.
First homes will be sold at a discount, available only for first-time buyers, of 30% at a minimum. There is a price cap, after the discount has been applied, of £250,000 or £420,000 in London.
In the consultation on MHCLG proposals for First Homes, the GLA responded that such homes [more…]

Lichfields was commissioned by the Land Promoters & Developers Federation (“LPDF”) and Home Builders Federation (“HBF”) to undertake research into how the pipeline of sites for housing development compares with what might be needed to meet the Government’s ambitions for 300,000 net additional homes per year across England. Their report is here.

In a recent interview, Robert Jenrick spoke about how communities could work with their Council to devise design codes in Local Plans to influence “beautiful” development and “gentle densification”. On tall buildings, he urged local Councils to decide where they should be located.

If you are reading this page from a URL in Twitter or LinkedIn, please consider joining London Forum to support us in our work. We have memberships for individuals, companies, civic societies and resident associations – see ‘Join Us’ above.