Updates

London Forum’s Patron Professor Tony Travers, Visiting professor in the LSE Dept of Government and Director of LSE London gave a speech at London Forum’s AGM on October 12, 2023 in which he asked us to consider London as it is today and think how it came about.

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Almost two-thirds of planners cannot confirm they will have resources in place to meet the November 2023 biodiversity net gain (BNG) deadline, the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has reported.

The Government wishes to speed up the preparation and inspection of Local Plans and to ensure that all plans of local authorities are updated and completed in a defined timescale from now.
There is a consultation on their proposals to 18th October 2023 here.

Joanna Averley, the Chief Planner in DLUHC, has published her September 2023 newsletter to borough leaders and planning officers. It covers ministerial statements for onshore wind and other subjects, a revised NPPF version, Government amendments to LURB for the proposed Infrastructure Levy, an update on biodiversity Net Gain, guidance on grid-scale lithium-ion battery energy storage systems, PDR for EV charge points and a call for evidence on the future of freight.

The Government issued a consultation in March 2023 on its proposals for a new Infrastructure Levy. It was summarised by a ‘Planning’ article here and criticised for its potential to reduce delivery of affordable housing, as here.
London Forum submitted a response to the consultation.

Joanna Averley, the Chief Planner in DLUHC, has published her May 2023 newsletter to borough leaders and planning officers. It covers a Responsible Actors Scheme for the purpose of securing and improving the safety and standard of buildings. She wrote “The Environmental Outcomes Reports (EOR) and Infrastructure Levy consultations are still live and I encourage you all to respond using the links provided. There are also consultations underway on short-term lets and high street rental auctions that we hope you’ll engage with. Defra have published the regulations, statutory guidance and consultation response for Local Nature Recovery Strategies and there [more…]

Councils are alarmed at proposals to phase out Supplementary Planning Documents, as here.
There are concerns also expressed about what the Government’s Environment Improvement Plan will mean for councils and developers.
Councils facing additional work by such recent proposed planning changes and by clauses in the Levelling-Up and Planning Bill were hoping for a good financial settlement by Government. London Councils, representing the boroughs, issued a statement on that subject and On London issued a report on the Council Tax increases of the Councils in London.
Localis has issued an asssesment of fiscal devolution and where local government [more…]

Joanna Averley, the DLUHC Chief Planner has published a March 2023 newsletter to borough planning officers. It covers a consultation to 25th April 2023 on ‘Stronger Performance of Local Planning Authorities supported through an increase in Planning Fees’.  That is descibed by FirstPlan here.
The newsletter includes information on a Competition and Market Authority study on house building with a report scheduled for February 2024, a reminder for LPAs to engage with their local water companies on the forthcoming 2024 Water Resources Management Plans, the launch of a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects Action Plan, technical guidance from Defra on new environmental targets [more…]

Joanna Averley, the DLUHC Chief Planner has issued her latest newsletter to borough planning officers. It covers the NPPF consultation that is open until 2nd March 2023. News is given on the Chief Medical Officer’s annual report for air pollution, on a new Active Travel England agency, on the recently launched Trees and Woodland Strategy Toolkit, on the Planning Advisory Service support for Nutrient Neutrality, on the launch of the National Green Infrastructure Framework, on Community Land Auctions and on a consistent approach to sustainable drainage.

The Government issued in December 2022 two linked consultations to 2nd March 2023 on changes to the planning system that will arise from the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill receiving Royal Assent in its final form, together with other changes which the consultation describes and regulations that the Secretary of State will produce.
There is a consultation included on a draft version of a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) which at this stage contains some of those changes but will be amended as more are confirmed.
One of the proposed planning changes is the introduction of National Development Management Policies [more…]

Housing Secretary Michael Gove has demanded answers and action from Orbit Housing, Lambeth Council, Hackney Council and Notting Hill Housing after the Ombudsman found severe maladministration in their handling of complaints. They follow eleven other providers to have faced severe maladministration findings. More details here.
Michael Gove said “Housing providers will have nowhere to hide once our Social Housing Bill becomes law early next year. A beefed-up Regulator will have the power to enter properties with only 48 hours’ notice and make emergency repairs with landlords footing the bill.”