LB Ealing’s use of AI
The Prime Minister held a reception at Downing Street for staff and Councillors of Ealing borough to celebrate their successful use of AI to help the Council’s adult social services team spend more time with the people it helps by slashing the amount of time staff spent on paperwork. See here.
Tall Building evidence
The London Assembly Planning and Regeneration Committee is investigating homes in London’s tall buildings and the impact of these buildings on the health and safety of residents. The Call for Evidence can be found here. The deadline for submissions is Tuesday 4 March 2025.
The New London Plan: Shaping Housing for the Future
Many communities in London are concerned about future development that could change that character of their much-loved areas, whether by the scale, density or height of new building. This event will leave us all much better informed about the shape of the next ten years. Free for London Forum members, but booking is essential.
Chair: Ben Derbyshire, President of the London Forum of Amenity & Civic Societies, Chair of HTA Design and Commissioner of Historic England.
Keynote Speaker – introducing the GLA’s ‘Towards a New London Plan’ – Jules Pipe CBE [more…]
Using land value for new transport
The capital’s leading business campaign group BusinessLDN has produced a report on this subject here. It recommends building on the tax increment financing (TIF) model which allows borrowing against future increases in tax revenue resulting from infrastructure projects in order to finance transport schemes and calls on the Government to empower the GLA to do so.
Planning officers overwhelmed
An article by John Walker (ex planning Director at Westminster City Council) was published by New London Architecture (NLA) explaining how borough planning officers are overwhelmed by the complex planning system and the additional environmental factors to be considered for each application. They are under-resourced and lack the expertise for the new Government imposed obligations.
Putting up the national planning fees will not solve the resource problem in planning departments. [more…]
Connecting with nature
There is a short survey on Talk London asking what you think about London’s network of rivers, canals, docks, reservoirs, lakes and green and natural spaces. It will take about 10 minutes to complete and it will close on Sunday 16 February 2025.
You can sign up with Talk London here for opportunities to make input to GLA activities and discussions.
Assembly Tall Buildings scrutiny
The London Assembly Planning and Regeneration Committee is investigating homes in London’s tall buildings and their effect, with a call for evidence until 4th March 2025 to which societies could respond.
Review of Green Belt
News channel ONLONDON reported Sadiq Khan’s review of London Green Belt following the Government’s addition to the December NPPF of ‘grey belt’ land. The Mayor intervened in the public inquiry of LB Enfield’s Local Plan in a way that has implications for any borough with Green Belt land as in another ONLONDON article here. A report from member, the Enfield Society, is here.
Accelerating housing delivery
The GLA published an Accelerating Housing Delivery Planning and Housing Practice Note, which provides additional guidance to support short term housing delivery and provide additional affordable homes. The lawyer Simon Ricketts has issued a critical assessment, as here, on its potential effectiveness.
Chief Planner’s newsletter to LPAs December 2024
Joanna Averley, the DHCLG Chief Planner, issued another newsletter on 19th December 2024 to local authorities requiring them to update their brownfield land register for 2024 by 31st December.
It seeks their views on a Development and Nature Recovery Working Paper, proposing developers pay into a ‘Nature Restoration Fund’. Also LPAs are asked to complete an online survey on a Green Infrastructure (GI) Framework. There is an explanation of the Government’s approach by the lawyer Nicola Gooch here.
An updated Criteria Document for improving planning performance for speed [more…]
Didn’t find what you’re looking for? Try a new search:
Making Social Rent Homes viable
Noise Action Week 11th to 15th May 2026
Additional rules for Neighbourhood Forums
Great British Railways consultation launched
The government has at last launched a formal consultation on the creation of Great British Railways (GBR), several years after the launch of the Williams Review in 2018 that ended [more…]
Most Popular This Week
-
Member Services Committee meeting
📅 Thu 7th May | 14:00 - 16:00
🚩 Room B1 70 Cowcross St, EC1M 6EJ (map)
-
Planning, Environment and Transport committee meeting
📅 Thu 11th June | 14:00 - 16:00
🚩 Room B1 70 Cowcross St, EC1M 6EJ (map)