Noise Action Week 11th to 15th May 2026
Excessive noise is linked to serious health impacts including hearing loss, stress, sleep disturbance, heart disease, strokes and dementia, affecting millions of people nationwide.
The NoiseActionWeek website invites people to join their 2026 campaign focusing on tackling neighbourhood noise.
The UK Noise Association website has [more…]
![Low Cost Solar [ MHCLG ]](https://i0.wp.com/www.londonforum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Low-Cost-Solar.jpg?resize=300%2C195&ssl=1)
Low cost solar panels
The Government has announced that ‘plug-in’ solar will be available in shops, offering households the opportunity to cut energy bills in response to conflict in the Middle East. Several energy companies have solar battery storage options.
New rules have been introduced for the majority of new homes in England to be built with solar panels and clean heating, fitted as standard to meet the requirements of the Future Homes and Buildings Standard.
By the end of 2026, energy companies with wind turbines are to offer discounted energy bills [more…]
![Manual for streets 2010 [CiHT]](https://i0.wp.com/www.londonforum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/manua-for-streets-2-1-scaled-e1776252588896.jpg?resize=1280%2C1280&ssl=1)
Manual for Streets update
The DfT has circulated a draft of the eagerly awaited Manual for Streets update.
Christopher Martin expresses the wish that it must not become just another well-meaning advisory document.
He wrote “My hope for the next Manual for Streets is simple: That it stops asking politely. That it gives practitioners permission, and obligation, to design streets around people, not vehicles.”
The source of this news item is an article in Building Design.
![The Antwerp Arms, ACV 2013 [ Photo Antwerp Arms ]](https://i0.wp.com/www.londonforum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/saveourpub.jpg?resize=1000%2C574&ssl=1)
Changes to Assets of Community Value rules
Communities and local leaders will benefit from new powers in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, to protect local spaces, shape their high streets, and celebrate culture, according to a Government press release here.
Local people will see stronger and more public scrutiny of their regional mayors, through new Local Scrutiny Committees.
The Community Right to Buy listing period doubles from five to ten years and the Bill introduces the separate category of “sporting assets of community value”.
The lawyer Simon Ricketts warns land owners of the problems that [more…]
![Crews Hill Station [Photo: Enfield Society]](https://i0.wp.com/www.londonforum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Crews-Hill-station-1024x614-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C614&ssl=1)
New Towns consultation
On 23rd March 2026 the Government issued a consultation on the New Towns draft programme, including Crews Hill and Chase Park in LB Enfield and Thamesmead in LB Greenwich. The consultation ends on 19th May 2026.
Consultations were commenced also on fees for planning applications, the types of applications that may have to be referred to the Secretary of State and a policy paper on the implementation proposals for streamlining infrastructure planning.
In a blog by the lawyer Nicola Gooch of Birketts, links to those announcements are [more…]
London Infrastructure Framework
With the next London Plan in development, London needs strategic priority infrastructure projects to deliver its economic, housing and resilience ambitions. The Mayor has published a London Infrastructure Framework (LIF) to translate the vision into delivery.
It includes a London Infrastructure Framework Explorer to provide a visual and interactive way to explore the projects featured in the LIF Portfolio. The tool enables users to identify where infrastructure schemes with the highest impact on London’s key outcomes are located, and the different economic sectors they relate [more…]
![London Collisions Map [TfL]](https://i0.wp.com/www.londonforum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/London-Collisions-Map.jpg?resize=1245%2C827&ssl=1)
Mayor’s ‘Vision Zero’ road safety plan
On 13th March 2026 the Mayor and Transport for London (TfL) launched an updated ‘Vision Zero’ plan to significantly reduce road danger and prevent deaths and serious injuries on London’s roads over the next five years.
TfL is considering how to tackle the safety issues posed by oversized cars such as SUVs, which are increasingly common on London’s roads and more likely to cause deaths or serious injuries in collisions and are too wide for existing parking infrastructure. New car tax fees for them are possible.
Demo on affordable housing crisis
National Planning Policy Framework consultation response
We’ve responded to the December 2025 NPPF consultation, which closed on 12th March 2026. This substantial piece of work, contributed to by many subject matter experts, is posted in the ‘what we’ve said‘ archive as usual, and directly linked below for your convenience. It is now fully indexed for searching too.
We are critical of some of the new decision making policies.
Densifying the Suburbs – A presenter’s Insight
Our President, Ben Derbyshire, provides his Insights into our recent Densifying the Suburbs event.
I welcomed the invitation to speak at an open meeting of the Forum, ‘Densifying the Suburbs’ alongside Professor Tony Travers of UCL and local planners, Paul Lewin and Justin Carr from Waltham Forest and Brent councils respectively. My challenge – most people who have time to participate in their local civic societies will already be well housed, so what, I asked, should be our [more…]
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Making Social Rent Homes viable
Noise Action Week 11th to 15th May 2026
Additional rules for Neighbourhood Forums
Densifying the Suburbs – A presenter’s Insight
Our President, Ben Derbyshire, provides his Insights into our recent Densifying the Suburbs event.
I welcomed the invitation to speak at an [more…]
Most Popular This Week
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Member Services Committee meeting
📅 Thu 7th May | 14:00 - 16:00
🚩 Room B1 70 Cowcross St, EC1M 6EJ (map)
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Planning, Environment and Transport committee meeting
📅 Thu 11th June | 14:00 - 16:00
🚩 Room B1 70 Cowcross St, EC1M 6EJ (map)