Commonhold and Leasehold Reform
Comments are wanted on likely effectiveness of reforms in the draft Commonhold and Leasehold Bill and any changes needed.
London Forum’s members should inform their own members so people living in Commonhold and Leasehold can contribute to the HCLG Committee on point 4. below by 31 March 2026.
Managing consultation responses
LB Hounslow and Chesterfield BC tested new digital tools for managing consultation responses.
- Outcome: Hounslow reduced the time and cost of processing responses and improved consistency across consultations which freed up officer time for engagement and plan making.
- Scale and approach: Pilot project delivered by planning teams from both councils working jointly with an external supplier and supported by service designers.
- Technology used: The councils worked with Urban Intelligence to develop and test new response management features within the existing PlaceMaker platform.
Details are here.
Contesting land or property
If you believe land or property is not needed and could be put to better economic use, then you can raise a challenge by submitting a Right to Contest application.
The application process has two strands:
- Strand 1: land owned by a central Government department and their arms length bodies
- Strand 2: land owned by a local authority or certain other public bodies
You’ll need to contact the relevant organisation when submitting the form. Details are on the application form.
ESSA Introduction & Retrofit Guides
Our new member ESSA (The Edwardes Square Scarsdale and Abingdon Association) has written an introduction to their work in the attached pdf document.
We’ve added links to their professionally produced and comprehensive retrofitting guides on the new Resources page. Their guides focus separately on typical Victorian, mansion block and modern buildings in London. We’ve also posted links to the Bedford Park Society’s timely Energy Guide which addresses some of the same areas (mentioned in member news last month), and while on the topic of keeping this week’s [more…]
New Resource Pages
There are many public sources of articles, reports and publications that could be important to London Forum’s members to help awareness of policy changes and activity of Government and GLA departments. The information could be useful for the way societies work with their local authority and their MP.
To help you, we’ve created a Resources website menu with links to useful research resources on the Internet, as well as to relevant London Forum material, including the Find Your Local Society page with its new map, and the [more…]
Interactive member map
We’ve added a new interactive member map to appropriate web pages, based on membership data provided by societies. Try it out live here (the image in this article is necessarily a static screenshot for publication). You can zoom in, and click on any of the blobs representing societies – the size of which represents membership – and review the data we show, including clickable links to member websites – example illustrated.
If you spot errors in location (an approximation in a handful of cases), or the [more…]
Inspiration for Community Action
The TCPA has resources for community groups to help make change happen at the local level.
See the various guides and case studies on their website here.
Please let London Forum have your comments on the TCPA facilities and on any local use made of them by completing our contact form.
Homes on Green Belt
The OnLondon news channel is one to which London Forum recommends its members should subscribe. Its edition here includes a review of the progress of review of LB Enfield’s new Local Plan. It promotes the use of Green Belt land for housing and the arguments for and against that will be considered by the Inspector in the examination’s stage three in October 2025.
There are other news items of interest in the OnLondon website including an Earls Court special, details of proposals to address use of mobile phones [more…]
Civil Society Covenant
On 21 July, Lisa Nandy, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, launched the Civil Society Covenant. By civil society, the document is intended to cover “charities, not-for-profit organisations, volunteer-led initiatives, social enterprises, campaign groups and grass roots organisations”. In her introduction, Nandy states that:
“We believe civil society has a powerful voice that must be heard in the rooms where decisions are made and that it is only by working together that we will build a self-confident nation where everybody’s contribution is seen [more…]
Royal Parks Police Disbanded
This article first appeared in The Greenwich Society newsletter
The Greenwich Society is very sorry to see the disbanding of the Royal Parks Police across London. At the last Safer Parks Panel meeting in April, Nick McLaughlin, Inspector of the Royal Parks Operational Command Unit, chaired this meeting and gave an update on the future of the Royal Parks Police and the dedicated police unit within Greenwich Park. A Police crime report for the last quarter was not presented to the meeting.
A significant funding shortfall of [more…]
Didn’t find what you’re looking for? Try a new search:
West London Orbital overground
TfL is making plans for a new rail service on existing, underused rail lines in west London - this would ...
Planning Resources Are Stretched Thin
According to research by the Home Builders Federation (HBF) nine in ten local authority planning departments in England and Wales ...
Presentation slides: Will the London Plan deliver the housing and places London needs?
The slides from last week's London Forum/GLA event on the draft London Plan have been added to its event page.
...
Key policies in the NPPF
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 ...
Most Popular This Week
Member News
-
Planning, Environment and Transport committee meeting
📅 Thu 8th October | 14:00 - 16:00
🚩 Room B1 70 Cowcross St, EC1M 6EJ (map)
-
Annual General Meeting 2026
📆 Wed 28th October | 18:30 - 20:30
🚩 77 Cowcross Street, EC1M 6EL (map)
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 ( https://www.londonforum.org.uk/events/agm-2026#booking ). Agenda Welcome and Introduction Approval of the Minutes of the AGM of 16 October 2025, available here ( https://www.londonforum.org.uk/agm-papers/ ) Chair’s Report – Chair Michael Jubb Financial Report – Treasurer Ali Dezyanian Approval of the Annual Report and Accounts for 2025-2026, available here ( https://…