The London Plan

The London Plan is a statutory strategy required by the Greater London Authority Act 1999. The Act also sets out the general objectives for the Plan, the process for drawing it up, altering and replacing it.

It is prepared by the Mayor of London and published by the Greater London Authority. The first London Plan was published in 2004, replacing previous strategic planning guidance for London known as RPG3. It was updated in 2008 and then again in July 2011. The latest edition was published in March 2015 (see below).

The London Plan is a spatial development strategy setting out an economic, environmental, transport and social framework for the development of London to 2036. It is only intended to deal with things of strategic importance to Greater London.

Local plans prepared by the London boroughs should be in general conformity with the London Plan, and its policies guide decisions on planning applications by local planning authorities and the Mayor.

It is available to download on the website of the Greater London Authority (GLA) and includes:

• Context and strategy.
• London's places.
• London's people.
• London's economy.
• London's response to climate change.
• London's transport.
• London's living spaces and places.
• Implementation, monitoring and review.

The Mayor also publishes Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) for London which provides additional details on policies set out in the London Plan. A range of Best Practice Guidance (BPG's) are also published.

Supplementary Planning Guidance is provided where the level of guidance required is too detailed for inclusion in the development plan, or if a rapid policy response to is needed to an emerging issue. It provides support for statutory development plans, but carries less weight than them when planning matters are considered and cannot create new policies.

Alterations were made to the Plan in September 2013 preventing boroughs from setting rent caps or targets for affordable rented homes in their local development frameworks. On 15 January 2014, the Mayor published Draft Further Alterations to the London Plan (FALP) for a twelve week period of consultation. The proposed changes were intended address key housing and employment issues.

On 10 March 2015, the Mayor adopted the Further Alterations to the London Plan as formal alterations to the London Plan. The London Plan was updated to incorporate these alterations and the alterations published in 2013.

Changes include:

• Increasing the housing target.
• Setting a target for housing for older people.
• A requirement to protect pubs where possible.
• Identifying new opportunity areas.

On 29th November 2017, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan published a new Draft London Plan. On 3 March 2021, the Greater London Authority announced the publication of the London Plan 2021.

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki

• Accessible London.
• Affordable housing and viability SPG.
• Authority monitoring report.
• Affordable housing.
• Central activities zone supplementary planning guidance.
• Community plan.
• Development plan.
• Draft London Housing Strategy (blog November 2013).
• Draft London Plan.
• Future Weather Files survey.
• GLA Housing Design SPG.
• Greener City Fund for London.
• Healthy Streets.
• Infrastructure under Mayor Sadiq Khan.
• Laying the foundations: a housing strategy for England.
• Local development scheme.
• London infrastructure plan.
• London Land Commission.
• London Power Tunnels.
• London View Management Framework.
• Opportunity Area Planning Framework (OAPF).
• Regional spatial strategy.
• Statement of community involvement.
• Social infrastructure supplementary planning guidance.
• Strategic industrial locations (SILs).
• Supplementary Planning Guidance SPG.

[edit] External resources

• Greater London Authority, The London Plan 2021.

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