London planning news, June 2018
01 Jun 2018
Contents |
||||||||
|
|
01
|
|
||||||
|
|
02
|
|
||||||
|
|
03
|
|
||||||
|
|
04
|
|
||||||
|
|
05
|
|
||||||
|
|
06
|
|
||||||
|
|
07
|
|
||||||
Print this planning news
Headline news |
||
Mayor releases final version of London Housing Strategy
On 21 May, the final version of the London Housing Strategy was published by the Mayor of London.
The document largely confirms the content of the draft version, which was published for consultation in September 2017, with the finalised Strategy mostly reflecting more recent guidance, the draft London Plan and Mayoral announcements made since last autumn.
Some of the main changes reflect:
-
the increase to the affordable housing budget for London that was secured at this year’s Spring Statement (£4.82bn for delivering 116,000 homes up to 2022);
-
a number of housing policies which were included in the draft London Plan (published in November 2017); and
-
the publication of the final version of the Good Practice Guide to Estate Regeneration.
Of particular interest, the Strategy includes:
-
reference to the ‘forthcoming’ housing design SPG;
-
stronger protection for existing social housing (which is expected to be replaced on a like-for-like basis, also for Right to Buy);
-
recommendations spurring from the recently-published land assembly report (see item below); and
-
a recommendation for local authorities and public bodies to retain underlying ownership of their land, in the case of public sector land developments.
Finally, the Strategy also provides an analysis of the proportion of affordable housing secured following the introduction of the threshold approach via the Affordable Housing and Viability SPG (August 2017); the Strategy indicates that, on average, major residential schemes (10 units or more) provide 34 per cent of affordable housing – this being ‘[…] well over double the low point of 13 per cent residential approvals reached in 2014/15’.
Mayor of London, London Housing Strategy
|
|
Quote of the month |
|
| Sian Berry AM, Chair of the London Assembly Housing Committee, commenting on the Mayor’s Housing Strategy | ||
GLA report calls for new land assembly powers
On 14 May, the Greater London Authority (GLA) published the report ‘Capital Gains: A better land assembly model for London’.
The report looks at a number of problems associated with assembling land in the capital, focusing in particular on issues arising from sites held under multiple ownership.
Specifically, the report examines a series of international case studies, including best practice from Germany, France, the Netherlands and the USA, as well as lessons from London’s own past, from when the capital has undergone rapid expansion.
The report proposes a range of short term measures and possible improvements to the statutory framework, with the aim of strengthening existing practice, and better harnessing the uplift in land values that follows public investment in infrastructure.
In terms of recommendations, the report calls for greater powers to be awarded to the Mayor of London and London Boroughs, suggesting that a new planning designation, termed a ‘Land Assembly Zone’ (LAZ), should be introduced and backed by compulsory purchase powers.
LAZs would be accompanied by a new statutory mechanism for land pooling, where land values would be fixed at the market value on the date that the LAZ is designated, encouraging cooperation from landowners early on in the process.
To aid delivery, the report makes further recommendations for the GLA to set up a multi-disciplinary team with the specialist skill-set needed to support public and private land assembly processes.
The recommended measures aim to boost the delivery of new housing by creating larger sites with a higher overall output, whilst reducing the risks associated with more complicated sites in order to support small and medium sized house builders.
The recommended measures aim to boost the delivery of new housing by creating larger sites with a higher overall output, whilst reducing the risks associated with more complicated sites in order to support small and medium sized house builders.
Mayor of London, Report calls for greater land powers for MayorUrbed (commissioned by the GLA), Capital Gains: A better land assembly model for London
Mayor’s Land Fund used to purchase hospital site
On 14 May, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced the purchase of the site of St Ann’s hospital in Haringey, using his Homes for Londoners’ Land fund for the first time.
The deal, which involves Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust, will secure the refurbishment of the hospital, as well as delivering up to 800 homes on site, 50 per cent of which will be affordable. According to the Mayor, this marks a significant increase from the existing planning permission for the 11.2ha site, which would have delivered 470 homes, with 14 per cent being affordable.
Commenting on the scheme, Sadiq Khan said:
‘Not only will my intervention unlock this site, but it will also allow us nearly to double the number of homes […] I am pleased my investment will see the redevelopment of a new mental health facility and in due course we will recycle this fund to buy more sites so that we can build more affordable homes.’
Mayor of London, Mayor snaps up multi-million pound hospital site with new land fund
NPPF's focus on housing could hit City of London’s business growth
In its consultation response to the proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) published in March this year, the City of London Corporation has raised concerns that a ‘minor wording change’ to the Framework’s ‘presumption in favour of sustainable development’, together with the introduction of a new housing delivery test, could have a detrimental effect on the City of London’s business-focused Plan.
Assistant director of planning policy for the City of London, Peter Shadbolt, warned:
‘London-wide and local policy frameworks which support the City’s national and international cluster of businesses will be given less weight than listed environmental and heritage designations when considered against the presumption in favour of sustainable development.’
The consultation response calls for the retention of the existing balance between economic, social and environmental objectives, which should be framed in a way in which local policy priorities, which have been agreed through a process of consultation and examination, can be weighed against national policies accordingly.
City of London, National Planning Policy Framework consultation response
Sadiq Khan to support councils in building 10,000 new council homes
On 16 May, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced plans to support the construction of 10,000 new council homes over the next four years.
The first-ever City Hall Programme aimed at supporting council housing will be backed through the £1.67bn of additional funding allocated to the Mayor in this year’s Spring Statement, with the aim of supporting local authorities across the capital to increase the rate of housing delivery in their area.
Sadiq Khan commented:
‘I am offering councils expertise and resources from City Hall to scale up their homebuilding programmes, and I will help them to replace homes sold through Right to Buy. The Government is failing to enable councils to replace the hundreds of thousands of council homes sold through Right to Buy, and so I will do all I can to help councils replace as many of them as possible.’
So far, the Mayor has signed deals under the Building Council Homes for Londoners programme with Waltham Forest, Lewisham and Newham. Waltham Forest have plans for 525 new council homes, securing £26m of funding from City Hall, whilst Newham and Lewisham have both signed deals to build 1,000 new council homes by 2022.
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan to kickstart major council homebuilding comeback in London
Mayor’s new Environment Strategy sets out vision to make London ‘the greenest global city’
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has presented his final draft Environment Strategy to the London Assembly for consideration, ahead of final publication expected in the coming weeks. His plans build on the 3,000-plus consultation responses to the consultation document published in August 2017.
The final draft of the Strategy sets out the Mayor’s vision for London’s environment in the year 2050, suggesting a range of measures which will make the city greener, cleaner and healthier. Included are proposals to improve air quality across the capital, bringing forward the introduction of zero-emission zones from 2025 to 2020. If successful this would make the capital legally compliant with nitrogen dioxide (NO2) limits by 2025.
Sadiq Khan’s plans to make London the first National Park City are also expected to play a crucial role in achieving the Strategy’s objectives, creating a core network of parks, waterways and green spaces, with the aim of encouraging people to walk and cycle.
The final draft Strategy also includes measures to increase the energy efficiency of buildings, provide cleaner transport, and increase the amount of recycling, with the intention of making London a zero-carbon city by 2050, as set out in the draft London Plan.
Mayor of London, Mayor sets out bold strategy to make London the greenest global city
Development consent for Silvertown Tunnel
A Development Consent Order (DCO) has been granted for a twin-bore road tunnel, connecting the Greenwich Peninsula with Silvertown in east London. Construction work is planned to start early 2019, with the tunnel opening in 2023.
The scheme will provide a new link which will help in easing congestion at the nearby Blackwall tunnel, as well as improving connections between London’s Docklands and South London.
The proposal has been met with some criticism however, with opponents claiming the new tunnel would encourage more car journeys and increase air pollution. As a result, the DCO has been granted with a number of conditions, including using the Thames to transport construction materials to the site, aimed at limiting the environmental impact of the scheme.
Department for Transport, Secretary of State for Transport’s decision letter and statement of reasonsTransport for London, Silvertown TunnelThe Silvertown Tunnel Order 2018
|
|
The Lichfields perspective |
|
| Giorgio Wetzl, Policy Researcher | ||
Disclaimer: This publication has been written in general terms and cannot be relied on to cover specific situations. We recommend that you obtain professional advice before acting or refraining from acting on any of the contents of this publication. Lichfields accepts no duty of care or liability for any loss occasioned to any person acting or refraining from acting as a result of any material in this publication. Lichfields is the trading name of Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners Limited. Registered in England, no.2778116