London planning news, February 2019

The draft London Plan Examination in Public begins

On 15 January, thirteen months after the publication of the draft new London Plan, the Examination in Public (EiP) of the draft London Plan officially began.

The draft London Plan is definitely an ambitious document. With a significant increase to the overall housing target (up to 66,000 homes a year), a new emphasis on ‘good growth’, and pledges to accommodate all of London’s growth within its existing boundaries, the draft Plan has already created quite a stir; more than 20,000 representations from approximately 4,000 individuals and organisations were received when the draft Plan was published for consultation at the end of 2017.

The EiP hearing sessions will be held until May 2019, with each session focusing on a specific matter as already identified by the EiP Panel, following their review of the draft Plan and consultation responses. Following the conclusion of the EiP hearing sessions, the Panel will prepare and publish a report on their findings, setting out their recommendations for changes.

Opening the EiP hearing session on 15 January, Deputy Mayor for Planning Jules Pipe highlighted the key challenges facing the capital, with the population expected to grow to 10.8m, and the number of jobs to climb to over 6.9m by 2041:

‘The development of the London Plan – and this Examination – involves considering some of the most fundamental aspects of our lives; how London develops, how and where we live, how we interact with our communities, how we secure future prosperity, how we protect London’s unique culture and character, how we treat our environment, and how we get around. As I have said, planning for London’s future requires us to make difficult decisions.’

During the first week of the EiP, a number of procedural matters were covered, including consultation requirements, engagement procedures and whether the Duty to Cooperate should apply to the London Plan. Discussions in the second week moved on to matters including the Mayor’s overall spatial development strategy, opportunity areas, and the Plan’s relation with the Wider South East and beyond.

Lichfields’ Planning Director Dr Malcolm Hockaday attended the EiP hearing session on the Wider South East and beyond, and reported on the session’s debate in a recent Lichfields’ blog ‘Willing Partners or not?’ (link provided below).

On 14 December, the Mayor announced the first wave of Creative Enterprise Zones (CEZs) across the capital.

First put forward in Sadiq Khan’s 2016 Mayoral manifesto, the CEZ initiative aims to protect and enhance London’s creative clusters, by increasing affordable workspaces for artists and entrepreneurs, protecting music venues and galleries, and boosting job and training opportunities for the wider community.

Out of the twenty-five London Boroughs that applied for the scheme, the six successful zones are located in Lambeth, Croydon, Hounslow, Lewisham, Haringey, and Hackney Wick (joint application by Tower Hamlets and Hackney).

Whilst each borough will receive a share of the Mayor’s £11 million dedicated fund, each successful bid was required to put forward a plan to outline how they would collectively leverage more than £30m to support and deliver their ambitions. It is estimated that the six CEZ will create more than 3,500 new jobs and support more than 1,000 local people into education, training and providing job opportunities.

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has announced a new £38m fund aimed at supporting community groups and self-builders in delivering new housing projects across Greater London. The expectation is for the fund to support the delivery of over 500 new homes by 2023.

Whilst the self-build and community-led housing sector makes up a relatively low proportion of builders in the UK, particularly when compared to other European countries, there has been growing interest in recent years. However, communities and individuals wishing to build their own homes face the same barriers to entry that many smaller house builders face, such as difficulties in accessing finance, limited knowledge of land markets, and the lack of legal expertise needed to navigate an increasingly complex regulatory regime.

Sadiq Khan commented:

‘We have listened to what community-led housing groups say they need, and in response this new fund offers practical support and help with development costs that have often held community-led projects back. I urge Londoners interested in developing their own homes to read our new guidance and bid for funding.’