Sophie Rae - Indigo Planning
2018 - A YEAR OF CHANGE
What does 2018 hold? Well it won’t be boring. Especially in London. That is for sure. It
seems that decision makers are set on keeping us on our toes. The new London Plan,
Brexit negotiations, local elections in May, changes to national planning policy, new
housing initiatives….the list goes on and on.
So let’s take them one by one:
The London Plan
The London Plan is the strategic plan which shapes development across the capital.
The Plan is currently under public consultation, to guide development in London over
the next 20-25 years. Consultation was ongoing until 2 March 2018.
The plan suggests the following key themes:
1. Growth Agenda: Growth on brownfield land within city limits, protecting Green Belt
and MoL. The plan captures GLA growth projections with an annual housing target
of 66,000 new homes per year to 2041.
2. Housing: Sadiq Khan wants to up his affordable housing contribution to 50% of all
new homes and developments. He is adopting a threshold approach to viability,
which will mean that schemes meeting or exceeding the 35% threshold without
public subsidy are not required to submit viability information.
3. Innovation: The plan supports innovation in the emerging residential sectors
including purpose built innovative in emerging residential sectors including purpose
built student accommodation, build to rent, co-living and specialist accommodation
for older people.
4. Fire Safety: New developments will need to meet the highest standards of fire
safety.
5. Cycling: Increase the proportion of cycle parking around new shops and homes,
which could see cycle parking provision doubled in many new developments.
6. Agent of Change: Pubs are high on the agenda for protection, along with Music
Venues, to ensure that any new developments are subject to the ‘agent of change
principle’.
7. Employment Land: The Mayor reinforces the importance of Strategic Industrial Land
(SIL) and plans for intensification, co-location and substitution of land for industry.
The Mayor has previously expressed concern over the rate of release of such land,
and has identified potential for limited SIL release in three Boroughs of Newham,
Havering and Barking and Dagenham.
8. Density: The disappearance of the density matrix marks the introduction of the
ability to achieve optimum densities through high quality design, particularly in town
centre locations.
9. Opportunity Areas: The Mayor has identified new locations in outer London
Boroughs aligned with planned infrastructure including Cross Rail 2 and Bakerloo
Line. The Mayor continues to emphasise affordable housing in these locations.
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