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London Assembly Reports - Planning and HousingReports may be downloaded, free of charge, in PDF and RTF formats - the site help page provides information about these formats.
For further information on reports below, please contact Paul Watling, email paul.watling@london.gov.uk. Data on housing schemes in LondonMarch 2009 200 largest residential sites PDF Report on the number of bedrooms by tenure PDF Response to the consultation on proposed alterations to the London Plan to help fund CrossrailFebruary 2009 The Mayor’s proposals for applying a levy on developers to raise money for Crossrail need to be amended so as not to deter development, and applied more fairly to take into account all areas of London that will be served by Crossrail stations. Our response to the consultation on proposed alterations to the London Plan to help fund Crossrail reaffirms its support for the overall funding package but calls on the Mayor to rethink his approach on a number of policy details. The Mayor's response to the London Assembly on proposed alterations to the London Plan to help fund Crossrail can be found below: Mayor’s Response to London Assembly PDF Response to the Mayor’s housing strategy consultation with the London AssemblyJanuary 2009 The Mayor must make the most of the funding and significant planning and housing powers at his disposal to reshape the way housing is delivered in the capital. Our formal response to the Mayor's draft housing strategy sets out a range of proposals to maximise opportunities to deliver much-needed housing in the capital, despite the current difficult economic circumstances. The Committee's detailed response is based on discussions with a variety of housing experts and the Mayor’s Director of Housing. Crunch time for London’s affordable housing - a snapshot briefingNovember 2008 This briefing warns Mayor of London Boris Johnson that, in the face of huge economic challenges, he must take a radical approach to housing in the capital or risk missing his promised target of delivering 50,000 new affordable homes by 2011. Central to the Committee’s findings is the idea that, with falling house prices and mortgages difficult to access, there should be a shift away from home ownership, and the focus should instead be on boosting the rented sector to provide housing in the short-term, until confidence returns. Pushing for an increase in home ownership rates means increasing the likelihood of more financially marginal and vulnerable households being drawn in, with potentially serious consequences. The House of Commons Communities and Local Government Select Committee's review, Housing and the Credit Crunch, incorporates key sections of our report Who gains? The operation of section 106 planning agreements in LondonMarch 2008 Over the next decade, London boroughs will be paid as much as £1 billion by developers, and hundreds of millions more in terms of “in kind” payments through Section 106 agreements. These agreements oblige developers to fund community benefits such as transport improvements, school places and security measures that are needed as the result of new developments. While borough performance in negotiating these agreements is improving, there is still work to do. The Committee found a combination of inadequate negotiation skills, high staff turnover and lack of clear guidelines for developers means some boroughs secure substantially fewer community benefits than they should. Among its recommendations, the report calls for ring fencing some of the money that is negotiated through the planning agreements. This would allow universities to set up a formal qualification with training specifically aimed at improving section 106 skills. In addition, a system could be set up so that all boroughs could access the local authority planners, valuers and lawyers with the widest range of skills and experience across the capital to match the expertise of the developers in negotiations. Response to the Mayor’s housing strategy consultationJanuary 2008 Accommodating change - Listed buildings serving LondonJune 2007 Our report found much of London’s public service estate is more than a hundred years old and is often not fit for purpose. As a result, public bodies – such as the fire brigade and the police - are having difficulty in adapting their buildings to provide services more efficiently to a growing population, while at the same time preserving the building’s historical and architectural importance. The Committee heard that the listing process does not take account of operational requirements of the listed buildings. Emergency spot listing, in particular, caused delays and added considerable additional costs when it was implemented just before planned refurbishment was due to take place. The report said that spot listing - when a building is listed as part of an emergency procedure rather than as part of a planned review of an area – should be kept only for the most urgent cases. English Heritage should adopt “thematic” reviews aimed at different aspects of public buildings such as all London fire stations or libraries so that, when these are complete, public bodies can plan and invest with more certainty. A number of recommendations are made, including:
The report said the overwhelming view from evidence received was that there is a lack of funding available to refurbish and maintain listed buildings. The Committee believe the Government should provide more financial assistance through small grants to kick-start the process of match funding. This will assist owners of public listed buildings with the refurbishment and maintenance costs for their properties. More importantly, it would ensure that some of these important public buildings are kept to a high standard and used as they were originally intended. Written evidenceWritten evidence submitted to the Committee for this investigation is available for download: Written evidence:
listed buildings PDF Semi-detached: reconnecting London's suburbsJune 2007 Suburbs are home to nearly two-thirds of Londoners, but while “the city” has been treated to an urban renaissance, the capital's suburbs have been quietly struggling to adapt to significant challenges that are changing the face of suburbia as we know it. Our report reveals that suburbs are in danger of becoming dormitories that are too dependent on private car use and lacking the local jobs, amenities, community assets and the good quality open space that once made them so desirable. The Mayor has set ambitious targets for each borough to increase housing stock over the next ten years, and almost half of all new housing in London will be built in the suburbs up until 2016. Yet the London Plan forecasts a loss of employment in the suburbs as more jobs go to the centre of London or the town centres beyond the M25. The report identifies a need for the Mayor and boroughs to do more to boost their town centres, help develop public transport and amenities, and manage the balance between housing growth and the suburban environment many Londoners value. Unintended Outcomes?Housing Corporation grant and affordable housing in London Our report found the allocation of Housing Corporation Grant, and the provision of affordable homes for rent and low cost ownership, massively varies between London boroughs. Under the rules for receiving Housing Corporation Grant, boroughs can access new housing in any borough in their sub region. This means less proactive boroughs can export their needy residents to neighbouring boroughs that are working hard to increase the quantity of affordable housing in the capital. The information disclosed by boroughs, however, makes it difficult to assess the extent to which this happens, but highlights a vacuum in planning for Londoners’ housing needs. The report found housing for rent, built without Housing Corporation funds, is exempt from inter-borough sharing of nominations. This may create an incentive for boroughs to avoid grant and can mean that less affordable housing is provided in some areas of greatest need, such as Docklands. The report recommends that there be a review of the process for nominations to places in new affordable housing, with possibly a greater proportion of nominations for host boroughs, and that the opportunity for Londoners to move to housing being built in growth areas outside of London needs to be developed. The report also recommends:
London Assembly response to Government proposals to changes to the Mayor of London Order 2000October 2006 In July 2006, the Government proposed that a range of additional powers would be granted to the office of the Mayor of London. These powers would be in relation to planning, waste and a number of other strategic functions. The new planning powers would provide a Mayor with the ability to take over and determine planning applications of strategic importance. The Government released a consultation paper in August 2006 setting out detailed proposals for an amendment to the Mayor of London Order 2000 on what sort of applications would be covered by the new powers and how the process might work in practice. The Assembly agreed its response on 18 October. London Assembly response to the Mayor’s consultation on his Draft Further Alterations to the London PlanJuly 2006 On 30 May the Mayor published his Draft Further Alterations to the London Plan (Spatial Development Strategy for Greater London) as an initial draft for consultation with the London Assembly and GLA Functional Bodies. After seeking views and holding discussions with key stakeholders the Committee published its response on 27 July. The Environment Committee contributed comments on the proposed Climate Change policies. The response highlighted suggestions for changes or clarifications on a number of policy areas. At its meeting on 1 November the Committee received a presentation from the London Plan Team which highlighted the changes to the Plan made as a result of this consultation. Size Matters: The need for more family homes in London June 2006 Our research highlights that in many boroughs, housing provision is falling behind ambitious targets. Furthermore, where developers are meeting targets, they may not be meeting local need. In order to meet their ‘affordable units’ targets, house-builders often supply only the smallest units, as they are the cheapest. We found that there is a surplus of some 12,000 one-bedroom properties, but a shortfall of over 28,000 two, three and four bedroom dwellings for which there is the greatest need. Our report primarily presses for greater clarity in defining ‘affordable housing’ in borough development plans and for changes to the Mayor’s London Plan, his main strategic planning document, to better incentivise the building of homes with more bedrooms and more sophisticated methods of calculating necessary housing requirements. The Blue Ribbon Network: The heart of LondonJanuary 2006 Tony Arbour, Chairman of the Assembly's Planning and Spatial Development Committee, conducted an investigation into the implementation of policies for London's network of rivers, canals, tributaries and other waterbodies. The investigation showed that the Blue Ribbon Network is a vital strategic resource for London, but it needs better-coordinated management, protection and enhancement. Mayoral decisions on strategic planning applicationsJanuary 2006 The Planning and Spatial Development Committee commissioned research into the decisions taken by the Mayor on strategic planning applications. The report highlights trends in the issues prioritised by the Mayor, and suggests ways that his London Plan could be strengthened to support the development control process. Sub-Regional Development Frameworks - response to the Mayor's consultation October 2005 In summer 2005 the Mayor published five Sub-Regional Development Frameworks (SRDFs) to provide a step between the policies of the London Plan, and its more local implementation. The Committee held a meeting with relevant stakeholder groups to discuss the process of developing the SRDFs, and commissioned research on the consistency of the documents with each other and with the London Plan. The findings of this work informed the Committee's response to consultation on the SRDFs. Heathrow Expansion The London Assembly’s response to BAA’s consultation on
the interim Master Plan for Heathrow Airport On behalf of the London Assembly, the Planning Committee compiled the Assembly's response to the BAA's consultation on interim plans for a sixth terminal and third runway at Heathrow. The response highlighted concerns over the plans ability to met air quality targets, to secure greater public transport access to the airport and to limit the impact of the airport on the quality of life for local communities. Designs on London April 2004 The design and quality of London’s built environment is a key to its future prosperity and to securing a good quality of life. The Committee’s scrutiny of London’s ‘urban renaissance‘ finds that Londoners would have a better quality of life if more political will, resources and skills were put into improving the calibre of the capital’s buildings and open spaces, but many buildings and spaces in London are still poorly designed, devoid of any sense of place and suffering from neglect, the report reveals. Evidence in the report highlights a lack of an integrated approach to urban design and political and officer leadership, concerns about the effectiveness of the planning system, shortage of skills and a funding deficit. Although good work is being done to improve the quality of urban design across London, much more is needed to achieve an urban renaissance. The report calls for the development of a vision and action plan to encourage everyone working together to improve the quality of the capital’s built environment. London in its Regional SettingJanuary 2004 A significant proportion of the capital's workforce lives outside London and commutes in daily. The Assembly's scrutiny of the emerging London Plan to date has found that the Plan needs to give this key issue more prominence. Drawing on advice from witnesses to our scrutiny committee meetings, our report sketches out the main dimensions of the relationships between London and its two regional partners – population, households and housing, employment and labour markets, transport and commuting – and focuses on the administrative arrangements for co-ordinating planning across the Greater South East. Our report offers a number of positive suggestions for how the role of the co-ordinating body – the Advisory Forum on Regional Planning for London, the South East and the East of England – could be strengthened to address more effectively any inter-regional discrepancies in provision for housing, employment and transport over the coming years. Access to the Thames
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