Spatial policies across London

2A.9 The Suburbs: supporting sustainable communities

The Mayor will and boroughs should support sustainable communities in suburban areas of both inner and outer London. DPDs, Community Strategies and other relevant policies for these areas should seek to enhance the quality of life, economy and environment of suburban London by:

• realising job opportunities that can be generated by population increase associated with new housing; addressing structural economic challenges, including changes in the office market, facing some areas (particularly outer London); promoting and rigorously managing strategic and local industrial locations; improving provision for small and medium sized enterprises; refreshing the local skills base; increasing childcare provision; developing the contribution of the public sector to the wider economy; realising scope for home based working and providing better access to the wider opportunities of the city region (see also Chapters 3B and 3C)
• maintaining and improving the features that make London's suburbs attractive, including improving the public realm, conserving open space and providing spatial policies that support improvement of services, including health facilities, schools, community facilities and policing
• focusing retail, leisure, key commercial activity and community services in town centres; increasing housing provision within them; improving their safety and security and where necessary promoting public transport accessibility and capacity improvements (see Policy 2A.8, Chapter 3, Parts C and D)
• supporting and enhancing the role of district and more local centres for 'walk to' services and meeting day to day needs, especially for convenience goods (see also Policy 2A.8, Chapter 3D)
• promoting and making more efficient use of land in areas around town centres that have good access by public transport and on foot to the town centre as appropriate for higher-density and mixed-use development including housing (see also Chapter 3A)
• where appropriate, modernising or redeveloping the housing stock and providing a mix of housing types, sizes and tenures, including affordable housing, that can meet the full range of residents' needs (see also Chapter 3A)
• encouraging a low carbon dioxide emission approach across London's suburbs, including lower density areas, taking into account the need to foster more sustainable approaches to the re-use, recycling and management of waste and the use of water, energy and land by Londoners themselves through changing lifestyles; within the existing stock of buildings; in the design and construction of new development, and in transport use and choices (see also Chapters 3C and 4, Parts A and B).

The Mayor will support the continued improvement of services which enhance the quality of life in London's suburbs such as health centres, hospitals, care centres, schools and nurseries and community facilities. He will continue to invest in public transport and take measures to improve the quality of policing and crime prevention.