Draft Housing Supplementary Planning Guidance

The Mayor resolved to formally publish his draft Housing Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) for public consultation on 1st December 2011.

This draft document sets out proposed guidance to supplement the housing policies in the recently published 2011 London Plan (LP). In particular, it provides detail on how to carry forward the Mayor’s view that “providing good homes for Londoners is not just about numbers. The quality and design of homes, and the facilities provided for those living in them, are vital to ensuring good liveable neighbourhoods”. It is informed by the Government’s draft National Planning Policy Framework which will, when finalised, replace previous national planning policy guidance, and by its new Housing Strategy for England.

Once adopted, the new Housing SPG will replace the 2005 SPG and the 2010 Interim Housing SPG. This draft supersedes the draft Housing EiP SPG which was published to primarily inform discussion at the Examination in Public into the 2009 Draft Replacement London Plan (DRLP).

Draft Housing Supplementary Planning Guidance PDF
Draft Housing Supplementary Planning Guidance RTF

Draft Housing Supplementary Planning Guidance Executive Summary PDF
Draft Housing Supplementary Planning Guidance Executive Summary RTF

The Mayor would like to receive your views on this document and the issues it covers. Please send your comments

By post to:
Andrew Barry-Purssell
Head of London Plan
Greater London Authority
City Hall
More London
The Queen’s Walk
London SE1 2AA
By email to mayor@london.gov.uk with ‘Draft Housing SPG’ as the subject.

Comments should be received no later than 5pm on 24 February 2012.

The Mayor will continue to consult on the separate Draft SPG Affordable Housing note alongside the draft housing SPG which also deals with the issue of affordable housing . However, once adopted, the full Housing SPG will incorporate them both.

Interim Housing SPG

The Mayor resolved to formally adopt and publish his Interim Housing Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) on 21 April 2010 to more effectively address three particular concerns:

• back garden development,
• housing density, and
• affordable housing.

Using the 2008 London Plan as the policy benchmark, the new interim SPG replaces or supplements sections of the existing (2005) Housing SPG which devolves from the original (2004) edition of the London Plan. The sections of the 2005 SPG which are replaced deal with development density (para 5.1-6.19) and affordable housing (para 17.1 –18.20). The section dealing with small infill developments (paras 9.7 –9.8) is supplemented with guidance on the approach to be taken to back garden development.

Interim Housing Supplementary Planning Guidance PDF
Interim Housing Supplementary Planning Guidance RTF

A draft revised interim Housing SPG was published in October 2009 for consultation. The following report summarises the main issues raised during the consultation and outlines the changes made to the SPG in response to it.

Interim Housing SPG Consultation Report PDF
Interim Housing SPG Consultation Report RTF

Note: The Housing SPG EiP Draft was published in August 2010, primarily to inform discussion at the Examination in Public of the Draft Replacement London Plan (DRLP) on proposed policies outlined in the DRLP. This can be downloaded, with other documents relating to the DRLP, from the Shaping London website - see http://www.london.gov.uk/shaping-london/london-plan/strategy/download.jsp.

Housing Supplementary Planning Guidance 2005

This Supplementary Planning Guidance (published in November 2005) relates to the housing policies in the London Plan. It covers policies on housing provision (draft SPG published for consultation in December 2004) and policies on affordable housing (draft SPG published for consultation in July 2004). It incorporates suggestions from a wide range of public and private sector partners who responded to the consultations on the draft documents.

Housing SPG (2005) PDF
Housing SPG (2005) RTF

This SPG gives detailed guidance for boroughs on how to develop sites for housing and how to determine housing mix and density for any individual site. It emphasises that new developments should make the most effective and appropriate use of the land available, consistent with the principles of Sustainable Residential Quality. The Mayor is concerned that new housing in London should meet the full range of housing needs. The guidance sets out how this must include in particular a higher level of new family housing than is currently being built in London.