MD3434 Delivery Plan – Making Best Use of Land

Background

1.1.    The Greater London Authority (GLA) has been establishing refreshed delivery and governance arrangements over the last few months. 

1.2.    In undertaking these changes, we have:

•    defined a set of London-level, long-term outcomes which reflect Londoners’ aspirations for the city and towards which the GLA and the GLA Group are working, in partnership with others
•    agreed a small set of strategic, high-level, programmes which the Mayor will commission the GLA Group to deliver in order that the GLA and the GLA Group make the appropriate contributions towards the London-level outcomes.

1.3.    MD3274 ‘Updates to GLA Governance Documents’, published on 13 June 2024, marked the first formal step in implementing new portfolio and governance arrangements and set out approved revisions to the arrangements through which the Mayor exercises and, where appropriate, delegates his powers. It also laid out some changes to the way the GLA’s senior leadership works to ensure that the GLA is successful in exercising its strategic role and in securing delivery.

1.4.    The GLA is now bringing forward for approval delivery plans for the 14 strategic, high-level, programmes which are led by the GLA and involve functional bodies as appropriate. These are numbered 1-14 and set out below, along with delivery plans 15-21, where the relevant GLA Group organisation is taking a leadership role: 

1.    Building more homes
2.    Making best use of land
3.    Improving London’s housing stock
4.    Reducing inequalities
5.    Accommodation and wider support for those who need it most
6.    Reducing non-residential emissions
7.    Delivering a greener, more climate-resilient London
8.    Cleaning London’s air
9.    Supporting Londoners to benefit from growth
10.    Supporting and inspiring young London
11.    Boosting London’s growth sectors
12.    Helping local economies to thrive
13.    Upgrading London’s infrastructure
14.    Supporting community, cultural and sporting events in London
15.    Reducing violence and exploitation
16.    Building safer, more confident communities
17.    Supporting and overseeing reform of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)
18.    Improving the Criminal Justice System and supporting victims
19.    Healthy streets
20.    Decarbonising transport
21.    Providing more effective, accessible and affordable public transport.

1.5.    The Mayor has been issuing mandates for these proposed programmes to prospective Senior Responsible Owners (SROs). Mayoral mandates define what the Mayor wants to see from each of the programmes, including their scope, objectives, and cross-cutting priorities. Programmes and their associated delivery plans have been developed by the proposed programme SROs, working with the relevant Deputy Mayors, Mayoral Directors and others in response to the Mayor’s mandates. They have been developed to strike the right balance between setting out plans and retaining flexibility to respond to events and learning, as delivery progresses, recognising that agility is important in the context of a changing landscape.

1.6.    Delivery plans lay out the London-level outcomes to which each programme contributes. In considering the GLA’s specific role in contributing to the London-level outcomes, programme SROs have focused on the role of the GLA as London’s strategic regional authority. This has meant looking carefully at where activities most effectively sit within the London system and how the GLA can work with partners to unlock and drive progress. In some cases that will be through direct delivery or through funding. In others it will be through more indirect mechanisms such as system reconfiguration, coalition formation, technical support, or capacity building.

1.7.    Resource allocations to each programme are based on the allocations contained in the GLA: Mayor Budget 2025-26. Changes required to delivery plans over time will be agreed by the Mayoral Delivery Board (MDB), or the Mayor, in line with our revised governance arrangements.

1.8.    Delivery plans lay out how each programme makes a positive difference to the relevant London-level outcomes. Key programme outputs are also detailed and will be reported quarterly to MDB, which is responsible for monitoring the performance and delivery of each programme’s delivery plans. 

Overview of the Making Best Use of Land delivery plan

1.9.    The Mayoral mandate for the Making Best Use of Land programme is appended to this Decision form at Appendix 1. The proposed delivery plan is appended at Appendix 2 and presented by the Executive Director, Good Growth, as the proposed SRO, for the Mayor’s approval. 

1.10.    By approving the plan, and the resources allocated to it, the Mayor is enabling the GLA, working with partners, to contribute to the core London-level outcomes:

•    Londoners live in homes they can afford
•    stable, long-term economic growth benefits all of London’s communities
•    Londoners live in neighbourhoods that are well planned and designed.

1.11.    Land and new development must contribute fully to tackling London’s housing crisis and supporting economic growth. A new housing need figure of 87,992 homes per annum for London was published by the government in December 2024. This represents a major increase from the current London Plan target of 52,000 homes per annum and there is an even bigger gap when compared to actual delivery which was c.34,000 homes last year. Meanwhile, the London Growth Plan sets out an ambitious programme to return London’s productivity growth to pre-pandemic levels. This identifies housing as a key constraint but also sets out a range of objectives and priorities, including unlocking major economic and commercial clusters and supporting high streets and town centres across the city. 

1.12.    The Making Best Use of Land delivery plan aims to ensure that London’s development sector is in the best position possible to respond to this challenge. It has five strands:

•    Maximising early delivery within the existing land use policy framework: It will be a few years until the next London Plan and strategic planning policy framework are in place; in the meantime the GLA will need to maximise opportunities to expand the development pipeline and accelerate progress into delivery of development proposals across London.
•    Strengthening the strategic planning framework: The next London Plan, guidance and local plans will provide the opportunity to put in place land use and planning policies which identify capacity for 880,000 homes over ten years and support the delivery of the London Growth Plan. 
•    Enabling a step change in delivery: With the challenge of more than doubling recent delivery rates, we will need a significantly increased range of options for new capacity, as well as enhanced delivery tools and an increased role for the public sector – underpinned by the transport and other infrastructure necessary to unlock an acceleration in density and delivery. 
•    Promoting high-quality design and place-making: Allied with the above must be a continued focus on quality in both new developments and neighbourhoods undergoing change. As the scale and density of development increases, it is ever more important that quality design, place-making and green spaces are integrated into the approach; otherwise, the acceptability (and success) of development will be terminally undermined.
•    Putting the building blocks in place and improving system functionality: For all this to be achievable, the planning system must be able to accelerate timescales and increase throughput and this will depend on making the case for and implementing measures to provide the necessary capacity, skills and culture and the right legislative framework.

1.13.    The Making Best Use of Land delivery plan sets out the projects that will be undertaken to deliver these strands. Some projects in the delivery plan already have relevant approvals in place, and work in these areas will continue at pace. They are:

•    work to deliver the next London Plan with relevant evidence bases in place – approved under Mayoral Decisions (MD) 3358 and MD3301
•    continuing to deliver the work of the London Estates Delivery Unit - approved under MD2767, MD2981 and MD3162
•    continuing to deliver the Small Sites Small Builders programme – approved under MD3093
•    delivery of the Planning Data Hub – approved under Assistant Director Decision (ADD) 2690 and ADD2691
•    completion of work committed under DLUCH Levelling Up funding support for the Local Growth Capacity Support Programme – approved under MD3140
•    completion of work committed through the Practice Support Programme – approved under ADD2682
•    ongoing delivery of the Real-Time Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment project – approved under MD2711.

1.14.    Projects for which this Mayoral Decision seeks Mayoral delegation to the SRO to take expenditure decisions are:

•    Good Growth by Design (£56,000 in 2025-26; £56,000 in 2026-27; £56,000 2027-28).

1.15.    The Executive Director, Good Growth will ensure compliance with the obligations set out in The Openness of Local Government Bodies Regulations 2014 which describe when written records of decisions and their content need to be published. Director Decisions will be required, where appropriate, to meet these transparency requirements, including in instances where GLA funds are paid to external organisations.

1.16.    Further Mayoral Decision forms will be required to progress projects in the Making Best Use of Land delivery plan. This is because they are in development phases of work and require longer-term funding commitments to be agreed across parties, meaning more detailed work is required before Mayoral approval is sought. They are:

•    pipeline and stalled sites project
•    planning and identifying delivery frameworks for intra-urban New Towns, planning for urban extensions, and reviewing new place-based delivery models
•    digital and data improvements
•    establishing ATLAS London.

1.17.    It is also the case that further Mayoral Decision forms may be required to support activity in the delivery plan in addition to the four projects listed above, for example in areas not covered by the delegations in this decision or if required new expenditure is novel, contentious or repercussive.

Transfers to/from other delivery plans

1.18.    Development of the delivery plan has prompted refinements to the published budget. As a consequence, Mayoral approval is sought for budget transfers between Making Best Use of Land and other programmes, in accordance with governance processes. These transfers are listed in paragraphs 1.19 – 1.20, and totals for each year are outlined within the financial comments section.

1.19.    Funding for the Placemaking – Capital exemplar element of the programme was included within the Making Best Use of Land programme when the GLA 2025-26 budget was approved in March 2025. It has since been decided that it is more appropriate for this programme to be included within the Helping Local Economies to Thrive programme. This MD seeks Mayoral approval to transfer this funding accordingly.

1.20.    Funding to support the work on the next London Plan was included within the Core budget when the GLA 2025-26 budget was approved in March 2025. It has since been decided that it is more appropriate for this programme to be included within the Making Best Use of Land programme. This MD seeks Mayoral approval to transfer this funding accordingly.

1.21.    Other new funding has been confirmed since the published budget, and this MD seeks Mayoral approval to approve the receipt of this funding accordingly: 

•    MHCLG ATLAS London to support the Building Blocks & System Functionality element of the plan
•    MHCLG Town Planning to support on the Design Quality and Place-Making of the plan
•    Good Growth in Practice (LEAP Return) to support on the Building Blocks and System Functionality element of the plan, specifically enhancing representation in the built environment sector
•    planning decisions income to support on the Design Quality and Place-Making of the plan, specifically the engaging of Londoners with the planning of their city.  

Securing additional funding for projects in the delivery plan

1.22.    Key to delivering the objectives and expected outcomes of the Making Best Use of Land delivery plan is securing funding to support the delivery of both new and existing projects.

1.23.    Funding secured in the future for some projects under the delivery plan, will require another Mayoral Decision, for example setting out the terms of that project agreed with the funder (normally government) and expected outcomes, and assessing impacts.

1.24.    Where additional funding from government (or other sources) is secured in the future to expand or extend existing approved schemes contained in the Making Best Use of Land delivery plan and the parameters remain the same or similar as originally agreed with government (or the relevant body), this Decision form seeks approval to delegate to the Executive Director, Good Growth to accept such funding after consulting with legal advisors and the GLA’s Chief Finance Officer and subsequently having secured agreement from the MDB.  For the purposes of considering whether the parameters are similar as originally agreed with government (or the relevant body), the Executive Director, Good Growth, will have regard to whether the outcomes to be delivered have changed significantly or there is a significant change in attendant risks of the original scheme. If the outcomes to be delivered have changed significantly or there is a significant change in attendant risks, or the decision is viewed as novel, contentious or repercussive, a Mayoral Decision will be required.

1.25.    Any decisions to accept additional funding will need to comply with the obligations set out in The Openness of Local Government Bodies Regulations 2014 as highlighted in paragraph 1.15 above. Any decisions to accept additional funding that do not require a formal decision form, must be documented via a Record in Writing, as defined in MD3274 'Updates to GLA Governance Documents’, signed in June 2024, and will be reported publicly, quarterly. 
 

2.1.    The delivery plan for the Making Best Use of Land programme describes how the GLA will use all of the levers at the Mayor’s and partners’ disposal – working across different scales, geographies and both short and longer-term timescales – to achieve the objectives of this mandate and plan.  

2.2.    The objectives and expected outcomes of the programme are set out in the Making Best Use of Land delivery plan which is appended as Appendix 2.

2.3.    The core London-level outcomes to which this programme will contribute are: Londoners live in homes they can afford; stable, long-term economic growth benefits all of London’s communities; and, Londoners live in neighbourhoods that are well planned and designed. This reflects the importance of land and new development in tackling London’s housing crisis and supporting economic growth. 

2.4.    The Making Best Use of Land programme will also make a substantive contribution to the following wider London-level outcomes: London is a net zero carbon city; London is a world-leading global city; Londoners can enjoy green and wild spaces across the capital; London is resilient to extreme weather and the impacts of climate change; and Londoners feel able to take part in the city’s cultural life.   
 

3.1.    Under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, the Mayor and GLA must comply with the public sector equality duty (PSED) and must have due regard to the need to:

•    eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the Equality Act
•    advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not
•    foster good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not.

3.2.    The ‘protected characteristics’ are: age, disability, gender re-assignment, pregnancy and maternity, marriage and civil partnership (but only in respect of the requirements to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination), race (ethnic or national origins, colour or nationality), religion or belief (including lack of belief), sex, and sexual orientation. 

3.3.    Consideration of the PSED is not a one-off task. The duty must be fulfilled before taking a decision, at the time of taking a decision, and after the decision has been taken, to ensure that equalities impacts are kept under ongoing review.

3.4.    The Making Best Use of Land delivery plan helps achieve a number of the Mayor’s statutory equality objectives, and progress on delivery of these objectives is reported on each year in the Mayor’s Annual Equality Report.

3.5.    The Making Best Use of Land delivery plan supports housing supply for Londoners and promotes economic growth. Increasing housing in London will help reduce inequality by making affordable homes more accessible to marginalised groups. Low-income households, minority ethnic communities, people with disabilities, and others with protected characteristics often face barriers to safe, stable housing due to high costs and limited availability. Expanding affordable and social housing will ease pressure on these groups, reduce overcrowding and homelessness, and improve living conditions. This supports greater social and economic inclusion, as stable housing is essential for access to education, work, and healthcare, helping to address long-standing inequalities across the city. The programme will need to balance housing needs with equalities impacts, undertaking targeted data collection and sustained commitment to affordability and quality.

3.6.    Expanding space for London’s economy can help reduce inequality by creating more opportunities for employment and business growth across diverse communities. When there is more room for businesses to start, expand, and innovate, it can lead to the creation of a wider range of jobs, including higher quality, low threshold jobs. Additionally, a thriving economy with diverse sectors can support inclusive growth, ensuring that benefits reach all areas of the city.

3.7.    Well-designed public spaces and social infrastructure play a crucial role in reducing inequality in London, fostering social inclusion, and supporting community wellbeing. By prioritising inclusive design and equitable access, these spaces contribute to healthier, more resilient communities and help address the social and economic divides that persist across the city. 

3.8.    The delivery plan also promotes better representation in the built environment sector, which is vital to reflecting the needs of London’s diverse population. Key routes to monitoring impact will include appointing a representative Architecture and Urbanism Framework, reflective of London’s working age population. This will be made possible through targeted promotion, inclusive assessment processes and mainstreaming Equality Diversity and Inclusion monitoring.

3.9.    Where projects in the Making Best Use of Land delivery plan require further Mayoral Decisions or other formal approvals, equalities considerations will be finalised through these decisions, including a full Equalities Impact Assessment where appropriate.
 

Risks and issues

4.1.    The following programme-level risks to the delivery of the Making Best Use of Land programme have been identified:

4.2.    The Executive Director, Good Growth as the SRO for the programme will be responsible for implementing and overseeing a risk framework for that programme. Project risks and mitigations will be managed as they are currently at a project level and reported periodically to the Programme Board. The Programme Board will also review the above programme-level risks and mitigations, reporting to MDB alongside progress against programme objectives as part of the GLA’s quarterly reporting regime. 

Links to Mayoral strategies and priorities

4.3.    The delivery plan sets out details of interventions that will support the Mayor’s commitments and policies. 

4.4.    The Mayor is required to publish a Spatial Development Strategy for London (the London Plan). The current and forthcoming London Plan shape the operating environment for land use and development in the capital. The next London Plan will have to explore more ambitious / new approaches to identifying capacity for homes and employment and some more directive policies to optimise that capacity. It will also need to balance policy priorities in order to achieve housing targets and accelerate the pace of commercial development. 

4.5.    The London Growth Plan sets the framework for restoring productivity, growing London’s economy, and creating jobs. Land and development play a significant role in meeting those challenges. This includes activities related to addressing capacity and skills in the sector, investment in housing and infrastructure and creating thriving local places.

4.6.    The Mayor of London’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy highlights the importance of planning and design in creating inclusive environments. This approach promotes social integration and helps build safer, healthier, and more equitable communities across London.

4.7.    It will also support delivery of the Mayor’s Housing Strategy, including the key aim to build more homes for Londoners and to deliver more genuinely affordable homes. In developing this delivery plan the continued relevance of the Housing Strategy has been kept under review.

Consultations 

4.8.    Paragraphs 1.13-1.14 set out the status of the projects in the Making Best Use of Land delivery plan. 

4.9.    For projects which already have a formal Decision form in place, the consultation undertaken for these projects is set out in the relevant Decision forms. 

4.10.    The level and timing of consultation will vary for those projects not requiring a subsequent formal Decision form. This will be a mixture of informal consultation with key stakeholders, as well as formal consultation.  

4.11.    Where further Mayoral Decision forms will be required to progress the projects in the Making Best Use of Land delivery plan, consultation will be undertaken where appropriate; this will be shaped through engagement with relevant stakeholders.

4.12.    There are no conflicts of interest arising from those involved in the drafting and clearance of this decision form. As and when individual conflicts of interest arise during the delivery of initiatives contained in the Making Best Use of Land delivery plan, they will be handled in line with the GLA policy on registering and declaring interests.
 

5.1.    The programme budget is set out in the delivery plan and summarised in the table below:

5.2.    The budget allocated to this delivery plan is presented in the GLA: Mayor budget 2025-26, approved on 31 March 2025 under MD3330.

5.3.    Budget will be transferred between this programme’s delivery plan and other programmes’ delivery plans in accordance with our governance processes, subject to Mayoral approval of this Mayoral Decision.

5.4.    The budget set out at paragraph 5.1 reflects the net effect of these budget transfers and additional income.

5.5.    The budget commitments for future years are subject to the annual budget setting process.

5.6.    Any further transfers and movements within the budget for this delivery plan will be handled in accordance with governance processes.
 

6.1.    Under section 30(1) of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 (the GLA Act), the Mayor acting on behalf of the GLA has the power to do anything that he considers will further any one or more of the GLA’s principal purposes, which are:

•    promoting economic development and wealth creation in Greater London
•    promoting social development in Greater London
•    promoting the improvement of the environment in Greater London. 

6.2.    In deciding whether or how to exercise the general power in section 30(1), section 30(4) of the GLA Act requires the GLA to have regard to the effect which the proposed exercise of the power would have on:

•    the health of persons in Greater London
•    health inequalities between persons living in Greater London
•    the achievement of sustainable development in the UK
•    climate change, and the consequences of climate change. 

6.3.    Where the GLA exercises the power under section 30(1), pursuant to section 30(5) it must do so in the way which it considers best calculated to:

•    promote improvements in the health of persons in Greater London
•    promote the reduction of health inequalities between persons living in Greater London
•    contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development in the United Kingdom
•    contribute towards the mitigation of, or adaptation to, climate change, in the United Kingdom.

6.4.    The GLA must also make arrangements with a view to securing that in the exercise of the power in section 30(1) there is due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all people in accordance with section 33 of the GLA Act and consult with such bodies or persons as the GLA may consider appropriate in this particular case in accordance with section 32 of the GLA Act.

6.5.    Under section 34 of the GLA Act, the GLA, acting by the Mayor, the Assembly, or both jointly, may do anything that is calculated to facilitate, or is conducive or incidental to, the exercise of any functions of the GLA exercisable by the Mayor; or, as the case may be, by the Assembly, or by both acting jointly. The foregoing sections of this report indicate that the decisions requested by the Mayor concern the exercise of the GLA’s general powers under section 30 and section 34 of the GLA Act. 

6.6.    Under section 38 of the GLA Act, any function exercisable by the Mayor on behalf of the GLA may also be exercised by a member of the GLA’s staff – albeit subject to any conditions that the Mayor sees fit to impose. To this end, the Mayor may make the requested delegations to the Executive Director, Good Growth, subject to the conditions and requirements set out in this Mayoral Decision. 

6.7.    Section 31 of the GLA Act places limits on the general power and prohibits the GLA from incurring expenditure on anything which may be done by TfL, MOPAC or the LFC.

6.8.    In taking the decisions requested of him, the Mayor must comply with the PSED contained in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010. To this end, the Mayor should have particular regard to section three (above) of this report.

6.9.    If the Mayor makes the decisions sought, officers must also ensure that:

•    no reliance is placed on, nor commitments made in reliance of:
-    third party funding until legally binding commitments are secured for it and officers are satisfied that their proposed use of the same aligns with any conditions of award
-    future budgets remaining subject to the outcome of the budget setting process for future financial years, until those budget setting exercises are completed
-    “returned funding” without confirmation that it can be used as proposed and, where applicable, liaising with third party funders and varying current GLA funding agreements to reflect the reallocation of funding
•    where applicable, the Subsidy Control Act 2022 is observed
•    where expenditure concerns: 
-    purchase of services: they are procured in accordance with the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code (the “Code”) and where applicable the Procurement Act 2023 (the “Act”); officers liaise with Transport for London’s procurement and supply chain team, which will determine the detail of the procurement strategy to be adopted in accordance with the Code and the Act; and put in place appropriate contractual documentation and ensure it is executed by the chosen service provider and GLA before the commencement of those services 
-    the award of grant funding such awards are made fairly, transparently, in accordance with the GLA’s equalities requirements and with the requirements of GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code and funding agreements are put in place between and executed by the GLA and recipients before any commitment to fund is made.

6.10.    If the Mayor makes the decisions sought, the Executive Director, Good Growth must comply with the obligations set out in The Openness of Local Government Bodies Regulations 2014 when taking decisions in accordance with the delegations set out in this decision form or any other delegations in existing Mayoral Decisions. In particular regulation 7 which provides that where a decision has been delegated to an officer either (a) under a specific express authorisation or (b) under a general authorisation and the effect of the decision is to award a contract or incur expenditure which, in either case, materially affects the GLA’s financial position, the officer to whom the delegation has been made must produce a written record of the decision (regulation 7(1) and (2)). Regulation 7(3) provides that the written record must be produced as soon as reasonably practicable after the decision has been taken and must contain the date the decision was taken, a record of the decision taken with reasons, details of options considered and rejected, if any, and where a decision is delegated under a specific express authorisation, any conflicts of interest. Regulation 8 requires the written record, together with any background papers, must as soon as reasonably practicable after the record is made, be made available for inspection by members of the public including on the GLA’s website.
 

7.1.    Timelines are as set out in the delivery plan appended as Appendix 2.