Opportunity Areas – not listening to those who live in them

• Community groups have argued that development in Opportunity Areas does not meet the needs of local residents and businesses and ultimately displaces these communities. Some feel that they have been excluded from the process of designating Opportunity Areas and the development that takes place within them.
• A recent study by the Centre for Labour and Social Studies found that gentrification rates were 9-13 per cent higher in areas located within Opportunity Areas than in areas outside of them. Population churn was significantly higher across all three case-study boroughs within Opportunity Areas.^[3]
• The Greater London Authority (GLA) has not carried out a full evaluation of each Opportunity Area, to assess how they are performing, how the current approach could be improved and possible alternatives.
• The Housing Zones programme is set to deliver 15,500 homes – 6,300 of these will be affordable (41 per cent), and 2,500 have been delivered so far. The programme will not be extended beyond 2022-23.

The London Assembly Planning and Regeneration Committee has published a letter following its investigation into Opportunity Areas and Housing Zones in London. The letter makes a number of recommendations to the Mayor of London for improvement, including:

• Work with boroughs to ensure that residents, businesses and community groups are engaged and involved in the planning process within Opportunity Areas from the outset and prior to their designation.
• Monitor and publish comprehensive data giving a breakdown of housing tenure and size in each Opportunity Area along with other outcomes. This should include data on demolitions, new homes, and community services.
• Explore options for carrying out a full evaluation of Opportunity Areas, which assesses outcomes against objectives, comparisons with equivalent sites in London, impacts on local residents and businesses and value for money.
• Publish findings of internal reviews into Housing Zones and as the programme is coming to an end, commission an independent evaluation of the programme, in order to learn from its successes and failures to help inform future projects.

Andrew Boff AM, Chair of the London Assembly Planning and Regeneration Committee, said:

“Local communities and businesses are an integral part in shaping development areas in the capital and their voices are simply not being heard. Opportunity Areas need to give people the chance to speak and have their feedback and concerns heard and acted upon.”

“Community involvement within Opportunity Areas could be greatly improved – along with the capturing and monitoring of data and outcomes – and it is important that comprehensive evaluations are carried out on these strategic programmes for the capital.

“Top-down planning decisions will always disgruntle people, so it is important for the Mayor to level the playing field and have communities input into these important decisions from the very outset. London needs new homes and infrastructure to keep up with demand, but that should not be to the detriment of existing communities, their community spaces and livelihoods.”