Yet again, Mayor Khan is taking his time to fulfil his pledges to Londoners. It’s been nearly 18 months since he promised that London’s public spaces would remain open and accessible to all – whether public or private – and produce a Public London Charter enshrining rights and responsibilities.
In a response to questioning by Sian Berry, the Mayor has revealed that, while work has begun on the Public London Charter [1] there is no date for publication, merely that he aims to publish it alongside the new London Plan.
Sian Berry says:
The vague timescale, combined with the lack of definitive action to stop the privatisation of our public spaces, is infuriating. Pseudo-public spaces that seem to be public but are really owned and controlled by developers or private companies, such as More London which owns the land around City Hall, are a worrying trend in London[2].
Continuing to allow landowners such privilege is unfair on Londoners. By letting this situation drag on, the Mayor is allowing the rules governing public land usage to remain shrouded in secrecy and undermines people’s fundamental democratic right to challenge those rules.
Notes to editors
[1] Mayor’s Question Time 17/1/19: https://www.london.gov.uk/questions/2019/0272
[2] https://www.gigl.org.uk/privately-owned-public-spaces/