Chapter Three: Introduction

3.1 This chapter sets out policies to support delivery of the Mayor’s vision and objectives – and particularly those of ensuring London is:

• A city that meets the challenges of economic and population growth in ways that ensure a sustainable, good and improving quality of life and sufficient high quality homes and neighbourhoods for all Londoners, and help tackle the huge issue of deprivation and inequality among Londoners, including inequality in health outcomes.
• A city of diverse, strong, secure and accessible neighbourhoods to which Londoners feel attached, which provide all of its residents, workers, visitors and students – whatever their origin, background, age or status – with opportunities to realise and express their potential and a high quality environment for individuals to enjoy, live together and thrive.
• A city that delights the senses and takes care over its buildings and streets, having the best of modern architecture while also making the most of London’s built heritage, and which makes the most of and extends its wealth of open and green spaces, natural environments and waterways, realising their potential for improving Londoners’ health, welfare and development.

These will be realised by ensuring that London’s people and communities have the homes, opportunities, facilities and social infrastructure they need to support a good and improving quality of life in the years to 2036. This chapter brings together policies to enable the planning system to help deliver equal life chances for all by reducing health inequalities, supporting social infrastructure provision such as health, education and sports facilities, creating genuinely sustainable neighbourhoods, while setting out a suite of housing policies to help deliver more homes for Londoners which meet a range of needs and are of high design quality. These issues are central to meeting the challenges of a growing and ever-more diverse population.