FAQ - NHA LDN and ATLAS LDN

The New Homes Accelerator (NHA) is a partnership between MHCLG, Homes England and the GLA, working with local partners to unblock and accelerate the delivery of housing developments. It provides expert teams to boost local planning capacity, coordinate across government, and offer site-specific support to unlock housing delivery.

The programme is a key part of the government’s plan to build 1.5 million homes this Parliament, aiming to streamline planning, support local economies, and increase housing supply.

NHA LDN will operate as a branch of National NHA, fully funded by central government for its pilot year.

Information on national sites can be found here

Queries on London sites can be forwarded by email: [email protected]

This is your opportunity to apply for support under the new NHA LDN service, to unblock a site which has significant barriers to delivery but could be accelerated to deliver homes by summer 2029. To access NHA LDN support, you need to submit your site(s) for consideration.

Please submit a separate application for each site.

Please submit a separate application for each phase if there are multiple phases within a master plan which you think could be accelerated to deliver homes by summer 2029. You do not need to submit all phases of a master plan, just those which could deliver homes by summer 2029. When asked about the number of homes which is planned, please enter the number of homes planned for the specific phase you are submitting on.

We will aim to get back to all respondents that have submitted sites, even if not selected.

This new submission for support will be an on-going progress for developers to submit sites facing significant barriers to delivery. The aim is for it to be refreshed at certain points throughout the year so there will be opportunities in the future.

Anyone who is developing a residential site to deliver homes in London which is facing significant barriers to delivery can submit a site. This includes private developers, Registered Providers and local authorities.

In short, yes to an extent: ATLAS LDN builds planning capacity and supports projects through the planning stages of development, while NHA LDN focuses on stalled housing projects. There will be some sites that require both ATLAS LDN and NHA LDN support.

ATLAS LDN and NHA LDN are both government-backed initiatives aimed at boosting housing delivery, but they serve different functions and operate in distinct ways:

• NHA LDN is designed to rapidly unblock stalled or slow-moving housing sites. It is a branch of the National NHA programme, run by MHCLG and HE. Both deploy expert teams to work directly with local authorities, developers and the housebuilding sector, resolving barriers to speed up delivery. Its emphasis is on short-term impact and accelerating housing completions, especially on high-potential sites.
• ATLAS LDN is a specialist planning support service within the GLA, funded by central government and aligned with the National ATLAS programme at HE. It provides expert planning advice to London boroughs, helping unlock strategic sites and support master planning. Its focus is on building long-term planning capacity, promoting best practice, and enabling delivery through coordinated expertise.

Key features of each service are listed on our programme website.

Both services will work closely to ensure that priority sites receive the right support at the right time, and that activity is coordinated rather than duplicated.

Handover depending on site needs: Where early discussion and assessment show that planning is not the primary barrier to progress, ATLAS LDN will pass the priority site to the NHA LDN team, sharing its findings, site context and key considerations so momentum is maintained. NHA LDN will then consider the site within its own pipeline and prioritise support, accordingly, focusing on non-planning barriers such as funding, delivery, infrastructure or market constraints. In these circumstances, ATLAS LDN will step back where it cannot add value, avoiding unnecessary overlap. The same approach will apply in reverse, where a priority NHA LDN site requires targeted planning expertise from ATLAS LDN, and discussions can then take place with the relevant borough if the site is considered a priority for the team.

Parallel working on the same site: Where it will help unlock progress, ATLAS LDN and NHA LDN may also work in parallel on the same site. At the outset, roles and responsibilities will be clearly agreed, with ATLAS LDN focusing on planning-related actions (such as applications, negotiations, quality, risk or specific planning workstreams), and NHA LDN focusing on delivery of non-planning related matters. Support is targeted, workstream-led and flexible, and can shift over time as site needs evolve.

Re-engagement where needed: If planning issues emerge or re-emerge at a later stage, ATLAS LDN can re-engage, working alongside NHA LDN as required.

In summary, ATLAS LDN and NHA LDN are designed to operate as complementary services providing coordinated and, where appropriate, joint support to help accelerate delivery.

Details on how your data is stored and shared between partners are included in this Privacy Policy and these Terms and Conditions. You will be asked to confirm you have read and agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions, and consent to the processing of your data as described.

Data storage and ownership: The data submitted will be held by the Greater London Authority on behalf of the Mayor of London. The submission platform is hosted on LAND4LDN, a tool already familiar to boroughs and the built environment industry. We work closely with partner organisations that collect similar data on the same sites. We have therefore sought to collect this data in one place to save participants' time.

Integration with other GLA datasets: We are aware that you have previously been asked to input to various data collections. The platform being used to submit sites is designed to save you time by streamlining data collection on London’s stalled sites into the LAND4LDN platform which you are already using for example for the digital Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA).

This platform aims to:

• Be a useful, central source of data for various organisations working in this space.
• Provide different levels of information to different end users.
• Be an iterative platform for stalled sites data moving forward that can be added to, updated and monitored.

Complement other data tools which the GLA and boroughs contribute to together for example the Planning London Datahub, Planning DataMap and LAND4LDN.

There is no specific capital funding available through NHA LDN, however if appropriate, sites which require capital funding will be highlighted to the other teams in the GLA which manage our capital funding programmes such as the Affordable Homes Programme, or the City Hall Developer Fund (not yet launched) for further engagement and assessment against the relevant funding criteria.

If your site meets the criteria for NHA support or ATLAS support and you are still experiencing delays or barriers to delivery, we encourage you to re-submit your site for consideration. We have lowered the threshold for sites and refined what information we are asking for. By submitting your site again, you are not only putting it in the running for NHA or ATLAS support, but you are helping build a strategic picture of the challenges faced in London, which can help lead to wider, more strategic change to unblock sites.

ATLAS LDN consists of a core team of highly experienced planners providing high quality, objective and impartial planning advice and support to help unlock key sites and enable housing delivery. The team will be supported by other specialists, including, design, viability, biodiversity etc, as required by individual cases. The ATLAS LDN team will:

• Be provided at no cost to boroughs, including access to any specialist expertise required to support individual cases.
• Act as a trusted partner to London’s planning authorities, building local capacity and providing independent review and challenge where appropriate.
• Be impartial and act as an intermediary where requested, supporting constructive dialogue between councils, developers and key stakeholders
• Provide additional senior officer capacity to where it is most needed.
• Work at pace and be agile, helping to unblock difficult planning issues and coordinating and negotiating across a range of planning-related activities.
• Reduce risk on complex development schemes through strong collaboration across the public sector, drawing on a proven ATLAS model adapted for London’s specific needs.
• Use strategic convening power and connections, with support from central government and across the GLA and TfL family, and direct engagement with statutory consultees and other key organisations to help resolve strategic issues and accelerate progress on priority sites.

ATLAS LDN is directly funded by MHCLG’s Planning Capacity and Capability Programme.  The Programme supports the government’s housing and infrastructure ambitions by equipping councils with the people, skills, and tools they need to plan effectively and make timely decisions.  ATLAS LDN will sit alongside the Programme’s wider initiatives like Planning Advisory Service (PAS), Public Practice and the LGA’s Pathways to Planning Programme in supporting a more rewarding and sustainable public sector career for planners.

ATLAS LDN provides hands-on planning support through two routes, depending on the scale and complexity of the site and the nature of the issue requiring support. This includes either a dedicated ATLAS LDN planner (including specialist support) working alongside the borough team generally on larger or more complex case (Option 1), or targeted specialist input to address specific technical issues on a wider range of sites (Option 2). The service is designed to add capacity, experience and problem-solving support where it is most needed.

The appropriate support option will be agreed with the borough following early discussion and diagnostic work, taking account of site needs, potential impact and overall programme capacity.

In practice, this means:

• The nature and extent of work will vary depending on the site and its specific circumstances. 
• Work to include planning applications, pre-applications, master plans, site appraisals
• Early scoping and problem definition: Working with borough officers and other stakeholders to understand the site context, constraints and challenges. Assist in defining the core issues preventing progress and agree clear objectives, priorities and success measures for ATLAS involvement.
• Defined task / action / workstream support rather than taking on the whole case. This could include assisting a reserved matter, advising on planning balance or unlocking a specific design, viability or transport issue for instance. On occasion, ATLAS Planners could assist with report, condition or S106 obligation drafting. By taking on a specific, complex task ATLAS LDN will help free up borough planners’ time while ensuring critical issues are progressed at pace.
• Strategic connections: Unblock strategic issues by coordinating engagement with central government and the GLA/TfL family and having direct links to statutory consultees, the NHA and other delivery partners.
• Programme and process management: Supporting the development of realistic timetables and delivery pathways along with advising on and supporting Planning Performance Agreements (PPAs).
• Providing independent review and constructive challenge: This will strengthen advice, recommendations and negotiating positions.
• Case officer by exception: In agreed circumstances, an ATLAS planner may act as a case officer on a particular site, however, this will be by exception given the team’s capacity with the focus on key interventions across a range of sites.
• Focused intervention and clear outcomes:  Each piece of ATLAS involvement will have a clearly defined scope, agreed actions and outputs and a time-bound exit point, once the issue is resolved or risk reduced.

In summary, ATLAS LDN supports borough officers on large and complex sites, helping unblock issues, reduce risk, and keep schemes moving, while leaving ownership and decision-making with the Council. 

Please also see the below FAQ for some case studies from the national ATLAS programme.

Yes, the original national ATLAS programme ran from 2004 to 2017 and assisted various Councils across the UK. The national ATLAS 2.0 programme has been re-established and has been working on various sites across the country recently.

See our case studies page for examples.

Since inception, the ATLAS LDN team has undertaken background work and discussions to enable the service to be as helpful as possible to the boroughs.

ATLAS LDN has:

• Researched and built an initial database of sites over 150+ units across London that have ‘live’ planning applications submitted, informed by:
  • GLA Planning & Regeneration data sources (Planning London Datahub, Planning London DataMap, PlanApps, Arcus)
  • GLA Housing & Land
  • New Homes Accelerator Call for Evidence (August-October 2024)
  • Mayoral Development Arm
• Engaged key stakeholders (London Councils, Business LDN, Planning Advisory Service, Planning Officer Society, senior borough planners) to shape the programme 
• Recruited a team of planners 
• Developed governance structures and ways of working with the boroughs and other organisations.

Working alongside the national New Homes Accelerator and NHA LDN, ATLAS LDN has developed this platform to identify additional priority sites.

National ATLAS is expanding its reach through regional services like ATLAS LDN, aiming to build local capacity and share best practice.

The national ATLAS programme was originally launched in 2004 as a pilot hosted by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), providing national planning and enabling support. It has since been re-established as a renewed partnership between MHCLG and Homes England (HE) hosted within HE. ATLAS LDN is funded directly through MHCLG’s Planning Capacity and Capability Programme.

The national ATLAS programme provides expert planning support to help unlock complex housing and regeneration sites across England. It works with local planning authorities, developers, and government bodies to overcome barriers to delivery, offering technical advice and strategic input to accelerate progress. Its work focuses on enabling high‑quality, sustainable places through support with masterplanning, infrastructure coordination, and planning processes.

ATLAS plays a key role in supporting the government’s ambition to deliver 1.5 million homes this Parliament by helping local areas bring forward strategic sites more effectively, as well as providing site‑specific planning support to the New Homes Accelerator. ATLAS LDN is a branch of the national programme and will continue to have strong links back to national government, the GLA and other public sector organisations. 

Borough input is essential to target ATLAS LDN resources effectively and to determine where we can add most value.

As well as assisting capacity, borough submissions will allow ATLAS LDN to:

• Establish priorities from borough teams
• Target support effectively
• Establish any repeating themes / capacity requirements
• Identify those sites that are not within our current database of ‘live’ applications such as pre-applications / masterplans.

Yes, some sites which are stalled will be due to non-planning or non-capacity related issues. For instance, if there are site ownership issues or issues relating to building regulations.  In those situations, NHA LDN may be able to assist or others in central government / wider GLA services. Should ATLAS LDN encounter such a site the team will help facilitate access to other relevant teams when required.

ATLAS LDN will also be prioritising larger residential schemes for the core planning service directing resources towards sites where we can make the biggest impact. See other FAQ on how the ATLAS LDN team will prioritise sites.

ATLAS LDN is:

• Not a decision-maker: All statutory decisions remain with the local planning authority and elected members where relevant.
• Not a developer, promoter or delivery body: ATLAS LDN does not have any commercial or financial interest in planning application / development sites.
• Not a replacement for council planning teams: ATLAS LDN is not an outsourced planning service. It provides targeted support that works alongside existing officers where complexity or pressure exceeds capacity.
• Not about speeding up development at any cost: ATLAS LDN does not cut corners, reduce scrutiny or lower standards. Any improvement in timeframes comes from providing expert advice, improved coordination across the public sector and acting as an intermediary where requested reducing risk.
• Not a permanent presence in the council: ATLAS LDN is time-limited by design, with a clear focus on unblocking issues and delivering within an agreed timeframe.
• Not aligned to any one interest: ATLAS LDN is independent and neutral, acting as a trusted critical friend on planning matters.

ATLAS LDN will operate collaboratively, providing advisory support rather than replacing existing borough roles. The service is offered at no cost to boroughs and will not draw on PPA or application fees associated with specific sites. Any application / PPA fee will remain with the borough.

While ATLAS LDN can advise Councils throughout the planning process, all decisions must continue to follow established local democratic procedures and be reported to Planning Committee where required. ATLAS LDN officers will remain impartial and professional, which is essential for maintaining strong working relationships and ensuring a clear separation of functions.

For each site, the working arrangements between ATLAS LDN and the borough will be agreed and clearly set out in a light‑touch Project Engagement Plan (PEP). 

The PEP, to be agreed with the borough, will broadly outline: 

1. The role and objectives of ATLAS LDN, including details of the assigned team 
2. Operating principles
3. Engagement principles and expectations
4. A summary of the project or planning application, including initial site diagnosis
5. Agreed outcomes, timelines and key milestones

We are using a number of metrics to prioritise sites, and these include:

• Quantum of development strategically
• Affordable housing provision
• Delayed in the planning process
• Within a spatial priority area e.g. Opportunity Areas, regeneration priorities or linked to new transport infrastructure
• Public Transport Accessibility Level (PTAL)
• Deliverability

Sites submitted to us by Boroughs during this application process will be considered having regard to these metrics to enable us to prioritise sites in a fair and equitable way. Moving forward, this will be an ongoing review process as more sites are highlighted to ATLAS LDN.

Following submission of your site(s), ATLAS LDN will:

1. Review all site submissions against our prioritisation and site‑selection criteria.
2. Identify sites suitable for ATLAS LDN support.
3. Discuss shortlisted sites with the relevant Boroughs to confirm priorities and shape an appropriate approach to support. Applicants and developers will also be involved at this stage.
4. Agree a Project Engagement Plan (PEP) for selected sites, setting out the scope of support, roles, milestones and exit points among other matters.
5. Begin support once the PEP is agreed, working alongside the borough in line with the agreed scope.

We aim to respond to all applicants, including those whose sites are not selected. Some sites may be better suited for support at a later stage or through NHA London. If this applies to your site, we will contact you to discuss next steps. We aim to confirm whether a submission has been successful within three weeks of the submission platform closing for the relevant round.

Support will be agreed through the Project Engagement Plan (PEP) and will normally be time-bound and milestone-led, rather than open-ended. The PEP is explained further on the FAQ “Can you provide more information on the working arrangement between the Local Planning Authority and ATLAS LDN?” 

Capacity: ATLAS LDN has a finite core team. Sites will be prioritised based on a number of metrics, impact and deliverability, and not all requests can be supported simultaneously. It is anticipated that the team could work on between 10 to 16 sites depending on the scale and complexity of development at any one time. The service is intended to scale up capacity over time. 

If support has started and circumstances change: Support arrangements can be reviewed, paused or amended at any time by agreement through the PEP with the borough. 

If a supported site is not progressing: Not all sites will progress despite support. ATLAS LDN focuses on reducing planning-related barriers but cannot always guarantee outcomes. 

In short, yes to an extent: ATLAS LDN builds planning capacity and supports projects through the planning stages of development, while NHA LDN focuses on stalled housing projects. There will be some sites that require both ATLAS LDN and NHA LDN support.

ATLAS LDN and NHA LDN are both government-backed initiatives aimed at boosting housing delivery, but they serve different functions and operate in distinct ways:

• NHA LDN is designed to rapidly unblock stalled or slow-moving housing sites. It is a branch of the National NHA programme, run by MHCLG and HE. Both deploy expert teams to work directly with local authorities, developers and the housebuilding sector, resolving barriers to speed up delivery. Its emphasis is on short-term impact and accelerating housing completions, especially on high-potential sites.

• ATLAS LDN is a specialist planning support service within the GLA, funded by central government and aligned with the National ATLAS programme at HE. It provides expert planning advice to London Boroughs, helping unlock strategic sites and support master planning. Its focus is on building long-term planning capacity, promoting best practice, and enabling delivery through coordinated expertise.

Key features of each service are listed on our programme website.

Both services will work closely to ensure that priority sites receive the right support at the right time, and that activity is coordinated rather than duplicated.

Handover depending on site needs: Where early discussion and assessment show that planning is not the primary barrier to progress, ATLAS LDN will pass the priority site to the NHA LDN team, sharing its findings, site context and key considerations so momentum is maintained. NHA LDN will then consider the site within its own pipeline and prioritise support accordingly, focusing on non-planning barriers such as funding, delivery, infrastructureor market constraints. In these circumstances, ATLAS LDN will step back where it cannot add value, avoiding unnecessary overlap. The same approach will apply in reverse, where a priority NHA LDN site requires targeted planning expertise from ATLAS LDN, and discussions can then take place with the relevant borough if the site is considered a priority for the team.

Parallel working on the same site: Where it will help unlock progress, ATLAS LDN and NHA LDN may also work in parallel on the same site. At the outset, roles and responsibilities will be clearly agreed, with ATLAS LDN focusing on planning-related actions (such as applications, negotiations, quality, risk or specific planning workstreams), and NHA LDN focusing on delivery non planning related matters. Support is targeted, workstream-led and flexible, and can shift over time as site needs evolve.

Re-engagement where needed: If planning issues emerge or re-emerge at a later stage, ATLAS LDN can re-engage, working alongside NHA LDN as required.

In summary, ATLAS LDN and NHA LDN are designed to operate as complementary services providing coordinated and, where appropriate, joint support to help accelerate delivery.

Yes, subject to overall programme capacity and prioritisation across London. Please submit each site separately through the platform.

No. ATLAS LDN complements existing teams and does not replace borough officers or appointed consultants. ATLAS LDN provides advice and capacity support only. All planning decisions remain with the Local Planning Authority and follow established democratic processes.

The Local Planning Authority remains the lead unless otherwise agreed. ATLAS LDN works alongside the borough and will not independently instruct or negotiate without agreement.

If helpful and agreed with the borough, ATLAS LDN may attend meetings in an advisory capacity. ATLAS LDN does not provide advice directly to members unless agreed with the borough.

ATLAS LDN operates independently from the GLA’s and governments statutory planning functions, with clear governance and separation of roles. We would be independent of any decision making relating to ‘call ins’ or appeals.

No. ATLAS LDN is an impartial, publicly funded service focused on enabling good planning and delivery in partnership with boroughs.

Yes. Requests can be made through their submission and will be considered alongside other priorities. The site submission platform questionnaire allows Boroughs to identify the specialism required for support and the ATLAS LDN team will consider such a request under Option 2 support discussed above. For larger schemes under Option 1 a dedicated planner will be provided alongside any specialist assistance.

ATLAS LDN will be able to coordinate specialist resources across Boroughs under Option 2 support. Boroughs may submit smaller schemes or sites for consideration where they would benefit from access to shared specialist expertise. For example, several smaller sites across different Boroughs may each require input from an Energy Officer. Supporting these sites collectively could contribute to the delivery of a significant number of new homes.

If your site lies across the boundaries of two or more London boroughs, please continue to submit your site and the ATLAS LDN team will consider and, if need be, discuss the site with both boroughs if considered a priority site. Likewise, if your site straddles the Greater London boundary with a neighbouring county, please continue to submit and we can potentially work jointly with national ATLAS colleagues to assist that site. This will be decided on a case by case basis.

We have developed an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion statement and will continue to develop a EqIA for the ATLAS LDN service.

The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) requires all public bodies – including the Mayor of London – to consider how their policies and decisions affect people who are protected under the Equality Act.

The PSED requires the Mayor to have due regard to the need to: 

• eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct prohibited under the Act;
• advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not;
• foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.

There are 9 protected characteristic groups: 

• Age
• Disability
• Gender reassignment
• Marriage or civil partnership
• Pregnancy or maternity/paternity
• Religion or Belief
• Race
• Sex
• Sexual orientation

Equality impact assessments (EqIA) are a way to capture the potential impacts – whether positive or negative – on different groups who share a protected characteristic.

Details on how your data is stored and shared between partners are included in this Privacy Policy and these Terms and Conditions. You will be asked to confirm you have read and agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions, and consent to the processing of your data as described.

Data storage and ownership: The data submitted will be held by the Greater London Authority on behalf of the Mayor of London. The submission platform is hosted on LAND4LDN, a tool already familiar to Boroughs and the built environment industry. We work closely with partner organisations that collect similar data on the same sites. We have therefore sought to collect this data in one place to save participants' time.

Integration with other GLA datasets: We are aware that you have previously been asked to input to various data collections. The NHA LDN and ATLAS LDN platform being used to submit sites is designed to save you time by streamlining data collection on London’s stalled sites into the LAND4LDN platform which you are already using for example for the digital Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA). 

This platform aims to:

• Be a useful, central source of data for various organisations working in this space.
• Provide different levels of information to different end users
• Be an iterative platform for stalled sites’ data moving forward that can be added to, updated and monitored.

Complement other data tools which the GLA and boroughs contribute to together for example the Planning London Datahub, Planning DataMap and LAND4LDN.