Disabled Londoners must be at the heart of our planning system

The Mayor has been urged to establish a co-production group of disabled Londoners ahead of the review of the London Plan, to ensure inclusive design is embedded throughout.

An investigation by the London Assembly Planning and Regeneration Committee received evidence on how the Mayor and the Greater London Authority (GLA) can ensure a wider diversity of Londoners and the issues they face are included in reviewing the future of the London Plan. 

The Committee heard from a number of experts and community groups on the lived experience of Londoners and how the design of the city impacts them, including the barriers disabled people face across the capital.

The Committee has today written to the Mayor with three recommendations to improve the London Plan and the Planning for London Programme. These are:

1. The Greater London Authority (GLA) should establish a co-production group of a range of disabled Londoners and disabled people’s organisations ahead of the review of the London Plan, when it takes place in the next Mayoral term.
2. The GLA should explain how its stakeholder engagement for the Planning for London Programme will be truly representative of Londoners, including groups which are historically not well engaged by the planning system.
3. The Planning for London Programme should carry out the groundwork for the following to be included in the next London Plan:
   • A Mayoral Statement of Community Involvement, which will set out standards for local authorities and developers to follow.
   • A requirement that planning applications incorporate co-production with communities at an early stage.
   • Embedding accessible and inclusive design throughout the London Plan.
   • Setting out best practice for local authorities to address barriers to participation in the planning system. These barriers include digital divides, technical planning language, information imbalances, language barriers, and engagement fatigue.

Chair of the London Assembly Planning and Regeneration Committee, Sakina Sheikh AM, said:

“The London Plan is a vital resource in ensuring planning across London meets the needs of all Londoners.

“We heard from a number of experts and community groups on the lived experience of Londoners and how the design of our city impacts their day-to-day lives. From the barriers disabled people face in public spaces, to how Londoner’s working conditions and migration status can affect their access to housing.

“We have laid out recommendations to the Mayor on how this analysis can be integrated into the future London Plan to be more inclusive of all Londoners.

“A key issue we looked at are the barriers disabled people face on a daily basis, and we urge the Mayor to create a co-production group of disabled Londoners to facilitate this.”