Unlocking Development in London

The London Assembly Planning and Regeneration Committee has published its report on how to unlock more housing development in London. The report calls on the Mayor to bring forward workable solutions to the wider development sector.

Key recommendations in the report include:

• The Greater London Authority (GLA) should work with Government to bring forward a set of actions to support the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) development sector in London meet their demand for better finance and larger sites. This should include options for how SME builders can access suitable sites for development on land owned by the GLA, and its functional bodies.
• The next London Plan should establish a clear policy hierarchy that prioritises housing as the key land use across appropriate undeveloped sites in London.  This should be adopted as an overarching policy. It should be explicit that housing development, of a sustainable scale, appropriate character and with sufficient infrastructure, can tip the planning balance in favour of approving applications.
• The next London Plan should be simpler. As part of the Planning for London Programme, the GLA should work with Londoners to carry out a first principles in/out evaluation of each policy in the current London Plan. The GLA should consider how this could inform the London Plan, to provide greater clarity to local authorities on what is a ‘must’ and where and how they can be flexible.
• The GLA should maximise opportunities for affordable housing on GLA and Transport for London (TfL) brownfield land by offering enhanced incentives for brownfield development – such as expanding grants specifically to help offset remediation and infrastructure costs, while not compromising the health of existing and future residents on and around the site.
• The GLA should establish its own London version of the Homes England section 106 clearing service.