There have been a series of alarming reports in the press (particularly the Evening Standard) about Ken Livingstone's intentions regarding the power of London's boroughs over the planning process. He is also said to be so keen to increase the density of London's housing stock that he is prepared to play fast and loose with planning regulations. According to one report he told developers that if planners try to block developments then they should "crush them". One might reasonably suspect that the motivations for such articles are at least partly political. However, even the Mayor of London cannot simply make up the rules on the hoof. Planning is based on a large number of documents. In fact the number of documents is so large that simply not being up to date with the latest publications is likely to be as important a reason for faulty decisions as any other. Be that as it may, it would seem a good idea to judge the GLA by what it actually does and says. For the latter we can refer to the large number of publications it produces to explain and justify its policies. We have tried to make this easy by providing links to some of the publications most relevant to issues surrounding the Campion House development. These can all be regarded as supporting documents for the London Plan. Some of them will be used as a materials for the next version of that plan.
The central concern of the GLA is based on the view that London's population is going to increase by 700,000 over the next 15 years. The documents argue that such a massive increase can bring benefits to the city by, for example, boosting its economy. On the other hand, if this expansion is not built into the planning process the results could be a disaster for the city. Therefore, it is claimed, there are difficult choices to be made. The implication, it is argued, is that there will need to be big changes in what people expect from developments. What is not so clear is whether these remarks are meant to support existing planning regimes or to replace them. A few simple calculations seem to indicate that London is currently on course to meet the projected expansion in population. It is a little difficult therefore to see what the fuss about building rates is about. Furthermore, the rate of building in Hounslow far exceeds that required to meet the projected expansion in London's population.
Whatever the reasons for the current fuss about planning control and building rates, the GLA planners have put forward a lot of data and a lot of arguments to support their views on London's building needs. They may be right, and they may be wrong, but everyone looking at these documents will find useful material for working out their own views.
All the files below are in pdf format.
1. Richard Rogers vision for London, 970 KB. The author is chief architectural advisor to the London Mayor.
2. Housing in London: the London housing strategy evidence base 2005, 5 MB.
3. 2004 London Housing Capacity Study (July 2005), 2 MB.
4. Housing for a Compact City: Part 1, 205 KB.
5. Housing for a Compact City: Part 2, 708 KB.
6. Housing for a Compact City: Part 3, 1.65 MB.
7. Guide to Preparing Open Space Strategies, 785 KB.
8. Planning for London's Growth, 1.5 MB.
Some of the recent discussion has been inspired by the increase in the Powers of the London Mayor and the GLA for planning (among other things) which has been up for consultation over the last year. The consultation period is now over but it may still be of interest to read the consultation paper to get an idea of the changes which are being discussed. You can get the ODPM's consultation paper here.
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