The London Plan Spatial Development Strategy for Greater London Consolidated with Alterations since 2004 February 2008 www.london.gov.uk/thelondonplan The London Plan Spatial Development Strategy for Greater London Consolidated with Alterations since 2004 February 2008 www.london.gov.uk/thelondonplan The London Plan Copyright Greater London Authority February 2008 Published by Greater London Authority City Hall The Queen’s Walk More London London SE1 2AA Enquiries 020 7983 4100 Minicom 020 7983 4458 www.london.gov.uk ISBN: 978 1 84781 129 5 Cover photograph © Adam Hinton Acknowledgements The Mayor would like to thank everyone who contributed to this new version of the plan, including the Independent Panel, all participants at the Examination in Public and everyone else who responded to the public consultation. Most of all the Mayor thanks all the staff at City Hall who helped put the original plan together and who have contributed to the alterations over the past two years, especially Drew Stevenson, Robin Thompson, Debbie McMullen, Eleanor Young, Alex Bax and Dan Hawthorn. This document is printed on 80 per cent recycled paper, 20 per cent from sustainable forest management The London Plan Mayor of London iii table of Contents Preamble vii ‘My Vision for London’ xi Introduction vi The Mayor’s objectives xi Chapter 1 Positioning London 1 1 London’s place in the world 15 2 London – past and present 22 3 Forces driving change in London 26 Chapter 2 The broad development strategy 39 2A The overall strategy 39 1 Sustainable development 39 2 Overarching spatial policies for London 41 3 Transport and spatial development 56 2B The Key Diagram 58 Chapter 3 Thematic policies 63 3A Living in London 63 1 Housing policies 64 2 London’s diverse population 84 3 Providing for community services 89 4 Communities, neighbourhoods and the development process 97 3B Working in London 105 1 The economic context 105 2 Demand and supply of office accommodation 107 3 Manufacturing and wholesale distribution 112 4 Emerging growth sectors 114 5 Improving employment opportunities for Londoners 120 3C Connecting London – improving travel in London 125 1 Closer integration of transport and spatial development 126 2 Enhancing international, national and regional transport links 132 3 Better public transport in London 136 4 Reducing congestion and making better use of London’s streets 148 5 Improving freight movements and the distribution of goods and services 157 iv Mayor of London The London Plan 3D Enjoying London 161 1 Consumers in London 162 2 Culture and sport in London 168 3 Visitors’ London 173 4 Improving London’s open environment 175 Chapter 4 The crosscutting policies 195 4A Climate change and London’s metabolism 195 1 Tackling climate change 197 2 Sustainable energy 202 3 Adaptation to climate change 209 4 Sustainable planning for flood risk management 210 5 Efficient use of water 214 6 Improving air quality 218 7 Reducing noise 220 8 Planning for waste 221 9 Planning for minerals 240 10 Contaminated land 242 11 Hazardous substances 242 4B Designs on London 245 1 Design Principles for a Compact City 245 2 The specifics of design for a compact city 252 4C The Blue Ribbon Network 267 1 The Blue Ribbon Network Principles 267 2 Defining the Blue Ribbon Network 268 3 Natural resources, forces and human heritage 269 4 Sustainable growth priorities 272 5 Enjoying the Blue Ribbon Network 276 6 Design and safety 279 7 London’s water spaces 280 Chapter 5 The sub-regions, Central Activities Zone and government growth areas 289 5A Overall approach to sub-regional development 291 5B North London 296 5C North East London 308 5D South East London 323 The London Plan Mayor of London v 5E South West London 335 5F West London 344 5G The Central Activities Zone 352 5H Growth areas 361 Chapter 6 Implementing the London Plan 365 6A Delivering the vision 365 1 The plan’s sphere of influence 365 2 The main implementation processes 367 3 The main stakeholders and their contribution 379 4 Strategies that will contribute to implementation 385 6B Monitoring and review of this plan 391 1 London Plan performance indicators 392 2 Draft framework of Annual Monitoring Report 396 6C Looking to the future 398 1 London after 2026 398 Annex 1 London’s strategic town centre network A1 Annex 2 Strategic industrial locations A7 Annex 3 Reconciliation tables A11 Annex 4 Parking standards A23 Annex 5 Implementation of the Blue Ribbon Network A33 Annex 6 List of current and proposed Supplementary Planning Guidance A37 Annex 7 Main requirements for additional assessments as a result of the London Plan A39 Annex 8 Partnerships that can help to deliver the London Plan A41 Annex 9 Implementation tools A47 Annex 10 Housing provision statistics A59 Glossary A63 Index of policies A85 Contributor’s credits A93 Photography credits A94 vi Mayor of London The London Plan The London Plan Mayor of London vii preamble Where does the London Plan fit in? The GLA The Greater London Authority (GLA) was established in 2000. It covers the 32 London boroughs and the City of London. It is made up of a directly elected Mayor (the Executive) and a separately elected Assembly (to scrutinise the Mayor). The GLA is a new kind of public authority, designed to provide citywide, strategic government for London. Its principal purposes are to promote the economic and social development and the environmental improvement of Greater London. The London Plan – what is it for? The Mayor is responsible for strategic planning in London. He has a wide range of duties and powers. The government has set out guidance and advice on the Mayor’s planning duties and powersi. His duties include producing a Spatial Development Strategy for London – called the London Plan – and keeping it under review. The London Plan replaces government’s strategic guidanceii, and boroughs’ development plan documents must be in ‘general conformity’ with it. The Greater London Authority (GLA) Act 1999 requires that the London Plan deals only with matters that are of strategic importance to Greater London. The GLA Act also requires that the London Plan takes account of three crosscutting themes: • the health of Londoners • equality of opportunity • its contribution to sustainable development in the UK. The London Plan: • is the strategic plan setting out an integrated social, economic and environmental framework for the future development of London, looking forward 15–20 years • integrates the physical and geographic dimensions of the Mayor’s other strategies, including broad locations for change and providing a framework for land use management and development, which is strongly linked to improvements in infrastructure, especially transport • provides the Londonwide context within which individual boroughs must set their local planning policies • sets the policy framework for the Mayor’s involvement in major planning decisions in London • sets out proposals for implementation and funding • is London’s response to European guidance on spatial planning and a link to European Structural Funds. viii Mayor of London The London Plan The London Plan enables a strategic approach to be taken to the key issues facing London. It: • provides a clear framework within which all of the stakeholders in London’s future can plan their own activities to best effect • enables Londoners to participate in shaping the future of their city – mostly at the sub-regional level • ensures that policies are coherent and integrated, across issues and between places • sends a strong message to the world that London has a vibrant and confident view of its future. The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, section 38, bestows development plan status on the London Plan. Under the plan-led system, this means that the determination of planning applications must be made in accordance with the London Plan and the relevant Development Plan Documents (DPDs) unless material considerations indicate otherwise. The role of the London Plan The Mayor is required by law to produce other strategies for London. Each must be consistent with the others and the London Plan acts as the integrating framework for all. Each must take on board national policies and international obligations. These strategies are: Agenda for Action on Alcohol, Air Quality*, Alcohol and Drugs, Ambient Noise*, Animal Welfare, Anti-social Behaviour, Biodiversity*, Business Waste, Childcare, Children and Young People, Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, Climate Change Mitigation and Energy Strategy*, Cocaine, Culture*, Domestic Violence, Economic Development*, E-government, Energy, Food, Health Inequalities, Housing, Municipal Waste*, Older People, Refugees, Rough Sleepers, Skills, Tourism, Transport*, Water and a Tree & Woodland Framework (those strategies marked * are statutory requirements). The London Plan is required to take account of the European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP) and other EU directivesiii. The ESDP sets a framework for the planning system to operate in the wider European context and supports the principle of sustainable development and the creation of balanced urban systems. It is a statutory requirement that alterations to the London Plan undergo a ‘sustainability appraisal’. The Mayor also has a statutory duty to promote equality of opportunity in London and will ensure that the proposals and policies in the London Plan are implemented with due regard to the The London Plan Mayor of London ix Race Relations Amendment Act 2000, the Disability Discrimination Acts 1995 and 2005 and other relevant government policy advice. The London Plan has accordingly been formulated having had regard to the matters specified in sections 41 and 342 (1)(a) of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 and Regulation 6(1) of the Town and Country Planning (London Spatial Development Strategy) Regulations 2000, to all relevant EU directives and UK legislation, and to Government advice and regional planning guidance.