Spend a whole day reading London Plan just ticking off policies for a report – London Planning has become a Joke

Report on redevelopment of London Studios South Bank https://moderngov.lambeth.gov.uk/documents/s93313/ITV%20PAC%20Report.pdf Nice report – format with tabs of metrics seems very familiar ( 🙂  ) but somehow the date, architect, agent and developer seems to have been accidentally missed off front page. The list – laundry list of London Plan (LP – so reports have glossaries of acronyms now – like those indecipherable inspectors reports that can only be machine read by planning robots not by non planner plan english speaking human beings)  policies.

The London Plan (MALP 2016) (as amended) Provided below is a list of the key London Plan policies which are considered relevant in the determination of this planning application:  Policy 1.1 Delivering the strategic vision and objectives for London  Policy 2.1 London in its global, European and United Kingdom context  Policy 2.10 Central Activities Zone – strategic priorities  Policy 2.11 Central Activities Zone – strategic functions  Policy 2.12 Central Activities Zone – predominantly local activities  Policy 2.13 Opportunity Areas and Intensification Areas  Policy 3.1 Ensuring equal life chances for all  Policy 3.2 Improving health and addressing health inequalities  Policy 3.3 Increasing housing supply  Policy 3.4 Optimising housing potential  Policy 3.5 Quality and design of housing developments  Policy 3.6 Children & young people’s play and informal recreation facilities  Policy 3.8 Housing choice  Policy 3.9 Mixed and balanced communities  Policy 3.10 Definition of affordable housing  Policy 3.11 Affordable housing targets  Policy 3.12 Negotiating affordable housing on individual private residential & mixed use schemes  Policy 3.13 Affordable housing thresholds  Policy 3.15 Coordination of housing development and investment  Policy 4.1 Developing London’s economy Economic sectors & workspaces  Policy 4.2 Offices  Policy 4.3 Mixed use development and offices  Policy 4.5 London’s visitor infrastructure  Policy 4.6 Support for & enhancement of arts, culture, sport & entertainment  Policy 4.7 Retail and town centre development  Policy 4.8 Supporting a successful & diverse retail sector & related facilities & services  Policy 4.10 New and emerging economic sectors  Policy 4.11 Encouraging a connected economy  Policy 4.12 Improving opportunities for all  Policy 5.1 Climate change mitigation  Policy 5.2 Minimising carbon dioxide emissions  Policy 5.3 Sustainable design and construction  Policy 5.4 Retrofitting  Policy 5.4 A Electricity and gas supply  Policy 5.5 Decentralised energy networks  Policy 5.6 Decentralised energy in development proposals  Policy 5.7 Renewable energy  Policy 5.8 Innovative energy technologies  Policy 5.9 Overheating and cooling  Policy 5.10 Urban greening  Policy 5.11 Green roofs and development site environs  Policy 5.12 Flood risk management  Policy 5.13 Sustainable drainage  Policy 5.14 Water quality and wastewater infrastructure  Policy 5.15 Water use and supplies  Policy 5.16 Waste net self-sufficiency  Policy 5.17 Waste capacity  Policy 5.18 Construction, excavation and demolition waste  Policy 5.19 Hazardous waste  Policy 6.1 Strategic approach  Policy 6.3 Assessing effects of development on transport capacity  Policy 6.4 Enhancing London’s transport connectivity  Policy 6.7 Better streets and surface transport  Policy 6.8 Coaches  Policy 6.9 Cycling  Policy 6.10 Walking  Policy 6.12 Road network capacity  Policy 6.13 Parking  Policy 7.1 Lifetime neighbourhoods  Policy 7.2 An inclusive environment  Policy 7.3 Designing out crime  Policy 7.4 Local character  Policy 7.5 Public realm  Policy 7.6 Architecture  Policy 7.7 Location and design of tall and large buildings  Policy 7.8 Heritage assets and archaeology  Policy 7.9 Heritage-led regeneration  Policy 7.10 World Heritage Sites  Policy 7.11 London View Management Framework  Policy 7.12 Implementing the London View Management Framework  Policy 7.13 Safety, security and resilience to emergency  Policy 7.14 Improving air quality  Policy 7.15 Reducing and managing noise  Policy 7.18 Protecting open space and addressing deficiency  Policy 7.19 Biodiversity and access to nature  Policy 7.20 Geological conservation  Policy 7.21 Trees and woodlands  Policy 7.29 The River Thames  Policy 8.1 Implementation  Policy 8.2 Planning obligations  Policy 8.3 Community infrastructure levy  Policy 8.4 Monitoring and review

Phew, pity the case officer. What a waste of time and what a monster the London Plan has become.  Its a site as complex as it comes in England – and yes ill hold up my hand I did write the original version (now much enhanced site site specific urban design wise wise) of the local plan policies and the key SSP the site was judged on, but those site specific matters and its location on the South Bank Cultural Area opposite Grade I listed buildings etc is well summed up in the report in two paragraphs. What cllr will read all those LP policies – none.  Its going through the motions. Which LP policies really make a difference – very few such as CPZ (sadly not analysed in report it is not about ITV returning to the site, as a central activity they are not allowed to move in favour of a none central activity use, there is no fall back housing only position in line with the development plan – wool pulled over eyes by planning agent there) that aside, the only policies in the London Plan of any bearing which add value to the local plan are affordable housing, which mainly is of merit in its SPD (the policies could be 10% of length on that front). Planners in London should rise up with their pitchforks and uniform manuals and hurl them at City Hall just around the corner from here and not let anyone from the London Plan team out until 400 pages is torn page by page from the door stopper before the EIP, or let the EIP panel tear them out for you. One last thing – surely one of the top 10 sites in London deserves something that repeats the same mistakes from the sites development in 70 and looks like it wasn’t knocked up in half an hour in sketchup.