London Plan Update

Following the Mayor of London’s letter to the Housing Secretary on the 21st December, Robert Jenrick has responded to the Sadiq Khan confirming that there were no further matters to raise on the Intend to Publish version of the London Plan and that the Mayor could move forward and publish the Plan.

Within the letter, Mr Jenrick confirms that, having considered the Intend to Publish version of the plan, he has no further matters to raise. However, this confirmation is immediately followed by a stark reminder to the Mayor “…I would remind you of powers afforded to me under sections 340 and 341 of the GLA Act 1999 (as amended) that allow me to direct you to review or alter your London Plan.”

Although the Minister is content for this version of the London Plan to be published, it is still abundantly clear from the letter that concerns remain on how London’s housing need is to be addressed. On housing need, Mr Jenrick states that it is “something your plan clearly and starkly fails to achieve”. Indeed, the Secretary goes on to affirm his ambition to work with London Boroughs who wish to deliver over and above the targets set out for them within the Plan and concludes that this is “something that would not have been possible without my earlier directions”.

Despite the new publication, it seems that we are already looking to the next London Plan. When setting out the “next steps”, Mr Jenrick states:

“Now that you are in a position to be able to publish your London Plan I fully expect you to start working to dramatically increase the capital’s housing delivery and to start considering how your next London Plan can bridge the significant gap between the housing it seeks to deliver and the actual acute need London faces.”

The letter dated 29th January 2021 can be found here:

https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/letter_from_sos_mhclg_london_plan_29_jan_21.pdf