London Borough of Westminster Planning Policy Update
Westminster’s development plan includes the Westminster’s City Plan adopted on 9th November 2016 and policies of the Unitary Development Plan saved on 24th January 2010 by the Secretary of State. Although is currently being reviewed, the Council asks for full weight at Westminster’s City Plan when determining planning applications. The Council advises that very limited weight should be given to the emerging policies at an early stage of the plan-making process. Regarding the UDP, the saved policies should not be regarded as out-of-date and due weight should continue to be given to them until their replacement after the adoption of the new City Plan.
Although the latest Local Development Scheme (2017) anticipated consultation of the new draft plan in September 2017, it has been necessary to review the timeline in response to the national and regional policy changes such as the NPPF and the Draft London Plan. Therefore, consultation on the draft City Plan 2019 – 2040 started on Monday 12 November 2018 and will close on Friday 21 December 2018.
In addition, trying to prevent the continuous loss of office floorspace, the council made and Article 4 Direction to remove permitted development rights for changes of use from B1(a) to C3 (dwelling houses) in Westminster’s Central Activities Zone. Consultation on this Article 4 Direction run from 20 February until 6 April 2018 and it is proposed to come into force on 1 May 2019.
London Borough of Wandsworth Planning Policy Update
The Wandsworth Local Plan consists of a series of documents with Core Strategy, adopted in March 2016, being the most important, setting the spatial vision for the borough. The Development Management Policies Document (DMPD) and Site Specific Allocations Document (SSAD), both adopted in March 2016 support the Core Strategy objectives.
Wandsworth having reviewed the policies in the Local Plan that relate to employment land, submitted all the documentation to the Secretary of state in October 2017 for examination. The council would take the Local Plan, incorporating the modifications made by the Inspector, to Strategic Planning and Transportation Overview Scrutiny Committee on 14 November 2018, to seek approval for full adoption on 5 December. The Council will also start the preparation of a new Local Plan this summer which expected to be published in winter 2019, submitted in autumn 2020 and adopted in autumn 2021.
London Borough of Sutton Planning Policy Update
On 26th February 2018 the London Borough Of Sutton adopted the Local Plan as a development plan document (DPD) replacing the Core Strategy (2009) and the Site Development Policies DPD (2012). The new Sutton Local Plan set out planning strategy and policies for the borough’s development until 2031.
The Council publishes also Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) periodically to provide further guidance for the Local Plan policies. As most of the SPDs are dated before 2008, with Planning Obligations 2014 being the exception, the Council will produce new SPDs that will replace the existing ones. The Urban Design Guide SPD which will replace the Design of Residential Extensions SPD and the current Urban Design Guide SPD amongst other documents, started being prepared this summer and it expected to be adopted in January 2020.
London Borough of Merton Planning Policy Update
While the Estates Local Plan was adopted in February 2018, Merton is now preparing the new Local Plan 2020 to replace the existing which was adopted in 2011. The first stage of consultation took place between October 2017 and January 2018 while for the second stage the residents can comment on the draft Local Plan until 6 January 2019. The Local Plan 2020 is expected to be adopted in 2020.
Merton provides Supplementary Planning Documents (SPD) to provide further guidance on Local Plan policies with most of them being dated prior to 2007. The most recent Merton’s SPDs are Basement and subterranean planning guidance and Shop front planning guidance, both adopted in 2017.
Royal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames Planning Policy Update
Since 2012 there has been substantial changes to the current Development Plan for the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames with Core Strategy 2012 being the main development plan document of it. The Core Strategy 2012 will be replaced by the new Kingston Local Plan 2019-2041 which the LPA has already started drafting. The Local Development Scheme will be updated in due course to reflect the latest position on the Local Plan.
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Planning Policy Update
The existing Local Plan, setting out spatial strategy for future development in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, was adopted in July 2015. The current Consolidated Plan (2015) combines alterations since the Core Strategy adoption in December 2010 and remaining Unitary Development Plan (UDP) extant policies saved in September 2007.
Since 2015, the Council has been undertaking a Partial Review of the existing Local Plan. On 5th May 2017 the Council submitted the Local Plan Partial Review to the Secretary of State for examination. Following the examination hearings, the consultation of the Local Plan Partial Review Main Modifications took place between July and September 2018 and while the adoption was expected in late autumn 2018, there is still no update regarding the new Local Plan’s status by the council.
However, according to the Council, minimal weight should be currently given to the emerging Local Plan Partial Review policies when determining planning applications.
London Borough of Islington Council Policy Update
The London Borough of Islington has an adopted Local Plan made up for several documents including Core Strategy (2011) and Development Management Policies (2013). Following the government’s requirements, Islington is currently preparing an up to date Local Plan setting out the development approach for the borough over the next 10 to 15 years.
From 20 November 2018 to 14 January 2019, the council is consulting on a Regulation 18 draft of the new Local Plan. There is no recent announcement regarding the adoption date of the new Local Plan but it will include a review of the Core Strategy, Development Management Policies, Site Allocations and Finsbury Local Plan documents.
A number of Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs), adding further detail to the Local Plan policies, has been adopted while other documents such as Planning Obligations (Section 106) are under consultation analysis, waiting adoption.
London Borough of Hounslow Planning Policy Update
The current Hounslow Local Plan was adopted on 15 September 2015 by the Council and forms part of the planning framework of the borough.
A new Local Plan is being prepared by the Council for which the first consultation has already taken place. Following two more consultations, the submission of the draft Local Plan to the Secretary of State is expected in summer 2019 and its adoption early 2020.
The Council has also adopted a number of Supplementary Planning Documents, such as Residential Extension Guidelines SPD 2017, to provide further guidance on Local Plan policies.
London Borough of Hillingdon Planning Policy Update
The Development Plan for Hillingdonforms the statutory basis for planning decisions. It consists of Hillingdon’s Local Plan: Part 1 – Strategic Policies (previously known as the Core Strategy) that was adopted on 8th November 2012 and its review is to be commenced in Spring 2019 with expected adoption date early 2022.
Saved Unitary Development Plan (UDP), Policies adopted in 2007, consist also part of the Development Plan until their deletion on adoption of Local Plan Part 2. The Local Plan Part 2, including Development Management Policies and Site Allocations and Designations, was submitted to the Secretary of State on 18th May 2018 to begin the examination in public phase which will last until early 2019. Its adoption is expected between April and June 2019.
London Borough of Camden Council Planning Policy Update
After the adoption of the Camden Local Plan in 2017, the council adopted new Supplementary Planning Documents (SPD) on 26March 2018. These documents combined with the Local Plan Policies must be considered as ‘material considerations’ in planning decisions. The adopted SPDs include CPG Interim Housing, CPG 2 Housing, CPG Advertisements, CPG Amenity, CPG Basements, CPG Employment and business premises, CPG Public Open Space and CPG Town centres amongst others.
The second phase of the review of Camden Planning Guidance which is currently in progress includes the consultation of the following documents until 9 January 2019: CPG Altering and extending your home, CPG Design, CPG Developers contributions, CPG Interim Housing and CPG Transport amongst others.
The following documents continue to apply until they are updated in Phase 2 of the review: CPG1 Design (July 2015 updated March 2018), CPG3 Sustainability (July 2015 updated March 2018), CPG6 Amenity (September 2011 updated March 2018), CPG7 Transport (September 2011) and CPG8 Planning Obligations (July 2015 updated March 2018).
London Borough of Brent Planning Policy Update
London Borough of Brent is preparing the new Local Plan and Supporting Planning Documents (SPDs). The ‘Shaping Brent’s Future Together, Local Plan Issues and Options, published in February 2018 announced almost one-year delays on the adoption of the new plan. From 8 November 2018 to 3 January 2019 the council is consulting on the new draft of the Local Plan, the Preferred Options Local Plan. Its adoption is expected by the end of 2020.
As part of the Local Plan Review the existing Supplementary Planning Guidance documents (SPGs) are being replaced by the new Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs). Residential Extensions & Alterations SPD 2 was adopted in January 2018 while for shopfront applications, the applicants have now to consider the new Shopfronts SPD 3 adopted in June 2018. Brent Design Guide SPD 1 is the most recent SPD, adopted on 12 November 2018 and replacing the Design Guide for New Development SPG 17.
Barnet London Borough Council Planning Policy Update
The current Local Plan includes a suite of Development Plan Documents (DPDs), Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) and design guidance notes.
Core Strategy and Development Management Policies were adopted by the Council on 11 September 2012 as part of the Development Plan replacing the policies in the Unitary Development Plan (2006), with the exception of 13 saved policies (Chapter 12 of the UDP) for Brent Cross and Cricklewood.
A new version of the Council’s Local Development Scheme (LDS) 2018 was approved by the Policy and Resources Committee on 11 June 2018 setting out the scope and timetable for the production of the new Local Plan and proving the key dates from initial preparation to adoption. According to the LDS 2018 the new local plan will be submitted to the Secretary of State in winter 2019 and subject to the outcome of the examination it is expected to be adopted in winter 2020.
Other Boroughs
There has been no policy updates for the London Boroughs of Ealing, Harrow and Hammersmith since June 2018.