Towards the London plan

Report: 5
Date: 5 July 2001
By: Clerk

Summary

The Mayor is formally consulting the MPA on his initial proposals for the Spatial Development Strategy. This report presents the MPS response to this strategy and asks members for their comments.

A. Recommendation

To note and comment upon the Mayor's initial proposals on his Spatial Development Strategy and agree a response to the Mayor.

B. Supporting information

The London Plan

1. The Mayor has a statutory duty to prepare and publish a spatial development strategy. This strategy will replace the current strategic planning guidance for London issued by the Secretary of State. The London Plan, as it has been called, will set the context for local planning across the 32 London Boroughs and the City of London. Each borough will then be required to produce a local plan that conforms with the London Plan. The London Plan will sit alongside the Economic Development Strategy and Transport strategies in setting out a vision for London.

2. The Mayor is a statutory consultee for planning applications with potential strategic importance and so can both comment upon and refuse permission for such applications on strategic grounds.

3. The Mayor is required formally to consult the London Assembly and Functional Bodies prior to publishing a strategy for public comment. For this strategy however, he has set out proposals for the draft strategy in 'Towards the London Plan' and has invited the MPA as well as other organisations and individuals to comment upon these proposals. The consultation period will run until 31 July 2001. Members should have received a copy of 'Towards the London Plan' from the GLA. If not, spare copies are available from the secretariat and at this meeting.

4. A questionnaire has been circulated with the document see Appendix 1. This summarises many of the issues raised in the Plan.

The Mayor's draft proposals

5. Underpinning the proposals is the concept of 'sustainable development'. This term has many definitions but places economic growth as a key objective. The document proposes supporting population growth and other development in London.

The MPS response

6. The MPA invited the MPS to comment upon the Plan to help inform the MPA on the policing issues raised by the proposals. Its response (Appendix 2; see Supporting material) and a summary of the key points shown below. In its response, the MPS is supportive of the general direction of the strategy but:

• is concerned with the demand upon policing resources that population growth may have;
• highlights the need for a better provision of affordable housing within London for all police staff, officers and civil staff, and for such staff to be treated as key workers;
• challenges the proposal that vacant public buildings are put back to use in a way that secures maximum community benefit; the MPS warns the MPA that such a proposal could return a lower income than may be possible when selling its surplus property;
• will need to consider potential policing implications more specifically;
• wants the issue of radio aerial masts to be considered:- the Mayor opposes these and omitted reference to masts. The MPS states it needs more masts for effective aerial communication.

Issues for the MPA

7. The range of proposals set out in the document are relevant and significant to the MPA as outlined in the points made by the MPS. However, the vision for London is a matter members are likely to want to debate. A major issue within this debate is around the size and nature of growth that London should bear.

8. Members may want to consider whether a single questionnaire is completed on behalf of the MPA (see last page of the questionnaire in Appendix 1). Since the proposals often elicit a response on personal preferences, it is recommended that the organisation does not respond through the questionnaire, although members and staff of the organisation could be encouraged to complete the questionnaire on an individual basis. Instead it is proposed that a written response could be produced, flagging up issues for the Authority.

9. Any response from the Authority to the Mayor's strategies must include consideration of:

• capacity and resourcing to help deliver the strategic vision and proposals;
• potential impacts upon law enforcement, crime and community safety arising from the strategy.

Capacity and resourcing

10. The Mayor's proposals promote population and housing development growth. Policing capacity is currently under-strength. Members are referred to Part 4 of the Plan which looks at issues of resources and asked to consider whether this sufficiently addresses any increase in policing demand that could arise from greater population density and other growth.

Impacts

11. The potential negative impacts of growth e.g. more crime, are not highlighted, nor quantified in the Plan. Members are asked to consider whether further information is needed on potential impacts, good and bad, but especially on crime levels. Also, whether more emphasis should be placed in the proposals on specifying the need to design out problems arising from growth e.g. traffic, parking, waste, crime, inequalities, public service demand. Crime levels need not rise with growth if crime is designed out of new developments.

Options

12. It is proposed that the MPS comments are forwarded to the Mayor. In addition to this, members are asked to consider the following options as possible responses:

• support the growth approach underpinning the proposals;
• ask the Mayor to undertake research in and include crime level analysis in any further draft;
• seek a different approach to growth;
• not to comment.

13. The issue of radio masts has been considered by the Finance Planning and Best Value Committee. This is a significant matter for the Authority and is one it would need to turn to.

C. Financial implications

None specific to this report.

D. Background papers

• Towards a London Plan, May 2001

E. Contact details

The author of this report is Jude Sequeira, MPA.

For information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

Appendix 1: Towards the London Plan (Consultation Questionnaire) is available from the MPA

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