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Political Change and Policy Reviews: A Commentary on the Central London Planning Scene
The old adage ‘a week in politics is a long time’ could certainly be applied to the tumultuous period we have been going through and the change in administration in Westminster City Council (WCC) seems a lifetime ago.
I’m sure you’ll all be aware by now that Labour took control of WCC in May this year after 58 years of Conservative rule. Labour’s manifesto pledged to put “the needs of residents before developers in the planning system”, deliver more affordable housing and put the climate emergency at the centre of the Council’s work.
Six months on and we are beginning to see work on the implementation of some of these pledges through the Partial Review of the City Plan alongside other announcements.
Whilst much of the new administration’s overarching goals remain similar, there is a much stronger focus on delivering affordable housing, ensuring meaningful and effective community engagement, and delivering sustainable development. We have seen this through the changes which the City Council are proposing to the adopted City Plan, which include lowering the threshold for sites to be required to provide affordable housing and introducing a new planning policy prioritising retrofit and refurbishment of existing buildings where appropriate. Particularly on the retrofit policy it will be interesting to see how this develops in the context of the ongoing call-in inquiry into the Marks & Spencer site on Oxford Street.
Next year, we expect to see consultation on the revised Planning Obligations and Affordable Housing SPD, which should provide more clarity on the City Council’s approach to the delivery of affordable housing within the Borough. Committees have remained fairly stable since the new administration came in, but we are seeing Councillors take a much keener interest in ensuring that good community engagement has been carried out before applications are taken to Committee.
Whilst the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) remained under Conservative control in the local elections, there have also been significant changes in the Borough which will affect planning and development.
The Council is now in the advanced stages of preparing its revised Local Plan, with a consultation currently underway on the ‘Publication’ policies which ends on 22nd December. The revised Plan brings forward a number of policy changes including those on energy and sustainability and housing policies including a restriction on residential amalgamations.
Of particular note, earlier this year, RBKC was identified as a failing authority on housing delivery and therefore the focus on housing within the Borough is very acute. We are seeing this focus on delivering housing and optimising sites come through from both planning officers and Councillors. In a Borough such as RBKC, where design and conservation is so intrinsic, it will be important to present proposals which properly consider and assess all competing interests, including preserving and enhancing the historic environment and delivering much-needed housing, whilst bearing in mind deliverability and viability matters.
Both Boroughs have also this year had their ‘Article 4’ Directions amended by the Government’s Secretary of State. The Directions seek to restrict permitted development rights for converting commercial properties to residential without the need for planning permission (albeit exemptions apply and a process of prior approval still needs to be sought). Whilst large swathes of both Boroughs are covered by the Directions which exempt this right, some areas do benefit from this permitted development right.
In practical terms, we continue to see resourcing issues in both local authorities, with a consequential impact on determination periods. Having Planning Authorities adequately resourced should be a focus for the Government to help ensure good and timely decisions and the delivery of economic benefits across the Boroughs.
Written by Graham Oliver, Gerald Eve
Graham is a Chartered Town Planner and a Partner in Gerald Eve’s Planning & Development Team with extensive experience across residential and commercial development. In the residential sector he has advised on numerous prime and super-prime residences and Large Country Estates, obtaining planning permission and listed building consent for the regeneration and restoration of a range of listed buildings and supporting infrastructure.
