Policy 8.1 implementation
Policy
Strategic
A The Mayor will work collaboratively to deliver a positive approach to enabling new development in London, optimising land use and promoting/enabling locations for strategic development. In particular the Mayor will work with boroughs, developers and infrastructure providers and other key stakeholders in the public, private, voluntary and community sectors across London and in neighbouring areas of the south-east of England to ensure the effective development and implementation of the Community Infrastructure Levy.
B The Mayor will consider promoting the establishment of further Mayoral Development Corporations (MDCs) and Enterprise Zones (EZs) as well as further Tax Increment Finance (TIF) initiatives where they would assist significantly with realising substantial development potential. He will also work with Government to develop Housing Zones (HZs) to deliver the full housing potential of Opportunity Areas.
C The Mayor will work with boroughs, infrastructure providers, national government, regulators and others involved in infrastructure planning, funding and implementation to ensure the effective development and delivery of the infrastructure needed to support the sustainable management of growth in London and maintain its status as a world city in accordance with the vision and objectives set in Policy 1.1.
Supporting text
8.1 This chapter of the plan sets out the Mayor’s approach to implementing the London Plan to ensure delivery of his vision, objectives and detailed policies. It is based on two fundamental approaches:
Collaboration across London
8.2 The Mayor recognises the complexities of delivering new development in London, with a wide range of organisational, infrastructure and other issues that have to be considered. The most effective way of achieving delivery is to work together in a collaborative manner towards agreed goals. The Mayor is committed to engagement with all groups and individuals concerned with planning for London, including:
- Government from national to local level
- other public bodies/agencies
- private businesses and trade/representative bodies
- voluntary and community sector groups.
8.3 The Mayor agrees that the planning system can play a major role in decentralising power, strengthening communities and neighbourhoods and promoting London’s sustainable development. He sees this Plan as playing a vital part in this, providing an essential resource for localism, providing an evidence base and a framework for more local decisions to be made in ways that help ensure the needs of the city as a whole are addressed. To support this, he will:
- ensure a co-ordinated approach to policy-making and delivery on the ground across the GLA Group of organisations
- provide information and expert advice needed across London to support policy-making (including at the local level), implementation and monitoring outcomes and specialist services supporting planning in London, like the London Development Database
- support partnerships to enable delivery at the local and neighbourhood levels
- provide a strong voice for effective planning in the capital.
8.4 The Mayor will work with boroughs, other agencies with planning responsibilities, enterprises and their organisations and other stakeholders to ensure that planning decisions are taken as close as to the communities and interests they affect, and in as inclusive a way, as is appropriate having regard to the planning system and the nature of the decision concerned. He recognises that community and voluntary groups, local business organisations and other interest groups have particular contributions to make to planning decisions, plans and strategies to shape neighbourhoods (see Policy 7.1 and paragraph 7.6) and will support their involvement. He will also consider what guidance and support it would be appropriate for him to offer to aid neighbourhood planning.
8.5 In the same way, the Mayor supports approaches to planning, regeneration and development that harness the knowledge, commitment and enthusiasm of local communities, enterprises and other groups. In particular, he will encourage use of tools such community land trusts, which enable communities to shape their own neighbourhoods through the management and development of land and other assets (including those transferred from public sector organisations). He recognises the importance of development trusts, other community organisations and local business partnerships and bodies in helping to shape and develop neighbourhoods, sometimes in ways that the public sector cannot.
8.6 Planning for London is also affected by constant and rapid change. This can include change to legislation, guidance and procedures, economic, social or technological change. Change is inevitable and (generally) desirable. Again, good collaborative working will help to ensure that Londoners and relevant organisations are kept informed about changes and how they may affect the delivery of new development and the improvement of every Londoner’s quality of life.
8.6A The Mayor will work with partners including boroughs and communities to realise the potential of large development areas. Where appropriate, this may include promoting Mayoral Development Corporations (MDCs), Enterprise Zones (EZs), Tax Increment Finance (TIF) initiatives, or Housing Zones (HZs).
- MDCs can be established by the Mayor[1] and are designed to drive regeneration in designated areas by providing a range of coordinated planning and, if necessary, land use related powers. The Mayor designated London’s first MDC, the London Legacy Development Corporation, in 2012.
- EZs are designated by Government[2] working with Local Enterprise Partnerships and other partners to provide incentives for business to invest including business rate discounts and, to support regeneration, local retention of growth in business rates for 25 years. London’s Local Enterprise Partnership drives the activities of the capital’s first EZ, the Royal Docks, which was designated in 2011.
- TIFs are innovative funding mechanisms[3] deploying projected future tax gains in an area to finance regeneration, especially infrastructure investment. Within the Vauxhall Nine Elms Battersea Opportunity Area a TIF will fund the Northern Line Extension.
- HZs represent a new initiative proposed through the Mayor’s draft Housing Strategy 2013. Measures in a HZ could include targeted tax incentives and effective land assembly to unlock development and optimise delivery[4]. The Mayor will work with Government on developing implementation options for these Zones, and with boroughs on potential locations.
Infrastructure
8.6B Infrastructure is essential to support the delivery of the vision and objectives of this Plan. Its quality and capacity has to be assessed against forecast demand. A wide and complex range of stakeholders is involved in infrastructure planning, funding and implementation. The regulatory frameworks applied by the different regulators to determine infrastructure funding can have a significant impact on development. The promotion of London’s infrastructure planning and delivery is an important theme of the Mayor’s 2020 Vision. He considers that there is scope for improvement and intends to take a leading role in working collaboratively with the public, private and third sector in London as well as with partners beyond its geographical boundaries (see also Policy 2.2) to realise such improvements. The Mayor has also launched his ‘Smart London’ initiative[5] to promote and realise the potential of new technologies, which will over time provide opportunities to make London’s infrastructure more efficient and mitigate the adverse impacts of demand growth. Based on a recommendation by the London Finance Commission, a long-term Infrastructure and Investment Plan for London is being prepared, which will set out London’s infrastructure needs and explore costs and funding opportunities.
8.6C Table 8.1 lists strategic infrastructure requirements as addressed in the London Plan Implementation Plan (see also paragraph 8.20) and is promoted in particular through these policies of the London Plan.
8.7 The early part of the period covered by this Plan at least is likely to see significant constraints on public expenditure, with fewer resources available for infrastructure and other provision needed to support the growth identified in this Plan. Working with boroughs, business and other stakeholders, the Mayor will continue to lobby Government to ensure London receives the level of public funding that allows for investment in key infrastructure (such as Crossrail and the Underground) and other priorities (such as housing, education and skills), addressing London’s particular needs and circumstances and enabling the capital to continue to make its contribution to the nation’s prosperity. The Mayor will also work with others to seek greater financial independence for London, exploring ways of streamlining the way central government grants are distributed and the scope for innovative funding techniques such as tax increment funding/ accelerated development zones (allowing future tax income in an area to support local infrastructure and regeneration). He will examine the scope to make better use of existing resources and tools such as planning obligations and the Community Infrastructure Levy (see Policies 8.2 and 8.3) and support the development and implementation of innovative forms of funding and partnership across the public, private and community/voluntary sectors to seek to lever more resources to support London priorities, and to ensure maximum cost effectiveness in their delivery.
[1] For further details see: Localism Act 2011 (c. 20), Part 8, Chapter 2
[2] For further details see: /programmes-strategies/business-and-economy/science-and-technology/smart-london
[3] For definition of TIFs see Glossary
[4] For further details see: /programmes-strategies/business-and-economy/science-and-technology/smart-london
[5] For details please see /programmes-strategies/business-and-economy/science-and-technology/smart-london
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