Publication from Siân Berry: Sian Berry's response to the consultation on Public London Charter

Consultation details

This is my response to the consultation on the draft Public London Charter, published in October 2020, intended to be used as guidance alongside Policy D8 Public realm part H, and paragraph 3.8.9, in the Mayor’s new London Plan



The deadline for responses is currently 15 January 2021 . My key recommendations are as follows, but you can read my full response below.



Recommendations for changes

• The process for changing any agreed rules governing new public spaces should be strengthened to bring it into existing local authority democratic processes. The London Borough of Camden has already done this in a satisfactory way within its planning guidance on public spaces published in March 2018, and there is no reason not to require this within the Public London Charter.

• In order to ensure proper public scrutiny, detailed draft maps and management plans for new public open spaces, along with details of how the rules governing the spaces have been developed in consultation with local citizens, should be required to be submitted alongside planning applications, not left for agreement later only by planning officers.

• The initial enforcement of these new planning conditions should not be left only to boroughs, and the GLA should commit resources to supporting the drawing up of legal agreements, and to the monitoring of compliance for applications that are referrable to the Mayor, at least for the first years of this policy being in force.

• The GLA should also commit to supporting the provisions for transparency within this guidance, with summary data and a searchable database with links to applications, maps, consultations, and planning agreements on the GLA website.

• Guidance on the provision of information on site in new public spaces should be strengthened, including a requirement for clearly visible signage as well as accessible information online.

• Policies controlling the extent to which public spaces can be closed off to the general public for ticketed events should be stronger, requiring that planning agreements specify a maximum number of times this can happen each year, not just that these events should be notified to the public in advance.

• The policy should prohibit the installation and use of intrusive biometric surveillance technologies (including live facial recognition) within CCTV systems for public spaces covered by this policy.