LDN Weekly – Issue 159 – 3 February 2021
WE HAVE A PLAN
As we close the door firmly on January 2021, it does seem that the new month brings with it a greater sense of progress and momentum. We have a Plan at least, a London Plan that is, as well as falling Covid-19 case numbers and an fast-increasing proportion of vaccinated people.
No images? Click here WE HAVE A PLANAs we close the door firmly on January 2021, it does seem that the new month brings with it a greater sense of progress and momentum. We have a Plan at least, a London Plan that is, as well as falling Covid-19 case numbers and an fast-increasing proportion of vaccinated people. Meanwhile, as various organisations mull the state of London's economy and the prospects for recovery – a smattering of reports linked to below – LCA is very pleased to be playing its part. We have always insisted on paying a fair and living wage to all our employees and contracted staff and now it is official. As a growing business we value our talented staff and want each and every one to be able to enjoy a full life in London.
LCA Chairman Robert Gordon Clark ALL HAIL THE NEW LONDON PLANIt’s only taken five or so years, multiple drafts, a public consultation, formal Examination in Public and much wrangling between City Hall and the Government. But in the event, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick has finally signalled that he has ‘no further matters to raise’ in response to the last, Publication draft of the London Plan, sent to him by the Mayor in December. Meaning that, as per City Hall’s website, the new London Plan can be formally adopted within ‘a few weeks.’ But is the battle over Greater London’s Spatial Development Strategy really over? Jenrick’s letter and Sadiq Khan’s relevant press release both suggest that this is less a peace treaty and more a temporary truce. Khan sniped at the Government for delaying the Plan’s approval and for forcing through changes he disagrees with, while Jenrick snapped that Khan has ‘a very long way to go to meet London’s full housing need, something [his] plan clearly and starkly fails to achieve.’ Ominously, Jenrick also said that he ‘fully expect[s]’ Khan to not only ‘start working to dramatically increase the capital’s housing delivery’ but also to ‘start considering how your next London Plan can bridge the significant gap between the housing it seeks to deliver and the actual acute housing need London faces’ (which incidentally signals an implicit assumption by the Tory politician that Khan will win re-election in May). Neither of the two addressed the roller-skating, tutu-wearing, cymbal-bashing elephant in the room: will the Government’s planning reforms, as and when revealed in full, render the London Plan obsolete within barely a year of its adoption? LONDON PLANNING LATESTThere’s an awful lot of planning news we could be covering this week, but here are three big-ticket items.
LONDON HIGH STREET BLUES...It’s news to nobody that the capital’s high streets and town centres are under pressure. But the fightback has begun! Recent weeks have seen London’s government and business associations publish reams of evidence detailing how the delicate ‘ecosystem’ of London’s commercial districts is under threat. On Monday, the Mayor publicised the interim findings of a research project examining, in great detail, the challenges posed to London’s Central Activities Zone (CAZ) by Covid-19, Brexit and other factors. Separately, it has been revealed that at least one-fifth of Oxford Street’s shops alone are at risk of permanent closure. Meanwhile, London Councils and the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry have published ‘London 1000’ report, offering a valuable sounding of the challenges faced by businesses across the city. A separate poll by London First and JLL also points to a ‘profound shift in future working habits’ that could influence London way beyond lockdown. London’s political and business leaders seem united in arguing that, for the capital to play its part in national recovery, its businesses will, unsurprisingly, need more Government support to weather the storm. But they aren’t just going around asking for handouts! The above reports also reinforce London’s underlying strengths, its remarkable resilience and the emergence of innovative approaches to tackling recovery. ...BUT HIGH TIMES FOR WAREHOUSES?Even as much of London’s retail space lies fallow, the humble warehouse is enjoying a bit of a boom. The steady growth of online shopping’s market share, the imperative to reduce the environmental impact of deliveries and of course the effects of lockdown have led to a scramble for storage and other logistics space in and around the capital. There are increasing reports of normally low-profile logistics schemes cropping up in the press. Up in North London, Segro has just secured planning permission from Haringey Council to build a 190,000 sq ft ‘net zero logistics and industrial scheme.’ Meanwhile out West, a joint venture between Oxenwood Real Estate and AIMCo, have snapped up a site in Acton, Ealing, with the aim of redeveloping it for a new 100,000 sq ft logistics facility - while Canadian outfit Oxford Properties has made its first direct logistics investment in Europe alongside Logistics Capital Partners with a site next door to Heathrow (which LCA is pleased to be acting on). Valor Real Estate Partners have also recently completed no less than five logistics site acquisitions totalling almost 200,000 sq ft across London. It’s not just sites in Outer London: Segro is also reportedly ‘on the hunt’ for a site in the Square Mile, for a ‘subterranean logistics hub.’ Casting our eye slightly further back, several London projects also featured prominently in The Sunday Times’ 17 January edition, which ran an extensive piece on ‘the rise of the shed masters.’ (SOME) GOOD NUMBERS, FOR A CHANGE!Official statistical releases tend to be the bearer of bad news these days, but we’ve recently noticed some figures that – while not overwhelmingly good – do give us hope for London. For example, while the city continues to lag behind other regions in rolling out vaccinations, we were encouraged to read that more than 950,000 doses of the jab have been administered in London to date, roughly corresponding to about a tenth of the capital’s population. We are also hopeful that these numbers will be boosted by the launch of a major cross-party push by politicians including the Conservative Vaccine Deployment Minister and Labour Mayor of London, specifically to encourage uptake of the vaccine by people from ethnic minority backgrounds – who account for more than 40% of London’s population and have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Another figure we found encouraging is the 1,713 new police officers the Metropolitan Police has succeeded in recruiting since last April, as part of a nationwide effort to bolster security services whittled down by years of austerity. It is, nevertheless, disappointing that – as highlighted by the Liberal Democrat Mayoral candidate’s campaign – only about 10% of these recruits appear to be from BAME backgrounds. PEOPLE NEWS
PLANNING FOR PRETTY?At the weekend, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick announced a series of proposals aimed at ensuring that new developments are ‘beautiful and well-designed.’ The announcement more specifically forms part of the Government’s response to the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission’s recommendations. Even more specifically, the Government has launched consultations on proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and on a National Model Design Code. While Planning Resource has a handy roundup of all the proposed changes to the NPPF, the overarching takeaway is that the Government remains set on promoting an agenda according to which ‘development that is not well designed should be refused’. The draft National Design Code now out for consultation is intended precisely as the basis upon which local authorities should decide what constitutes ‘well designed’ in their area, which is to say draw up their own local design codes. The Government also unveiled plans to create a new Office for Place to help councils and communities implement these ambitions locally. FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAILWith just over three months to go, the rumour mill is currently churning out signs that the 6 May elections will be going ahead, but who knows? Some commentators have particularly highlighted a letter by Conservative Party Chairman Amanda Milling to party officers and councillors this week, suggesting that the elections will go ahead as planned (as well as clarifying the rules around campaigning). But with the Government still keeping the date of the elections ‘under review,’ LDN readers are advised to prepare for every eventuality (cue the Institute for Government’s handy explainer of what a further delay to the elections might mean in practice). While the continued lockdown means campaigning for the London Mayoral election remains semi-frozen, Green candidate Sian Berry has warmed things up a bit with some new policy pledges, notably a plan to ‘deprioritise’ the policing of cannabis, which she argues would permit the police to focus on more serious crimes. Meanwhile, an icy wind seems to have swept through the Conservative camp. As reported by City A.M. and other media, CCHQ has allegedly redirected funding away from Shaun Bailey’s campaign, in an effort to focus available resources on campaigns more likely to be successful. With Bailey ‘levelled down’ by his own party, it’s no surprise that the incumbent Mayor and Labour candidate seems quite chuffed about his chances in his latest interview with the Evening Standard. DEVOLUTION LATESTLocal and regional elections come and go, but if the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that the devolution process is in need of a jumpstart. While, as confirmed last year, the Government’s promised white paper on devolution has been delayed, it’s encouraging to see at least some movement on this front, from the bottom up and the other way 'round. On the one hand, we were pleased to see the Mayor of London joining mayors of other cities (of all parties), businesses and campaigners, to co-sign a letter calling on the Prime Minister to impose stricter air pollution targets. The letter’s backers are calling on the Government to enshrine World Health Organisation (WHO) emissions reduction targets in law – and it’s great to see local government leaders banding together to make their voice heard on the national and international stage. It’s also a positive sign that the Government has pushed forward with the creation of a new Mayoral Combined Authority for West Yorkshire. The election for a new Mayor of West Yorkshire will (or should) also take place on 6 May 2021.
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