Mayor of London publishes Draft Interim Housing Supplementary Planning Guidance

The mayor published Further Alterations to the London Plan (FALP) in March 2015 to increase the target number of new homes over the next 10 years. Johnson also recently proposed minor alterations to the London Plan to align the London Plan with new national technical standards (MALP).

Johnson said in his foreword that the SPG "seeks to encourage all the players in the housing market to think innovatively about how different housing models such as purpose built long term private rent and the range of intermediate housing options can meet need and accelerate delivery. We also need to ensure we have housing that meets people’s needs throughout their lives."

The SPG provides guidance on how to implement housing policies included in the London Plan, taking into account alterations made in the FALP and any transitional period following the adoption of the MALP.

The mayor's office has said that housing supply is a major concern across the capital and the SPG includes detailed guidance on how councils can achieve and exceed their housing targets, accelerate delivery and apply the Sustainable Residential Quality (SRQ) density matrix. It recommends sourcing additional land using a variety of methods; ranging from the use of brownfield land to surplus commercial or industrial land. The guidance also advises optimising all developments in the city; these include private garden developments, residential conversions, flats above shops and increasing student accommodation to ease the pressure on housing.

The SPG specifically refers to mixed use and large developments and provides guidance on "residential and mixed use development in town centres, opportunity areas, large sites and housing zones." Whilst housing and other mixed uses are normally required "on-site or nearby" when building a development, the SPG recognises the need to be flexible when applying this requirement and offers developers guidance on land use "swaps" and "credits".

The SPG also provides further guidance on housing quality, choice, affordable housing and investment and housing stock. 

This document will be published as interim guidance and will be updated as necessary once the MALP has been adopted.

Planning expert Victoria Lindsay of Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com said:

"This consultation comes at a time when housing is very much a hot topic in London following on from being one of the big issues during the election. The mayor is eager to respond to the housing need in London and this draft SPG carries forward the mayor's housing design standards for London in the context of government's new national housing standards."

"Once adopted, it will represent a comprehensive guide on the implementation of housing policies in the 2015 London Plan. Increasing overall housing supply is identified as only one part of the challenge, with a concurrent need for a wide choice of homes across different tenures, types and sizes in order to address the range of housing requirements in London and the requirement for development to be supported by necessary social infrastructure provision," said Lindsay.