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Towards a new London Plan: Inclusive growth for all

‘A fairer, greener and more prosperous London for everyone’ are the final words on the Greater London Authority’s (GLA) webpage for the initial consultation of the new London Plan. Parting words but perhaps those that most neatly capture the intentions of the GLA in the next step for planning for London. Below we explore what inclusive growth may look like in the new London Plan, and how this can move from processes and reporting as part of an application to something more meaningful for the local community.

'Fairer, greener and more prosperous’ mirrors the three pillars of sustainable development of the NPPF (social, environmental and economic) and sets up the GLA’s intentions around building on previous good growth^[1] for a capital city for all.

This is entwined throughout the consultation document. A sub-section on ‘inclusive growth’, covering access to employment and affordable workspace, is included within the ‘Growing London’s economy’ chapter (Chapter 3) and there is a separate section on the importance of ‘healthy communities’ to supporting ‘London’s resilience’ (within chapter 5: London’s infrastructure, climate change and resilience). ‘Designing for everyone’ is included within the chapter on ‘London’s capacity for growth and design quality’ (chapter 4).

What might this look like in the new plan?

Perhaps we can expect to see these threads take a subtle centre stage around the bricks and mortar, and land, principles of the London Plan more widely and in support of the housing and economy objectives which ‘are critical priorities for this next London Plan’. The current London Plan 2021 began to give weight to a wider consideration of benefits, beyond provision of homes for its residents  and the generation of economic benefits in the form of employment and so on, for its economies and communities. Health Impact Assessments were introduced, and we have seen successful take up of these in the main.

We might expect to see a continuation of such holistic-focused impact reports aligned with equity, resilience, environment, economy and community. Take ‘Designing for everyone’ (chapter 4) and the potential for larger planning applications to ‘demonstrate how they have been meaningfully informed by a range of lived experience’, through various panels and engagement for example. See our recent work on Made for Me^[2] for more detail on how this could work in practice.

Equalities Impact Assessments (EqIA) may become more prevalent and meaningful. These insight-led, community focused assessments consider the potential impacts of policies and proposals on communities with protected characteristics, aligned with the Equality Act 2010. While traditionally the reserve of public sector officers to assess proposed policies or developments, we have seen a recent roll out of EqIAs as validation requirements, particularly in central London boroughs. The real value of EqIAs is that they can help shape and improve development proposals, making them more sustainable, inclusive and appropriate for the local community. These work best where the process commences early, builds on both on the ground engagement insights and baseline audits, and enables modifications to be implemented to the best benefit of both the proposals and the community.

There is also the potential for developers to pay greater attention to how a proposed development can proactively contribute wider community benefits alongside economic growth. Salford City Council, for example, has recently introduced a validation requirement for all planning applications to include a Social Value Strategy. Could this be next for developers in the capital? There is reference within the consultation document to larger scale developments and the planning process playing a role in supporting inclusive growth by opening-up employment opportunities to Londoners, with the potential for a London-wide brokerage arrangement. With the rise in Employment and Skills Plans being required to support submission, and the sometimes (often!) difficulty in being able to meaningfully commit before contractors are on board, this could be a positive step for the capital and those seeking to invest in its growth.

Creating a more meaningful legacy

The consultation document hints at several mechanisms the GLA and developers could deploy to create a more meaningful legacy from development, beyond the bricks and mortar itself. While these may end up culminating in the need for additional validation reports, the real value will be in engaging with the community early on, seeking to understand local issues and opportunities to address particular needs, and working to proactively integrate proposals with the needs of the local area.

Please get in touch with Amy Gilham for more information on inclusive growth or to  discuss how best to consider, assess, articulate or improve upon the benefits and impacts of your scheme.

For more information on Equality Impact Assessments please contact Ada Brahimi or Sophie Clare.

For stakeholder and community engagement information please get in touch with James Simondson. 

15 May 2025

[1] London Plan 2021 has 6 good growth objectives
[2] The 'Made for Me' proposal was created in collaboration with Edge Urban Design, Matter Space Soul, You See Media and Mend.