London Plan
The London Plan is the statutory spatial development strategy for the Greater London area in the United Kingdom that is written by the Mayor of London and published by the Greater London Authority. It is updated from time to time.
The regional planning document was first published in final form on 10 February 2004. In addition to minor alterations, it was substantially revised and republished in February 2008 and July 2011. In October 2013, minor alterations were made to the plan to comply with the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes in national policy.
The London Plan of March 2016 was published, and amended in January 2017, with a formal end-date of 2036.
In March 2021 a new London Plan was adopted by the Greater London Authority, planning for the next 20–25 years.
Mandate
The plan replaced the previous strategic planning guidance, or Regional Planning Guidance, for London issued by the Secretary of State and known as RPG3. It is a requirement of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 that the document is produced and that it deals only with matters that are of strategic importance to Greater London. The Act also requires that the London Plan includes in its scope:- the health of Londoners,
- equality of opportunity,
- contribution to sustainable development in the United Kingdom.
Objectives
The original 2004 objectives were:
The objectives were updated in 2008 following the Greater London Authority Act 2007:
The objectives as adopted by the 2011 and 2016 revisions are to ensure that London is:
The objectives as adopted of the 2021 London plan, are to ensure that London is:
Policies
The 2021 plan had chapters:| Chapter | Title | Summary |
| 1 | Planning London’s Future - Good Growth | Focuses on building inclusive communities, making efficient use of land, fostering a healthy city, providing necessary homes, growing the economy, and increasing resilience. |
| 2 | Spatial Development Patterns | Opportunity areas, Strategic Development, Growth Locations, The Central Activities Zone, Town Centres, Sutton Link, and Local Regeneration, |
| 3 | Design | London’s Character, Sustainable Infrastructure, Site Capacity Optimisation, Inclusive Design, and various design policies including tall buildings and public realm. |
| 4 | Housing | Increase Housing Supply, Affordable Housing, Specialised Accommodations. |
| 5 | Social Infrastructure | Social Infrastructure, including healthcare and social care facilities, education, play areas, sports facilities, public toilets, and burial space. |
| 6 | Economy | Office Space, Business Space, Affordable Workspace, Industrial Locations, Sector Growth, Retail, and skills development. |
| 7 | Heritage and Culture | Heritage Conservation, World Heritage Sites, strategic views, culture and creative industries, the night-time economy, and protecting public houses. |
| 8 | Green Infrastructure and Natural Environment | Green infrastructure, the Green Belt, open spaces, urban greening, biodiversity, trees, food growing, and geodiversity. |
| 9 | Sustainable Infrastructure | Air Quality, Minimising Emissions, energy infrastructure, heat risk management, water infrastructure, digital connectivity, waste management, and waterways protection. |
| 10 | Transport | Sutton Link, Strategic Transport, Healthy Streets and Active Travel, Transport Infrastructure, Sustainable Transport Funding |
| 11 | Funding the London Plan | Plan Implementation, Financial Obligations, Investment Coordination, Resource Allocation |
| 12 | Monitoring | Performance Tracking, Policy Impact Assessment, Adaptive Strategies, Reporting and Transparency |
| Annex 1 | Town Centre Network | Classifies London’s larger town centres into five categories: International, Metropolitan, Major and District centres, as well as CAZ retail clusters. |
| Annex 2 | Inner and Outer London Boroughs | Map of CAZ, Inner, and Outer London |
| Annex 3 | Glossary |
Opportunity areas
Opportunity Areas in the London Plan 2021 are designated for significant development, aimed at supporting new housing, commercial ventures, and infrastructure improvements. These areas are linked to existing or planned public transport enhancements and are expected to support a minimum of 5,000 new jobs or 2,500 homes, or a combination thereof. Boroughs use these figures as starting points for policy development and refine them through further assessment. Overlapping with Strategic Areas for Regeneration, Opportunity Areas are intended to support city-wide inclusive growth. The Mayor’s role includes ensuring these areas reach their full potential, advocating for investment, and overseeing development that respects the area’s character. Opportunity Area Planning Frameworks guide the initial stages of development, emphasising job creation, housing, transport, and service access, with a collaborative approach involving local communities and stakeholders.Sub-regions
For the purposes of the plan, London is divided into five sub-regions. From 2004 to 2008 the sub-regions were initially the same as the Learning and Skills Council areas established in 1999. Within this scheme there was a separate Central sub-region and four others around it. The London part of the Thames Gateway zone was entirely contained within the East London sub-region. The 2004–08 sub-regions each had a Sub-Regional Development Framework.The sub-regions were revised in February 2008 as part of the Further Alterations to the London Plan. These sub-regions each radiated from the centre to combine inner and outer London boroughs. The 2008–11 sub-regions, each had its own Sub Regional Implementation Framework.
In 2011 the sub-regions were revised again. A smaller Central sub-region was reintroduced, the South sub-region was reintroduced, and all boroughs in the Thames Gateway were returned to the East sub-region. The 2011 sub-regions are maintained in the 2016 London Plan.
Throughout these revisions has been a separately defined Central Activities Zone which includes areas with a very high concentration of metropolitan activities.
Activity centres
The London Plan identifies 201 activity centres in the city. All activity centres are categorised into:- 2 international centres, the West End and Knightsbridge.
- 14 metropolitan centres such as Sutton, Kingston, Bromley, Ealing, Stratford, and Canary Wharf
- 36 major centres such as Brixton, Dalston, Eltham and Kilburn
- 149 district centres such as Camberwell, West Hampstead and Whitechapel.