Member

Spatial development strategies, when done correctly, could offer the opportunity to ensure greater consistency and co-ordination over a wider area, particularly when it comes to infrastructure. However, they need to be built on local and community knowledge and should not be just top down. I refer to some of the evidence of the London Plan, which is not auspicious: far from being a high-level document, it is a 526-page tome containing more than 100 separate policies, often in conflict with local policies, and has added complexity to the planning process, resulting in delay and additional cost. Given the declining housebuilding in London, it can be considered in many ways to be failing.