London – Page 3

Article 4 directions in London and office to residential

An Article 4 direction does not make a conversion unacceptable. It removes the Class MA shortcut and puts the scheme in front of the borough on its merits, with a London Plan evidence base behind it.

Applying BRE 209 daylight guidance in dense London

The BRE guide's numerical targets are advisory and invite contextual application. How to derive a defensible contextual target rather than asserting one.

Protecting public houses in a London application

Losing a pub in London needs authoritative marketing evidence and a policy case. What boroughs scrutinise, and why retaining a workable pub is the safer route.

Industrial land in London: no net loss and SIL policy

No net loss applies to industrial capacity, not to the floorspace that happens to be standing. What that means for intensification, co-location and release cases in London.

Optimising site capacity under London Plan policy D3

Density is now an output of the design process in London, not an input. Here is how to build a design-led capacity study that an officer can follow and a borough will accept.

Opportunity Areas: what a London allocation changes

An Opportunity Area signals growth, not a site allocation. Here is what the designation actually changes for your application and where it carries less weight than it looks.

Inclusive design: M4(2) and M4(3) in London applications

At least 10 per cent of new London homes must meet M4(3) wheelchair user standards, with the rest at M4(2). Here is how each standard shapes the plan and what to submit.

Housing design standards under London Plan policy D6

Policy D6 adds ceiling heights, dual aspect expectations, outdoor space minimums and core limits on top of the national space standard. Here is how boroughs test each one.

Archaeological Priority Areas and when evaluation is needed

Archaeological Priority Areas tell London boroughs where buried archaeology is a material consideration. Here is what each tier implies for your application and programme.

Protected vistas and the London View Management Framework

London protects designated views with mapped geometry rather than policy wording. If your site sits in an assessment area, the framework sets your upper floors before design begins.

Which applications are referable to the Mayor of London

Referral is automatic on the facts set out in the Mayor of London Order 2008. The borough still decides, but it cannot issue a decision without going through the Mayor twice.

Mayoral CIL: bands, rates and when it becomes payable

The Mayor charges a levy on new floorspace across all of Greater London, on top of the borough charge. The banding, the six-month lawful use deduction and the commencement notice decide what you actually pay.

The sustainable drainage hierarchy in London

Each step above your chosen drainage solution has to be rejected on evidence. The London hierarchy in order, and the five things a borough officer checks.

Air Quality Neutral and Air Quality Positive explained

One is a benchmark calculation, the other a design process for large schemes. What each requires, what evidence boroughs expect and where assessments fail.

Circular Economy Statements: who needs one and what it covers

A London requirement rather than a national one. What a Circular Economy Statement covers, how it is evidenced, and how it must line up with the carbon assessment.

Whole life carbon assessments for referable schemes

What a whole life carbon assessment has to cover for a scheme referable to the Mayor, from module structure and benchmarks to the post-construction submission.

The energy hierarchy in a London energy statement

How to argue each stage of the London Plan energy hierarchy in an energy statement, including the monitoring duty that applicants most often underestimate.

Cycle parking standards for a London application

London Plan cycle parking standards are minimums by land use. How the residential calculation works, what the store dimensions have to allow for, and what boroughs add on top.

Car-free development and residential parking policy

Car-free means no general residential parking plus a section 106 clause barring occupiers from parking permits. How PTAL drives the standard and what can still be argued.

Play space provision and the 10 square metre standard

The London Plan sets a minimum of 10 m² of playable space per child for schemes of ten or more homes. The child yield calculation, the age band distances and what boroughs count.

Agent of change: protecting existing noise generators

Agent of change makes the newcomer responsible for mitigating the noise of an established use. The principle is strong on paper, and its limits show up once residents move in.

Tall buildings under policy D9: where and how assessed

Policy D9 makes location the first question and the assessment criteria the second. Boroughs define what counts as tall, identify where it is acceptable, and then test visual, functional, environmental and cumulative effects.