housing strategy in the Draft London plan is weak on joined-up thinking for the capital and the South-east, the influential Town & Country Planning Association said on Monday.
At the start of a seven-week public examination of London mayor Ken Livingstone's draft London plan, TCPA president Sir Peter Hall argued that accommodating future growth would require a better relationship between the mayor's office planners in the South-east.

Hall said: "The draft plan recognises that something needs to be done urgently, but London can't do this without the help of neighbouring regions."

The TCPA plans to act as a "watchdog" against squeezing too many homes into already densely developed boroughs. "If highly developed areas are expected to take more housing at the mayor's diktat, they'll see a worsening of living conditions and a downward spiral," said TCPA director Gideon Amos.

The examination in public involves an independent panel taking oral and written evidence from interested groups. The mayor must take the evidence into account in the final version of the plan, to be published at the end of this year.

A statement from the mayor's office dismissed criticism that the draft plan focused on central London, saying it forecast strong growth in homes, jobs and transport in all areas of the capital.

Source

Housing Today