Summary of the Introduction to the Greater London Spatial Development Strategy
I. Sub-Regional Development Strategies
1.1 The Sub-Regional Strategic Framework
The development strategy at the heart of the Greater London Plan is to seek an integrated, polycentric approach to the achievement of its development objectives, and as such, it places particular emphasis on the provision of a continuous planning framework for development activity at the sub-regional level. Indeed, many of the Autonomous Communities have looked beyond the boundaries of their own administrative boundaries and have begun to collaborate with neighbouring regions in the preparation of their plans and with a number of organizations*** to promote implementation at the subregional level. Greater London Councils are also trying to build an effective mechanism for a resilient sub-regional approach as the best way to take forward strategic policies in the Greater London Plan, which will provide the focus for their implementation. The partners in the sub-regions will be the most important resource in delivering the Plan, with key investors including authorities and organizations within the sub-regions and relevant to the rest of the South East of England, including regional councils, development agencies in the South East and East of England, regional forums and neighbouring boroughs and counties.
The sub-regions identified in the plan do not have strict boundaries and the City of London has been placed within the East London sub-region, which will help to create a strong link between the City of London and its eastern region. And strengthening this link is an important part of the Thames Gateway regeneration plan; but at the same time, the City of London will maintain the close links it has traditionally formed with the Central London sub-region. The Central Activity Zoning spans both the Central London and East London sub-regions, and the City of London is a member of the duality of being involved in the development of both East London and Central London. There are a number of other important cross-regional links, amongst which those that have had a significant impact are the links between the Wandsworth and Richmond areas.
The first task for the City Council is to provide a comprehensive and strategic guide to the development of London as a whole as quickly as possible after the long vacuum of regional planning. The sub-regional development frameworks proposed in this plan will take full account of sub-regional interconnections and the potential benefits of complementary sustainable corridor-based area development across London's borders. They will provide guidance for development in each sub-region, including Opportunity Development Areas, Enhanced Development Areas and Regeneration Areas, as well as town centers, suburbs and strategic employment areas. One of the most important functions of the framework will be to determine how to ensure that the scale of population and employment growth proposed by the plan can be supported, following an assessment of the necessary linkages between land use, transport and intensity to meet the need for such growth, and the draft sub-regional development frameworks will be finalized and published for consultation as soon as possible. The very first opportunities will be given to the East London area. In keeping with the policies already set out in the Greater London Plan, the framework will provide greater depth and detail in terms of operability and phasing of implementation; and will meet any need for policy amendments at a later date, through review and adjustment of the plan, and by means of consultation as necessary.
The areas for which the Greater London Plan identifies sub-regional development strategies include Central London, North London, West London, South London, East London and the Thames Estuary Gateway area. The following is an example of the East London and Thames Estuary areas to introduce the content of the sub-regional development strategy.
1.2 East London and Thames Estuary Development Strategy
East London is the highest priority area for the Council to take forward its strategy for development, regeneration and infrastructure improvements. This area is home to many of London's large-scale development sites, as well as a large number of very deprived areas. By 2016, East London needs to plan for at least 104,000 additional homes and 249,000 jobs. New transport infrastructure and the introduction of development schemes by the land sector will impact on both development and environmental improvements in this area***, and when these impacts form a virtuous circle, development activity in this sub-region will continue beyond the planning horizon. Many of the jobs expected to grow will be located in areas of opportunistic growth close to the City of London, such as the City Fringe, Dogs Island and Stratford.At the same time, development in East London needs to be planned in a coherent and coordinated way with central London.
The Mayor, the Government and the British Olympic Committee*** are at the forefront of London's bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games, which will be concentrated in East London. The Olympics will provide a powerful booster for the regeneration of East London, particularly the Lower Lea Valley, boosting resources, facilitating the completion of planned infrastructure investment projects and leaving a valuable legacy for future generations.
Most of London's opportunity development areas are located in East London. Some of these areas are also closely linked and need to be planned together. At the same time, there are large areas of very high deprivation. Many areas in the sub-region are in need of urgent improvements in the quality of services and the environment, and require a concerted effort to raise levels of education, health services, public **** facilities and skills training. The Thames Estuary is in urgent need of environmental improvements and an enhanced urban image.
East London has the potential to develop as a gateway to continental Europe, with Stratford International Railway Station and easy links to the City of London and Stansted Airport, the Cross Harbour Tunnel and the Port of London.The Isle of Dogs and Stratford will be the biggest beneficiaries of the massive plans to increase transport capacity and accessibility, and as a result they will be able to support rapid levels of growth.
In addition to the areas mentioned above, there are many other areas of opportunistic growth such as the Lower Lea Valley, the Royal Docks, London Riverside, Barking Reach, Deptford Creek Becton and the Greenwich Peninsula. And Kidbrooke, Woolwich and Royal Arsenal will provide opportunities for more compact and concentrated development, as well as creating new jobs and attracting people.
2. Various specific development strategies proposed in this Plan
2.1 Housing Development Strategy
Providing an adequate supply of housing is the most fundamental task of the City's Housing Development Strategy, but it is only one part of the London Residential Development Strategy. At the same time, the London Housing Development Strategy will ensure that people of all types and at all levels have access to vital public **** services and local community facilities in vibrant and well-balanced communities, thereby reducing social segregation and polarization. Future residential development will need to be sited in a way that facilitates greater use of brownfield sites and energy conservation, and that ensures accessibility to employment, schools, stores and public **** transportation. The supply of new housing will also contribute to economic growth and provide a wider range of options for new homeowners, including affordable housing for social rented and intermediate grade needs.
The scale of projected growth in London's population alone means that an additional 22,000 homes will need to be supplied each year for the next 15 years. In addition, the London Housing Commission forecasts that a further 11,000 new homes will be required if the policy objective of eradicating sub-standard households over the next 10 years is to be met. The Greater London Plan sets out a policy framework for the allocation of housing capacity between the Boroughs and the implementation of development and monitoring. This policy will facilitate better use of the housing stock, as there are still a large number of vacant properties, especially in the private sector, and many houses that could be bought back for more active and efficient use. It will also facilitate new residential development and increase the choice of dwellings to adequately reflect the different aspirations arising from changing lifestyles.
An adequate supply of affordable housing is important to achieve both: to meet the housing needs of those who are unable to afford more decent and appropriate housing in their area; and, for the city as a whole, to help to improve the quality of mixed communities and to reverse the current trend of increasing segregation of neighborhoods in terms of choice of housing and access to opportunities. Trends. The current shortage of affordable housing has led to an increasing number of people being forced to live in cramped, overcrowded and poorly supplied temporary housing for long periods of time, while many others are finding it difficult to live in London because they have nowhere else to live, and are choosing either to live away from the city and travel considerable distances to work in London every day, or to leave the city altogether.
These issues are given high priority in the current plan: in the Mayor's already established Residential Development Strategy target, it is required that more than half of new housing should be affordable, and a motion is being put forward for additional housing investment to ensure that this is achieved. Furthermore, all new housing will be built to "lifetime homes" standards, ensuring that there is suitable, accessible and flexible housing available for these households to meet changing needs. Close cooperation and involvement of all parties is a necessary precondition for this: housing and planning authorities in the districts need to work together in a closer way; tenants, district authorities and developers need to be more actively involved in the process. In particular, disadvantaged groups such as the disabled and ethnic minorities have special needs not only for housing but also for community services, health care and education, which must be carefully considered and met. In order to meet the needs of a growing population, planning for community services, health care and education is as important as planning for housing.
2.2 Employment Development Strategy
The current Greater London Plan proposes that a total of ****636,000 jobs will be added across London between now and 2016. This means that the basic prerequisite for meeting the needs of different sectors and markets in London's growing economy is the provision of a large number of facilities that are rich and varied in terms of their form, scale and standard of consumption, supported by accompanying spatial development policies.
The availability of suitable office facilities is a key issue in maintaining employment dominance in the office business sector. In 2002, the total office space in London was already as high as 274 million square meters; and the plan predicts that by 2016, a further 7-9 million square meters of office space will need to be provided. However, traffic studies carried out at the same time have shown that the existing traffic capacity is unlikely to support the normal operation of these office facilities if the traffic capacity of the districts in which they are located has not been significantly increased. Therefore, in the long run, it will be particularly difficult to adjust and balance this supply and demand relationship; a multi-pronged strategy and measures are needed: mixed-use development should be actively encouraged, transportation improvements as well as the administration of development permits should be strengthened to ensure the supply of both office and residential facilities, and at the same time to promote the upgrading and restoration of the use of existing unused office space.
The plan predicts a further reduction of around 80,000 manufacturing jobs in London over the coming period. At the same time, however, there will be a large increase in jobs in wholesale services. Overall, a large and diverse range of industries will continue to be located in London between now and 2016, particularly those with high value-added design-based manufacturing that will play a vital role in the knowledge economy of the future. These employment opportunities will be in the fields of engineering, biotechnology, medical devices, and pharmaceutical separations, carried out by London's universities, medical research institutes, and the National Health Service (NHS). The planning and design of strategic employment areas is therefore particularly important, taking into account the requirements of business concentration, capacity, environment, accessibility and cost. Business parks for large companies are planned to provide high-quality environmental conditions, while industry-prioritized areas are primarily considered to meet the needs of companies that have fewer requirements for environmental quality.
A large number of new and vibrant employment areas can further strengthen London's economic base and extend the scope for growth. These include e-commerce activities, creative industries and environmental industries. Tourism will also develop as a key growth industry, following a series of initiatives to revitalize the competitiveness of London's tourism industry.
To ensure that Londoners are able to take full advantage of employment growth, it is vital that they are provided with the right and opportunity to continue to learn, to develop their skills and to overcome barriers to employment, particularly for those from ethnic minority groups, the disabled and women. The objective of the Government's employment policy will be not just to improve the balance between population and employment in London, but more importantly to advance the goal of sustainable social development.
2.3 Transport Strategy
The aim of London's Transport Strategy must be to do more than simply keep people and goods moving; it must support the capital's progress towards becoming a model sustainable world city. To achieve this goal, transportation planning and spatial development planning must be highly integrated. Enhancing the accessibility of public **** transportation, continuously improving and refining multiple modes of travel such as walking, biking, and public **** cars, and reducing the reliance on private cars are necessary to achieve sustainable development. On the one hand, adequate public **** transportation must be provided for those areas with the highest concentrations of public **** activity; on the other hand, development activities that are likely to generate significant transportation demand must also be concentrated in those areas where adequate public **** transportation capacity currently exists or is planned.
As the capital city and a cosmopolitan metropolis, London generates transportation needs that are not local, but are national and international in character. Further improvements in accessibility to airports, international stations and the Channel Tunnel are necessary to facilitate London's growth and ensure its dominant position in the world economic landscape. At the same time, however, the construction of these strategically important transportation facilities, such as new airport terminals and runways, expansion of the port, new city roads and light rail lines, will have a significant impact on the urban environment. Transportation development must therefore be considered in a holistic manner in close conjunction with the protection of the quality of London's living environment. In this Greater London Plan, there is strong support for continued coordinated growth in the size of the airport and the development of new rail lines, which will simultaneously have an important role to play in the regeneration of the Thames Gateway area.
Public **** transport has a very important role to play in London's transportation system. The Transport Development Strategy produced by the City Council sets out a plan for the development of public **** transport over the next 15 years, covering everything from rail, the Underground and light rail in the Docklands, to plans for public **** cars and electrics, as well as plans for crossing the Thames. The current Greater London Plan integrates all of these elements into a spatial development strategy. Improvements to public **** transportation will also play a very important role in reducing congestion and making better use of London's street space.
Reducing congestion in central London is not just about reducing congestion, it is about making London's street space healthier and more organized, providing better accessibility to users with a range of needs, and making walking and cycling more enjoyable and comfortable as an alternative to the private car. Major new development proposed by the Plan should reduce reliance on private automobiles by providing high quality, independent pedestrian systems and bicycle paths as well as easy access to bus stops, train stations, and public ****transit facilities. In the past, many valuable urban sites have had to be used inefficiently as parking lots due to heavy car use. Reducing the use of private cars means that these sites can be used more efficiently, enhancing the vitality and vibrancy of urban spaces. In addition, efficient distribution of logistics is important for London's economic development and needs to be organized and managed in a positive and effective way to reduce traffic congestion and avoid environmental damage.
2.4 Services Development Strategy
A sustainable and highly inclusive spatial development strategy should provide the best possible accessibility to shopping and leisure and recreational activities for the greatest number of people, including those who currently have little access to these activities. To achieve this, the Greater London Plan proposes a policy of 'structured choice', whereby retail, leisure and other services are concentrated in the most accessible locations, with a balanced mix of facilities between central London, town centers and areas such as the Thames Gateway. Placement. The vitality and adaptability of these town centers will be enhanced with the addition of a rich and diverse range of functions. Town centers with a mix of functions will be the most attractive places within the surrounding community and their commercial development activities will be more sustainable than in other areas. Because development outside of town centers will generate significant traffic flows, accessibility will be poor for many people. Within London there are a number of successfully developed town centers, and the formation of this pattern will lay the spatial foundations for a balanced polycentric development strategy.
London's status as a world city is supported by a large number of cultural organizations of international reach and importance, which are most attractive to most London tourists. And local cultural facilities such as theaters and libraries are important to both London's town centers and central London. However, in parts of the London conurbation, particularly in the east, these facilities are quite scarce. This plan proposes to develop new cultural facilities in town centers and the Thames Gateway, which are of great importance to local towns and sub-regions. These facilities will not only meet the needs of local residents, but will also create new tourist attractions outside of central London. The development of these cultural facilities will be closely linked to the regeneration plans for town centers, and in particular will need to be highly integrated with those plans to regenerate suburban centers. Maintaining the vibrancy of the capital's nightlife while minimizing its negative impacts is important for London's economic development. The Government's Tourism Strategy aims to develop London as a global destination and service base for a wide range of travelers.
London's rich and colorful public **** open space is an important influence on the formation of its urban character and open character. For local communities, public **** open space is the most valuable public **** resource and the most attractive place to be, helping to enhance the vitality of local areas, contributing to the formation of regional intentions and having a positive impact on attracting inward investment. While providing a buffer to the built environment, public **** open space also provides opportunities for recreational activities that are important to the health, well-being and quality of life of community residents. As London is likely to develop in a more compact pattern in the future, maintaining and enhancing the quality of open space will become exceptionally important. Land that serves a critically important function in maintaining biodiversity will deserve strict protection. In all new developments, development must include either new or increased natural habitats for flora and fauna, or landscaping that contributes to biodiversity, or provision of facilities for the management of the ecosystem.
2.5 Resource Utilization and Environmental Protection Strategies
Sustainable development in the City of London will require more efficient use of natural resources, increased levels of recycling, reduced waste and avoidance of environmental degradation. These objectives are made even more important by the demands of future high urban growth, which will require London to become a more self-sufficient city and a better neighbor to the surrounding area.
London produces large quantities of waste every day that is commercial, polluting and can only be dealt with internally. But less than half of this waste is now recycled out of the total, and this level needs to be improved in a big way. The waste policy set out in the Greater London Plan is threefold: to reduce waste emissions, to increase recycling and to reduce incineration and reclamation of waste. The development and reuse of brownfield sites will provide new opportunities to tackle past pollution and reduce environmental impacts.
The plan is closely aligned with the Government's Energy Development Strategy, which proposes to improve energy efficiency and resource recycling; sustainable design and construction will help to reduce energy demand and promote the local generation of electricity and heat; and the integration of heat and power with community heating schemes will improve energy efficiency; and should actively encourage the development of brownfield sites. efficiency of energy use; the use of new technologies such as photovoltaics and solar energy should be actively encouraged and incorporated into large-scale development plans wherever possible; in the face of increasingly significant environmental impacts as a result of global climate change, London should play an important role in reducing carbon dioxide emissions; and high priority should be given to urban safety, and flood defenses should be provided where necessary.
Sustainable development in London must be based on a reliable and clean water supply. However, the construction of water supply facilities is not only very expensive but also time-consuming, so it cannot simply resort to drawing more water from existing sources to sustain its rapid growth, but must place a high priority on the adoption of water conservation measures. Existing pipes need to be maintained on an ongoing basis, and new pipe laying needs to be of a higher standard to minimize water loss due to leaks. The large-scale construction and development activities that will take place in London will require an adequate supply of building materials, but the transportation of these bulky and heavy materials over long distances is not only wasteful in terms of resource utilization, but also highly polluting. Recycling of waste and construction materials will help minimize the impact of future development activities on society.
The government's strategy for air quality control and improvement is to reduce the emission of major pollutants, reduce their concentration, and control them at a level that does not adversely affect human health; through the adjustment and optimization of urban spatial layout, it is possible to reduce the amount of traffic and reduce the air pollution caused by traffic; through the improvement of design, it is possible to improve the efficiency of energy use and reduce the emission of pollution. emission of pollution. Therefore, the assessment of air quality impacts needs to be incorporated into all planning processes. As the density of urban development increases in the future, more proactive and robust measures will be required to control the adverse impacts of noise on surrounding areas.