Future Stratford

The Mayor of London

The Mayor's role is to develop London-wide strategies, in partnership with service providers and other interested parties for major public services in the capital. The Mayor's responsibilities embrace the police, transport, fire and emergency planning, regeneration, planning, sustainability and environmental issues, cultural affairs, health concerns, as well as the general promotion of London to the wider world.

The Mayor sets out plans and policies for London covering transport, buildings and land use, economic development and regeneration, culture, and a range of environmental issues including biodiversity, ambient noise, waste disposal and air quality.

The Mayor has taken over responsibility for strategic planning in London from the Secretary of State.

The main responsibilities of the Mayor are to:

• produce a Spatial Development Strategy (known as the London Plan) for the capital: this is a planning strategy, which will cover the type of buildings and land use that the Mayor wants to see developed in the capital. This strategy will replace the current strategic planning guidance (RPG3) issued by the Secretary of State
• ensure that, as they are revised, London boroughs' unitary development plans (UDPs) conform generally with The London Plan
• be consulted on planning applications of strategic importance, with the power to refuse planning permission on strategic grounds
• monitor and collect information on the implementation of The London Plan
• represent London's planning interests in the wider Southeast.

The London Plan is a wide-ranging strategic plan for London's development that puts planning issues into context with other areas of responsibility for the Mayor, including economic development, social development and the environment. It must also take into account European, national and regional planning policies.

It will set the guidelines for how London should grow and change and it is crucial to the integrated development of the capital. An interim document was produced, titled 'Towards The London Plan' and published in May 2001, to set out the direction and priorities of the plan. Research has been done into the potential supply of affordable housing and how to speed up the delivery of such housing, on population growth in the capital.

'Towards the London Plan' identified the following challenges in London:

• a growing population
• economic pressures, including the need to support local as well as global businesses
• the need to increase the supply of housing
• developing a transport infrastructure to support the growing economy
• the need to protect and improve the natural environment, including the parks and waterways
• the need to promote a high quality of life for Londoners.

The Mayor has consulted on the draft London Plan, published in June 2002. The proposals in the draft will be debated in public in front of an independent chair and panel, who will report back to the Mayor. This is due to start in early 2003. The Mayor must take the report into account before publishing the final version of the London Plan.

Planning

The boroughs continue to be responsible for dealing with all planning applications in their area. However, the Mayor must be consulted on planning applications that are considered of potential strategic importance. He can comment on and support these applications or, if he considers it necessary on strategic planning grounds, he can direct the borough to refuse planning permission. The Mayor is not able to direct approval of applications.

There are currently around 400 cases a year, covering

• large scale developments
• major infrastructure projects
• developments which may affect strategic policies
• developments which may affect views of London or wharves on the Thames
• developments which are a departure from the borough's Unitary Development Plan (UDP).

If the Mayor issues a direction to refuse an application, he must set out his reasons for the decision and the borough will inform the applicant of these reasons. Applicants have the right to appeal against refusals to the Secretary of State.

Click here to visit the Mayor of London's web site.

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