Ken Livingstone has said he plans to revise the London Plan to strengthen support for smaller businesses, to prevent new development on back gardens in London’s suburbs and to discourage the demolition of houses to make way for blocks of flats.
According to the Mayor’s office new policies would be proposed for larger commercial developments to ensure that they offer affordable premises for those businesses that otherwise could not afford to trade successfully in many parts of London.
There would also be a presumption against development in back gardens to limit the amount of permissions councils give to developers that result in the loss of green space in the capital.
Mr Livingstone said he wanted “to see an end to development in back gardens and demolishing attractive houses to make way for soulless flats. This is essential to preserving the character of London’s neighbourhoods, especially in the suburbs. Back gardens are a particularly precious resource for Londoners, and once lost are pretty much impossible to get back.”
“It’s time to look at amending the planning system to protect small shops and businesses when new development takes place. Existing traders should have the assurance that as far as possible new development will find a place for them and for the services they provide which are often highly valued by local communities as well as providing local employment.”
