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‘Floating’ bus stops opposed
London TravelWatch is the official consumer body for transport users, so when it speaks people in positions of power and authority should listen.
It has issued a striking statement about the re-engineering of roads and pavements to create so-called floating bus stops, designed to facilitate the movement of cyclists.
However, London TravelWatch has concluded “in trying to improve safety for one set of users, these initiatives have increased risk (and, importantly, the perception of risk) for another set of users with fewer transport choices”.
Grey to Green depaving
Forming a group of people with the same goal can be the first step in the successful planning of a depaving project. The group can oversee the project and take part in planting events and longer term maintenance.
There is plenty of useful information to help people on their way in the Mayor of London’s ‘Grey to Green Guide‘ for community projects.
Also, small unused areas can be turned into wildlife flower beds, as done by Abundance London with their gardening and guerilla projects.
London River Health Map
The map here is presented by the GLA City Intelligence Unit on the state of London’s rivers.
It follows the launch of the Mayor’s Clean Rivers and Waterways Plan in July 2026, as in our update of 5th August.
The map will help you understand the health of your local river.
Development of this map is ongoing, so please send any feedback to the GLA Environment team.
Misconnected sewers is one of the causes of river pollution and activity on that since 2025 is described here.
Heritage Lottery consultation
The Heritage Alliance submitted its response to the DCMS’ Lottery Good Causes consultation, which you can view on their website.
Their comments included “The heritage sector faces an ongoing funding and maintenance crisis. A report has identified a £7 billion repair and maintenance backlog in public and third-sector heritage. A third of organisations reported they cannot adequately look after the heritage in their care.” and ” The National Lottery’s contribution rests on the principle that it does not substitute direct government funding.”
2026 Annual General Meeting – Report & Videos
London Forum held its 2026 AGM with two guest speakers, and members representing twenty-nine societies on 28th October.
Chair, Michael Jubb, welcomed the audience, made opening comments, and introduced the speakers: Patron, Prof. Tony Travers, and President, Ben Derbyshire.
Each compelling talk was followed by a Question & Answer session. We’ve updated the AGM event page with a record containing photos, YouTube recordings of the talks, links to the speakers’ presentations and Q&A sessions, plus summary transcripts so that you can listen again, or review them if you didn’t manage to attend. Briefer summaries and the links are included below.
AGM [more…]
Boosting housing delivery
A new report is urging the government to impose a three-year freeze on new regulations to increase viability and stimulate the housing market.
A Plan to Make Homes More Affordable in Every Postcode was published by the Prosper UK Housing Commission, a group of industry experts chaired by former conservative housing minister Gavin Barwell.
It claims that half the £76,000 rise in the cost of building a new home since 2020 comes from regulation, policy and tax.
Status of London’s Local Plans
The GLA has published a map and information about the status of each Local Plan.
Mathew Pennycook MP told Council Leaders any local plan document being prepared in the legacy system which has concluded its final Regulation 19 consultation period by 31 December 2026 will be given a three-month extension. For these plans, the deadline for submission will now be 31 March 2027.
If you think the description for your Local Plan is incorrect, please let London Forum know
Below is a the live GLA data, extracted by PowerBI from their data store (please wait for it to load).
London Forum response to the draft London Plan
London Forum has submitted a response to the draft London Plan in which we are critical of the wording of many of the proposed policies and have suggested over sixty amendments and made other suggestions for improvement.
Our conclusion is that the plan is not sound.
London Forum issued an Insights article on 20th October with an easy-to-use linked summary of its responses. Member societies are particularly asked to take note of ‘Why the draft Plan falls short’, and raise the suggested questions and concerns locally.
Guidance for councils : Opening up access to planning information
London Forum has published 
Guidance for Councils on access to planning application information.
From 31st October 2026, the National Scheme of Delegation will send even fewer applications to committee, and the Forum fears decision-making will become less transparent. Drawing on best practice already in use by some councils, the guidance covers pre-application advice, clearer notices, full publication of comments and objections, access to case officers, more detailed officers’ reports, committee procedures, appeal notifications and timely publication of Section 106 agreements.
We encourage member societies to [more…]
Rainwater management and SuDS
The Rainwater Management Platform (RMP) will transform The Sustainable Urban Drainage SuDS Manual (C753) into a free to access online resource in Summer 2027.
Susdrain has published a blog on what it is and what it isn’t.
![Sewage in the Thames {Photo: Chiswick Calendar]](https://i0.wp.com/www.londonforum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Sewage-in-the-river-Thames.jpg?fit=756%2C505&ssl=1)
Rebuilding trust in the water sector
The Independent Water Commission published its report with 88 recommendations on restoring public and investor confidence in the water sector in England and Wales.
There is a 67 page summary of their report.
The key areas for reform include:
- Establishing a cross-sector strategy for water covering the water industry, agriculture, land-use, energy, transport, and housing development
- Modernising the legislative framework
- Establishing a new regulatory framework (including the abolition of Ofwat)
- Changing the way water demands are managed
- Strengthening the governance of companies, including the introduction of a new regime for senior accountability and changes to company licence conditions
- Improving the management of the [more…]
Planning in London, Issue 139, Oct-Dec 2026
Issue 139 of Planning in London (Oct-Dec 2026), the journal of the London Planning and Development Forum, has been published.
Contents
- The draft London Plan — 558,000 homes, Green Belt, densities, tall buildings
- The new NPPF — pro-development presumptions, station-led growth & viability
- Less say for councillors and communities? — the new scheme of delegation & front-loaded appeals
- Housing at a low ebb — record-low approvals, the Mayor’s City Hall Developer, and ideas for getting London building, including contributions by Dame Kate Barker (Spatial strategy) & Nicholas Boys Smith (Create Streets).
- London Planning & Development Forum — Michael Edwards remembered; [more…]