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Development viability issues
Housing Community Summit, Liverpool, 9 September 2026
The Housing and Planning Minister Matthew Pennycook MP acknowledged in a speech the tough viability conditions for development, with margins squeezed by reduced interest cover and higher materials costs. He argued the government has nonetheless delivered on its earlier commitments. He cited the £39bn ten-year Social and Affordable Homes Programme SAHP (for at least 60% Social Rent), a ten-year rent settlement at CPI+1% with rent convergence, and £2.5bn of low-interest loans. He also mentioned restored Right to Buy discounts with full receipt retention, ahead of reforms in the Social Housing [more…]
More information for members
We have made available three additional links to information in our website Resources facility in the ‘Other’ section.
They are to blogs by healthcare and urban planning advocate, Clare Delmar and to Urban Design Learning for their guides on design codes, design reviews and best practice, together with videos of site visits and recommendations on green infrastructure. We also added a link to Westminster’s ‘Weather Ready Homes’ advice.
There are now several retrofit resources on the page, including more than one from Historic England, and two regularly mentioned member-curated resources: from ESSA and the Bedford Park Society.
![School [Freepik]](https://i0.wp.com/www.londonforum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/School.jpg?fit=1000%2C624&ssl=1)
School closures
London Councils, representing local authorities in the capital, produced a report ‘Finding the Balance’ on falling education class numbers and the effect on school budgets.
They call for more consistency in school closure process and powers to manage surplus school buildings.
The news site MyLondon has published a similar article.
It explains that the funding allocated for each individual school is directly tied to the number of students it has enrolled so many individual schools are facing a funding crisis.
Community funding
The Government has announced the next wave of the Common Ground Award for community organisations across England which provides up to £2.5m for projects, groups and organisations bringing people together, transforming their community and strengthening relationships in their area by creating and developing welcome local spaces.
Projects will receive cash to improve the spaces and equipment people rely on to meet, mix and feel part of their community.
Here is the link to apply for the Common Ground Award for 2026-27.
Planning Practice Guidance
MHCLG has revised and updated planning practice guidance to support the 2026 National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and to make it accessible.
The categories of guidance are listed with links here.
The NPPF sets out the government’s planning policies for England and how these are expected to be applied in planning and decision making. The most recent published version of this can be accessed at National Planning Policy Framework.
![Brent CLT Social housing [ image Bell Phillips Architects ]](https://i0.wp.com/www.londonforum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Bell-Phillips-Brent-CLT.jpg?fit=1100%2C1100&ssl=1)
More social housing
Capacity to Build is a skills and capacity funding offer by MHCLG to councils between April 2026 and March 2029, helping councils to:
- improve workforce capability to deliver social and affordable housing
- recruit and retain staff to specialist housebuilding positions
- develop and accelerate bids to the Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP)
See the comments here by London Councils on how boroughs have identified capacity for 50,00 council homes over the next ten years and how grant funding and other financial measures are needed in addition to SAHP.
West London Orbital overground
TfL is making plans for a new rail service on existing, underused rail lines in west London – this would become part of the London Overground network. The West London Orbital rail service would run between Hendon in north London towards Hounslow in southwest London.
A new station at Lionel Road will serve Brentford football stadium and relieve pressure on nearby stations.
The consultation runs until 18th November 2026, as here
Members near the stations are asked to respond and copy London Forum at planning@londonforum.org.uk.
Planning Resources Are Stretched Thin
According to research by the Home Builders Federation (HBF) nine in ten local authority planning departments in England and Wales are understaffed, delaying planning decisions and threatening the Government’s target of 1.5 million new homes.
HBF’s Planning on Empty report is based on a Freedom of Information survey of councils across England and Wales examining staffing levels, vacancies, staff turnover and the use of agency workers during the 2025/26 financial year.
What is the situation in your Council? Responses are welcome
Presentation slides: Will the London Plan deliver the housing and places London needs?
The slides from last week’s London Forum/GLA event on the draft London Plan have been added to its event page.
Information for members
Within the ‘Resources‘ page of the website, ‘External Resources‘ provides links to news on London and on the activities of the Government and the GLA. Societies and London Plan team members can subscribe to several of these for periodic updates.
A new link to the Planning Portal has been added which is well worth monitoring regularly for news on proposals of Government and changes that they have implemented. The list of topics that you can read about is here.
A new resource has also been added to our [more…]
Youth unemployment
Centre for London has published a report on London’s high youth unemployment figures. One in four young Londoners are unemployed.
The report examines apprenticeships, which London businesses are less likely to offer than elsewhere and the shrinking of the entry level job market.
Centre for London concludes that the problem is not that young Londoners lack ambition or that London’s education system is failing. It is that the transition from education into employment has become too fragile, too competitive and too dependent on informal support.
Planning agreements for medium-sized sites
The Government has launched a consultation on a set of standard planning agreements for medium-sized housing sites. The proposals are intended to help streamline the negotiation of Section 106 agreements, provide greater certainty for local planning authorities and developers, and reduce the time and resources spent negotiating standard provisions.
Details are on page 3 of the latest newsletter to local authorities by Joanna Averley, MHCLG’s Chief Planner.
The Government thinks Section 106 agreements can secure affordable housing, despite the cross-subsidy model not achieving its aims recently.