Emerging policies and consultations

Read the council’s response to consultations by the government and the Mayor of London on national and regional planning policy.

Consultation on the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill: Implementation of Plan Making Reforms 

The government consulted upon proposed changes to national planning policy and proposed revision to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to implement the parts of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill which relate to plan making. The stated intention of these changes is to make plans simpler, faster to prepare and more accessible. View the government's consultation webpage.

Key aspects of the proposal are:

• A proposed timeframe of 30 months (two and half years) to prepare and adopt a plan.
• The introduction of new mandatory ‘Gateway Assessments’ for plan making to be provided in three parts, being one at the very beginning of the 30 month process, one part-way through plan preparation and one at the end of the plan-preparation process.
• Changes to the Examination process for plans, which include mechanisms for speeding up the process, as well as a mechanism for the inspector to implement a pause for a timebound period.
• An increase in the amount of engagement that takes place during plan-making and the opportunities for communities to influence their plan, achieved via greater emphasis on the the role of digital, planning and monitoring the engagement approach, a focus on early participation and a more standardised approach to consultation.
• Provision for the creation of new supplementary plans which are intended to be produced separate from the local plan preparation process, including for matters such as introducing new site-specific policies including in relation to design, infrastructure or affordable housing.

The consultation ran from 25 July 2023 to 18 October 2023. See our response below:

Consultation on proposed updates to the General Permitted Development Order

The government consulted upon proposed changes to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, as amended. The government's consultation webpage can be viewed here. 

The changes cover a range of areas, with the council's response focusing on those areas most relevant to Westminster. These are as follows: 

• changes to certain permitted development rights that allow for the change of use to dwellinghouses.
• changes to certain permitted development rights that allow for non-domestic extensions and the erection of new industrial and warehouse buildings.
• changes to the permitted development right that allows for the temporary use of land to allow markets to operate for more days.
• the application of local design codes to certain permitted development rights.

The consultation ran from 24 July 2023 to 25 September 2023. See the council's response below:

Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill: reforms to national planning policy (December 2022)

The government consulted on a ‘Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill: reforms to national planning policy’ document. The consultation document set out proposals on:

• the approach to updating the National Planning Policy Framework
• the approach to preparing National Development Management Policies
• how policy might be developed to support levelling up
• how users currently access national planning policy

The consultation closed on 2 March 2023 – download our response:

Westminster City Council response to Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill: reforms to national planning policy.

Supporting housing delivery and public service infrastructure (March 2021)

The government recently consulted on a ‘Supporting housing delivery and public service infrastructure’ document. The consultation document set out proposals on:

• a new permitted development right for a change of use to residential to create new homes;
• measures to provide public service infrastructure more quickly through expanded permitted development rights and a new streamlined planning application process for hospitals, schools and prisons; and
• the approach to simplifying and consolidating existing permitted development rights following the Use Classes Order changes.

The consultation closed on 31 March 2021 - download our response:

National Planning Policy Framework and National Model Design Code (March 2021)

The government recently consulted on a ‘National Planning Policy Framework and National Model Design Code: consultation proposals’ series of documents. The consultation document set out proposals on:

• draft revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework; and
• draft National Model Design Code.

 The consultation closed on 27 March 2021 - see our response:

Planning for the Future White Paper (October 2020)

The government recently consulted on a White Paper setting out proposals for the most significant reform of the planning system in England in decades. Through this overhaul, the government is seeking to deliver a quicker and simpler planning system with a clearer plan for jobs and growth. It is intended to provide high-quality and sustainable homes, speed up the process and make it more transparent. The clear emphasis is on home building and simplifying and speeding up the planning process. 

The consultation closed on 29 October 2020 - download our response:

Changes to the Current Planning System (October 2020)

The government recently consulted on Changes to the Current Planning system document. The consultation set out proposals on:

• changes to the standard method for assessing local housing needs
• securing First Homes through developer contributions in the short term until the transition to a new system;
• supporting small and medium-sized builders by temporarily lifting the small sites threshold below which developers do not need to contribute to affordable housing; and
• extending the current Permission in Principle to major development.

The consultation closed on 1 October 2020 - download our response: