Set out below are three ways for London to make better use of its land¹⁵. The options are not mutually exclusive; indeed in parts they overlap and a new Mayor must devise a strategy to undertake action on all three fronts.

A) Town centres

Town centre is a general term applied to areas that are the focal points of a community, accessible by public transport and a key location for a range of activities including retail and leisure, as well as providing space for social infrastructure, offices and housing. The London Plan defines a network of town centres in the capital of varying sizes from an international centre at the top to a district centre at the bottom¹⁶.

There is great scope to make better use of land in town centres, particularly given the evolving nature of local demands. Changes in consumer expenditure and behaviour, driven in part by the impact of the internet and multi-channel shopping, as well as by the growth of large shopping centres, pose a number of challenges to many town centres, especially the mid-sized centres¹⁷. In some instances there is surplus retail space and/or the space needs to be reconfigured. Well-designed housing, complimented by leisure and community facilities, can breathe fresh life into many of these centres.

This is particularly the case where these town centres are also transport hubs. Figure 10 shows some of the key transport schemes that will help to shape London’s future growth.

^{Source: Savills research (indicative routes, not all stations are labelled)}

B) Suburban London

Much of suburban London is characterised by the uniformity of the archetypal semi-detached house on its own plot. However there is, as mentioned earlier, overlap between London’s suburbs and London’s town centres with many of the struggling mid-sized centres located in the suburbs. And the suburbs also contain surplus public land and council estates (see C below) which can present large scale opportunities for regeneration. There is therefore scope to intensify development on land in the outer boroughs without affecting their character.

For example, building low-to-medium rise blocks of flats around stations could offer more and better homes without fundamentally changing the character of a suburban area. Development of this nature would help sustain new shops and cafes, creating a more vibrant neighbourhood. Likewise, adding additional levels to blocks of flats offers a good way to make better use of existing stock in a manner that causes minimal disruption to the local community. Figure 11 is an excellent example of this type of development in an outer borough in the heart of a suburb. It is hard to distinguish that the top floor of the block was not part of the original development and was only recently added. Small, incremental changes such as this, or increasing the extent to which a building can developed by allowing homeowners to build extensions, convert loft space and even add an extra storey to their house, could all provide a welcome supply of additional living space.

^{Source: London First}

London’s suburbs blend into London’s Green Belt. The Green Belt’s important role is to prevent urban sprawl and parts provide important environmental or civic benefits – from areas of outstanding natural beauty to village greens. However, as London First’s report on London’s Green Belt shows, some parts have no civic or environmental value. Indeed much of London’s Green Belt is already well-connected by public transport (or will be through future transport improvements) and some of this land is currently either scrub land or derelict sites. Greater thought should be given to how some of the land in London’s Green Belt could better serve London’s needs by supporting sustainable, high-quality, well-designed residential development that incorporates accessible green space for local people¹⁸.

C) Public land and estate regeneration

Public land

There is tremendous scope to bring forward substantial numbers of new homes in London by regenerating and making better use of public land. Identifying and co-ordinating the delivery of sites owned by different bodies will bring big opportunities for new homes. The launch of the London Land Commission (LLC) to co-ordinate efforts between the GLA, central government and boroughs to free up surplus public land in London is a welcome step forward.

Work is already underway to create the ‘Domesday Book’ database of all brownfield public land in the capital, which London First called for in 2014. The position of the GLA as a major landowner as well as the Mayoral powers to facilitate land assembly, set strategic planning and housing policy, determine strategic planning applications and distributing money to support affordable housing will be key to delivering more homes. Once the spread of sites across London is mapped out, the GLA will be able to identify the best opportunities, particularly where sites belonging to more than one public body adjoin.

The LLC will build on the process of public land disposal that the GLA has already begun. The GLA’s asset database includes land belonging to Transport for London, the London Legacy Development Corporation, the London Fire Brigade and the Metropolitan Police Service. Assets not held by the GLA include central government holdings, NHS Trust land and local authority land.

While much of the disposal process is focused on underused or disused sites, the process of reallocating operations or intensifying use on sites should not be dismissed. Active public assets can also provide opportunities for development. Building over and around transport nodes is one example where more homes can be delivered through a better use of land.

Estate regeneration

The case for the renewal and intensification of housing estates is clear. Many housing estates are in a poor, sometimes very poor, condition and in need of renewal. Some of these estates are well-designed and well-built, but many were poorly designed and constructed in the first place, are expensive to maintain, and often through their design, fail to integrate with the wider city. For example, many post war estates are comprised of individual blocks and towers surrounded by a large amount of unused land which cuts the estate off from the surrounding neighbourhood.

It has been estimated that there are around 3,500 council estates across the capital. The majority of these estates are in inner London where, on average, councils own 25-30 per cent of land in their borough. This includes a large number of individual housing estates. Islington council alone owns about 150 council estates of 50 homes or more. Southwark council owns 43 per cent of the land in its borough, mostly on housing estates¹⁹. Over the past decade only around 50 former council estates across London have been granted planning permission for substantial regeneration including demolition and rebuilding of some homes²⁰. So while some boroughs are already taking steps to manage their assets more actively and build more and better homes others could follow suit. This process must be about improving the quality of life for existing-residents as well as delivering more and better homes to make better use of land. For example, the number of homes on housing estate land could be increased if new streets that link into surrounding areas are incorporated into the design and a variety of types of home with different sizes including terraced housing and mid-rise blocks, as well as taller buildings, are used.

This approach would enhance London’s urban form, increase space available for commercial and community use and integrate the estate with the surrounding neighbourhood, fostering a wider social mix. It is also likely to have an impact on the wider regeneration of a neighbourhood, triggering further development in surrounding areas. The challenge for London is to manage this regeneration process well. This means: putting existing communities at the heart of the process; ensuring that fair compensation is put in place where required; keeping disruption to minimum necessary levels and managing it sensitively; ensuring there is access to public and private space; and, most importantly, ensuring that the end product is a better place to live in.

 15. The Mayor’s Outer London Commission is currently looking at similar scenarios and more to consider how London can accommodate its growing population. See http://www.london.gov.uk/olc/ for more information.
16. See Chapter 2, London’s Places in the London Plan 2015
<sup>17. The Outer London Commission Third Report, Greater London Authority: July 2014..
18. See The Green Belt: A Place for Londoners? London First, Quod, SERC: February 2015. <.
19. City villages: More homes, better communities, IPPR, Andrew Adonis 2015
20. London Assembly: Knock it down or do it up? The Challenge of Estate Regeneration, Greater London Authority 2015</sup>