Subject: Monitoring Development in London Report Number: 6

Transcription

1 Subject: Monitoring Development in London Report Number: 6 Date: 24 February 2004 Report to: Report of: Planning & Spatial Development Committee Director of Secretariat 1. Recommendation 1.1 That the Committee considers and questions officers on the report from the Executive Director of Policy and Partnerships on Existing and Proposed GLA Development Monitoring Systems. 2. Background 2.1 When the Committee considered its 2003/04 work programme at its 25 November 2003 meeting it agreed to request a report from the Executive Director of Policy and Partnerships on the Existing London Development Monitoring Database (LDMS) and the proposed London Development Database (LDD) for its meeting on 24 February Issues for consideration 3.1 A report entitled Existing and Proposed GLA Development Monitoring Systems from Paul Bowdage, Principal Planning Data Manager (LDD, LDMS & TRAVL), is attached as Appendix A to this report. Paul Bowdage will attend the meeting to give a presentation and to take questions from Members. 4. Strategy implications 4.1 The Committee s consideration of these issues is of relevance to the development and implementation of the London Plan the Mayor s Spatial Development Strategy. 5. Legal implications 5.1 There are no relevant legal implications that require reporting at this stage. City Hall, The Queen s Walk, London SE1 2AA Enquiries: minicom:

2 6. Financial implications 6.1 The London Development Database is part of the GLA's approved capital programme with a total budget in the region of 390,000. The tendering process is underway and, once bids have been received, a more detailed financial appraisal of the project will be carried out. Background documents: The Existing and Proposed GLA Development Monitoring Systems is attached as Appendix A to this report Contact Officer: Richard Linton richard.linton@london.gov.uk

3 Appendix A THE EXISTING AND PROPOSED GLA DEVELOPMENT MONITORING SYSTEMS The existing system London Development Monitoring System (LDMS) The existing Development Monitoring System was developed by the London Research Centre in order to monitor key development trends in London and has been in operation since The system allows for the storage and retrieval of information on planning applications, decisions, starts and completions for major developments throughout London. In addition, minor residential permissions together with starts and completions are collected on a separate spreadsheet system. The collection of the minor residential data started in The monitoring system depends upon each of London s planning authorities providing up to date information on a voluntary basis. The mechanisms for communicating data between the boroughs and the GLA are varied and there is considerable double handling of data for the GLA and most of the boroughs. The main criticisms of the existing system are: Relies heavily on GLA providing support to individual boroughs Makes little use of modern technology Fails to ensure timely data Fails to provide crucial residential data Prohibits direct data access for boroughs, business and the citizen The Consultant s Report The GLA together with the Government Office for London commissioned Roger Tym and Partners to make recommendations on An Implementation Strategy for a scheme to Monitor London Development Progress. Their report delivered in May 2001 was based on comprehensive consultation with stakeholders. The main recommendations were: Ownership of data to rest with the boroughs Boroughs responsible for quality and accuracy of data Ability for data to be interrogate independent of GLA GLA to validate and maintain web site Electronic transfer of data between GLA and boroughs Only permissions recorded Reduction of gross floorspace threshold for commercial uses from 1000m2 to 100m2

4 All of these were accepted apart from the last which was felt to impose to great a workload on the boroughs. The new system London Development Database (LDD) It is envisaged that the LDD will be considerably more efficient and provide more substantial data than the current system. It has been designed to collect considerably more residential data than LDMS and meet the needs of monitoring the residential element of the London Plan. It will link to borough planning web pages and extract data from existing borough systems to eliminate double keying. The new system will be more current, improve many of the boroughs existing monitoring capabilities and provide a borough with the option of adding its own data fields or lowering the non-c3(non-residential) thresholds. The system will be web enabled and meet all the e- government targets. It will provide online reporting of site, borough, borough groups or pan London data by use of a simple enquiry screen. A more complex reporting tool will be available for complicated reports. The data will reside on a GLA secure server and remain the property of the London boroughs. The GLA will design and develop a London Plan monitoring web site allowing users to select a variety of planning data tables or carry out spatial analysis. Where we are now The GLA has consulted at length with the London boroughs and listened to their concerns following the release of the formal consultation paper last year. The data requirements have been trimmed to the minimum to reduce the workload on the boroughs. The Mayor s LDD - Information Scheme was sent out to boroughs last September and to date 26 boroughs have committed to the scheme. As this exceeds the minimum number of boroughs required to make it compulsory under the GLA Act, the scheme is being introduced from April this year. The GLA started the tendering process for the development of the new database late last year and has selected 5 suppliers who will submit their final tender on 20 February. The new system will be further developed only after consultation with the boroughs and other interested parties. The possible changes may be the inclusion of additional fields, reducing thresholds, new tables to the web site, adding new digital boundaries or data sets to improve spatial analysis.

5 What are the benefits LDD will have benefits for the citizen and businesses, boroughs, GLA and OPDM 1. For London citizens and businesses it will: Supply one point of direct access, via an Internet connected PC, to information regarding development across London, with links with borough web sites Provide the ability to analyse local or pan London information Give more information in respect to planning permissions granted by the boroughs 2. For London boroughs it will: Provide accurate and consistent permission monitoring information at a local or pan London level Aid in reviewing borough Unitary Development Plans and proposed Local Development Frameworks Assist with making and defending decisions on individual development proposals Provide a consistent and comprehensive dataset capable of interrogation at different spatial levels Inform bids for Regeneration and European funding Provide efficient and cost effective mechanisms when undertaking the monitoring and analysis required by national planning policy Render the GLA Housing Provision return obsolete 3. For the Greater London Authority it will: Provide a mechanism for monitoring crucial elements of the London Plan Provide accurate data for Housing Provision study Aid in compiling demographic projections Provide data for the completion of Government s proposed Annual Monitoring Report Provide residential information to the Housing & Homeless section of the Policy Support Group 4. For the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and GOL it will: Provide most of the information required for the Housing Flows Reconciliation form Establish a link with the National Land Use Database Establish a blueprint for a regional monitoring tool