The new London Plan published in March 2021 provides the policy framework shaping how London evolves over the next 20 years. HUDU contributed to the drafting of the new policies, responded to the public consultations made representations to, and appeared at the hearings of the examination in public to ensure that health and wellbeing was given sufficient priority in the plan. This included strengthening the draft policy ‘Creating a Healthy City, seeking health and wellbeing reflected as a consistent strand throughout the plan, and enabling boroughs, the NHS and partners to ensure that health infrastructure needed to support housing growth is delivered in time for the new population’s arrival.
The six draft Good Growth policies in the final plan are now core ‘good growth objectives’. While all the objectives play a role in supporting health and wellbeing GG3 ‘Creating a healthy city’ is of primary importance. A PDF version of the plan is available here and an accessible online version will be available soon.
GG3 requires health, and the wider determinants of health to be considered and prioritised in all planning decisions and therefore while not specifically referenced in each policy it forms a ‘golden thread’ through the plan which is read as a whole.
Chapter 5 ‘Social Infrastructure’ includes both Policy S1 Developing’s London social infrastructure and Policy S2 Health and Social Infrastructure which are of particular relevance to ensuring adequate social and community infrastructure. Policy S1A requires development plans to be informed by ‘a needs assessment of social infrastructure’. Policy S2 relates specifically to the provision of health and social care infrastructure, and sets out clear requirements around needs assessments, identification of sites and provision to meet growth within development plans, and for development proposals that they support the provision of high-quality new and enhanced facilities to meet and that these should be accessible by public transport, cycling and walking.
Chapter 10 ‘Transport’ includes Policy T2 Healthy Streets which is an evidence based approach to improve health and reduce health inequalities with ten indicators.
Chapter 11 ‘Funding the London Plan’ paragraph 11.1.37 states “ Boroughs should use the London Healthy Urban Development Unit’s Planning Contribution s Model (HUDU Model) to calculate the capital cost of the additional health facilities required to meet the increased demand.” Details of the HUDU Model can be found here.