In speaking to Amendment 12, I will also speak to Amendments 25, 27, 37, 41 and 46. This group of amendments follows Clause 26.
I begin by noting that this group is the first of three new uncontroversial groups of amendments that were introduced by the Government during the Commons stages. The details of these amendments were not available during the time this House considered the Bill last year. I hope, however, that your Lordships will understand that it was important for the Government to seize the opportunity to include them in the Bill as soon as they were ready.
In relation to this group, there is an urgent need to ensure that the planning system continues to support development, including for housing. As a further contribution to this, the Government have introduced these amendments to recognise the opportunity to plan proactively for housing and growth in London. The clause will give the Mayor of London the power
to make mayoral development orders that grant planning permission for development on specific sites in Greater London.
The process of making a mayoral development order would be initiated by the relevant local planning authorities: that is, any London boroughs or mayoral development corporation in whose area any part of a site is located. The relevant authority would apply to the mayor asking him to make a mayoral development order. Thereafter, those authorities would have to agree before the draft order is published for consultation and again agree the final order before it is brought into force.
The Government have worked with the Greater London Authority and London Councils, the body that promotes the interests of London’s 32 boroughs and the City of London, and listened to their suggestions. As a result of this collaboration, the proposed power provides a positive tool to support the delivery of development in London. Your Lordships will be acutely aware that there is very significant unmet housing need in London. Census data projects that London’s population will increase by 2 million between 2011 and 2036. The mayor has identified a need for between 49,000 and 62,000 new homes per annum between 2015 and 2026. Further alterations to the London plan have identified a capacity of 42,000 new homes per annum.
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This represents very significant challenges for the mayor in helping to deliver the housing needed in London. Mayoral development orders have the potential to help accelerate the delivery of housing and other development, including the infrastructure that is needed to support new housing. The fact that mayoral development orders can be tailored through planning conditions will allow the mayor and the relevant local planning authorities to impose specific requirements on any development so that it meets local needs.
In terms of other aspects of their design and scope, mayoral development orders have been closely modelled on local development orders that allow local planning authorities to grant planning permission for development. Local development orders have been successful in the Government’s enterprise zone programme by simplifying and speeding up the planning process and increasing developer confidence. A new power to make mayoral development orders will build on the success of local development orders by enabling the mayor to support London boroughs that want to plan proactively for development but do not have the capacity to do so. The power will be particularly helpful in relation to complex sites that cross local authority boundaries.
In conclusion, mayoral development orders are a positive planning tool that will allow London local planning authorities and the mayor to collaborate effectively on planning to deliver housing and growth. I therefore ask your Lordships to agree to this new clause, which provides powers that will help to deliver the jobs and homes that London badly needs. I beg to move.