On 16 July 2026, the Mayor of London published his Draft London Plan. Anyone can have their say on the plans, including residents, businesses, community groups, boroughs, public bodies and other organisations.
You can respond to the whole draft plan or only the sections that matter most to you.
Consultation closes at 5pm on Thursday, 15 October 2026.
The London Plan is the strategic development plan for London. It sets planning
policies directly for developers to follow in their planning applications, and makes
requirements for borough’s local plans which must be in general conformity with the London Plan.
The London Plan also has to follow the government’s National Planning Policy
Framework (NPPF), and should not simply duplicate or go further than national
planning policies.
As well as the public consultation, the London Plan process includes an examination in public, led by a planning Inspector, and approval by the Secretary of State. The Plan also has to be formally considered by the Assembly, which can reject (but not amend) the Plan with a two-thirds majority.
The plan includes building more homes, sites for Traveller and Gypsy communities, and data centres
The Mayor is opening more places to development. The draft allows selected industrial land to support housing and remains brownfield first, but it is no longer brownfield only.
We already know that Bromley is behind target for building new homes. Green belt land which is not considered to be valuable or used well, is already being re-classified as grey belt land and proposed as sites for new development.
The recent proposal to build on Hayes Farm has had a mixed reception, and plans in our area so far also include developments in Biggin Hill, St Mary Cray, as well as proposals for a data centre in Orpington.
If you have opinions on those proposals, whether positive or negative, it may be useful to read and respond to the draft plan.
You may also want to do some research and see what different organisations think, from your chosen political parties to urban planners. There’s a lot to consider, not least, how to balance the borough’s need for affordable housing for our young people with a need for green spaces.
If you’d like more information from a political perspective, remember that your councillors are also available to support you. If you’re keeping it local, contact the councillors for Hayes and Coney Hall, who are conservatives, or attend their next street surgery on October 5, 10am to 12pm, outside 38 Station Approach, Hayes, BR2 7EJ
