Planning - policy
Planning policies seek to balance social, environmental and economic considerations to ensure that new development does not harm the public interest.
They also provide an opportunity to plan for the future by setting out how we will manage change over the next 15 years. We have to plan for where new homes will be built, how local town centres can be regenerated, ways in which climate change can be reduced and how to protect and enhance Lambeth's heritage.
Section 38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 requires planning decisions to be made in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. The development plan in Lambeth is the London Plan (July 2011), the Lambeth Core Strategy (adopted 19 January 2011) and the remaining saved, non-superseded policies in the Lambeth Unitary Development Plan (UDP) 2007: Policies saved beyond 5 August 2010. Material considerations include national planning policy statements and planning policy guidance.
The Lambeth Local Development Framework Core Strategy (adopted January 2011) partially supersedes the Lambeth Unitary Development Plan. Annex 10 of the Core Strategy sets out which UDP policies are still in use.
Anyone proposing to submit a planning application is advised to refer to the Core Strategy and the UDP Saved Policies, as this will be the basis on which planning applications will be determined.
We prepare area specific SPDs which provide more detailed guidance to give certainty to developers about our and the community's expectations, and set out any local contraints.
We prepare development briefs from time to time to provide guidance about the development of specific sites. These briefs set out our ambitions in relation to matters of land use, urban design, amenity, transport and other issues.
The LDF is a new system for the preparation of development plans, brought into effect by the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 in September 2004. An LDF is a folder of documents designed to guide the spatial development of the borough over the next 15 years.
We seek to promote the economic, social and environmental well-being of Lambeth and its people. We are committed to the concept of sustainable development. We have a number of exemplar sustainable buildings and a set of policies in place which help to guide sustainability in Lambeth.
The London Plan is the Mayor of London's Spatial Development Strategy for the whole of the Greater London area. It sets out the overall strategic considerations for planning across London. Local authorities must make sure that their plans are generally conform with the Mayor's policies.
The Unitary Development Plan was adopted in 2007 and a number of the policies have been saved for a further three years from 5 August 2010. Some of the saved policies have since been superseded by the adopted LDF Core Strategy.
The UDP is now referred to as the Unitary Development Plan 2007: Policies saved beyond 5 August 2010 and not superseded by the Core Strategy 2011.
Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) provide detailed guidance to the policies in Lambeth's UDP and site specific guidance for the development of sites.
Planning Guidance Notes
Planning Guidance Notes are not statutory documents. They are intended to support applicants, agents and developers to improve practices, advice and guidance on different aspects of policies.
Annual Monitoring Report
The Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) outlines the council's progress in achieving the programme set out in the Local Development Framework (LDF), and on the effectiveness of the council's planning policies in achieving set performance criteria.
Planning Policy team
The Planning Policy team is responsible for preparing the policies which guide development and land use in Lambeth. As part of the council’s assessment of planning applications, the team also provides advice to our Planning Division and the public about interpretation of planning policy.
For further information on Lambeth planning policy please contact the Planning Policy team: email planningpolicy@lambeth.gov.uk or telephone 020 7926 1212 or 020 7926 1251.