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 Lambeth will manage change over the next 20 years. The council has 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.
Decisions on planning applications are usually made by considering the policies set out in the local development plan. The development plan for the borough consists of the Lambeth Unitary Development Plan and The London Plan, prepared by the Mayor of London.
To provide guidance about the development of specific sites, the council prepares development briefs from time to time. These briefs set out the council's 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.
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 council adopted the new Unitary Development Plan (UDP) on 6 August 2007. The adopted UDP sets out the planning policies which govern the way that development within the borough is shaped and (together with The London Plan) will form the development plan for the London Borough of Lambeth.
Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) provide detailed guidance to the policies in Lambeth's UDP and site specific guidance for the development of sites.
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.