Policy GG1 — Building strong and inclusive communities

GG1 Building strong and inclusive communities Good growth is inclusive growth. To build on the city’s tradition of openness, diversity and equality, and help deliver strong and inclusive communities, those involved in planning and development must: A encourage early and inclusive engagement with stakeholders, including local communities, in the development of proposals, policies and area-based strategies B seek to ensure changes to the physical environment to achieve an overall positive contribution to London C provide access to good quality community spaces, services, amenities and infrastructure that accommodate, encourage and strengthen communities, increasing active participation and social integration, and addressing social isolation D seek to ensure that London continues to generate a wide range of economic and other opportunities, and that everyone is able to benefit from these to ensure that London is a fairer, more inclusive and more equal city E ensure that streets and public spaces are consistently planned for people to move around and spend time in comfort and safety, creating places where everyone is welcome, which foster a sense of belonging, which encourage community buy-in, and where communities can develop and thrive F promote the crucial role town centres have in the social, civic, cultural and economic lives of Londoners, and plan for places that provide important opportunities for building relationships during the daytime, evening and night time G ensure that new buildings and the spaces they create are designed to reinforce or enhance the identity, legibility, permeability, and inclusivity of neighbourhoods, and are resilient and adaptable to changing community requirements H support and promote the creation of a London where all Londoners, including children and young people, older people, disabled people, and people with young children, as well as people with other protected characteristics, can move around with ease and enjoy the opportunities the city provides, creating a welcoming environment that everyone can use confidently, independently, and with choice and dignity, avoiding separation or segregation I support and promote the creation of an inclusive London where all Londoners, regardless of their age, disability, gender, gender identity, marital status, religion, race, sexual orientation, social class, or whether they are pregnant or have children, can share in its prosperity, culture and community, minimising the barriers, challenges and inequalities they face. Making the best use of land Making the best use of land 1.2.1 London’s population is set to grow from 8.9 million today to around 10.8 million by 2041. As it does so, employment is expected to increase on average by 49,000 jobs each year, reaching 6.9 million over the same period. This rapid growth will bring many opportunities, but it will also lead to increasing and competing pressures on the use of space. To accommodate growth while protecting the Green Belt, and for this growth to happen in a way that improves the lives of existing and new Londoners, this Plan proposes more efficient uses of the city’s land. 1.2.2 The key to achieving this will be taking a rounded approach to the way neighbourhoods operate, making them work not only more space-efficiently but also better for the people who use them. This will mean creating places of higher density in appropriate locations to get more out of limited land, encouraging a mix of land uses, and co-locating different uses to provide communities with a wider range of services and amenities. 1.2.3 The benefits of this approach are wide-ranging, going well beyond the simple ability to provide more homes and jobs. High-density, mixed-use places support the clustering effect of businesses known as ‘agglomeration’, maximising job opportunities. They provide a critical mass of people to support the investment required to build the schools, health services, public transport and other infrastructure that neighbourhoods need to work. They are places where local amenities are within walking and cycling distance, and public transport options are available for longer trips, supporting good health, allowing strong communities to develop, and boosting the success of local businesses. 1.2.4 Making the best use of land means directing growth towards the most accessible and well-connected places, making the most efficient use of the existing and future public transport, walking and cycling networks. Integrating land use and transport in this way is essential not only to achieving the Mayor’s target for 80 per cent of all journeys to be made by walking, cycling and public transport, but also to creating vibrant and active places and ensuring a compact and well-functioning city. 1.2.5 All options for using the city’s land more effectively will need to be explored as London’s growth continues, including the redevelopment of brownfield sites and the intensification of existing places, including in outer London. New and enhanced transport links will play an important role in allowing this to happen, unlocking homes and jobs growth in new areas and ensuring that new developments are not planned around car use. 1.2.6 As London develops, the Mayor’s Good Growth by Design programme – which seeks to promote and deliver a better, more inclusive form of growth on behalf of all Londoners – will ensure that homes and other developments are of high quality. Existing green space designations will remain strong to protect the environment, and improvements to green infrastructure, biodiversity and other environmental factors, delivering more than 50 per cent green cover across London, will be important to help London become a National Park City. 1.2.7 London’s distinctive character and heritage is why many people want to come to the city. London’s heritage holds local and strategic significance for the city and for Londoners, and will be conserved and enhanced. 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