Letter to the Mayor of London

Tuesday 04 May 2021

Lucie Murray

Head of Policy, Research & Intelligence

Ahead of the Mayoral elections on Thursday, NLA worked with key built environment professional bodies to write a letter setting out key issues for the future Mayor of London to address. The letter was sent to all Mayoral candidates.

The newly formed London Built Environment Industry Coalition (LBEIC) has 19 members including the RTPI, RIBA London, BPF, BCO, HBF, NRLA, Place Alliance, and Academy of Urbanism.

Together the LBEIC represents over 100,000 people working across the industry – collectively they will deliver the strategies set out in the Mayor's London Plan.

The coalition hosted a Mayoral Hustings on March 11, bringing the Conservative, Green, Liberal Democrat and Labour parties together with the industry for a discussion about Mayoral priorities. The following five asks are formulated from that discussion.

1. Tackle the crisis of housing supply, affordability and homelessness. Housing must be dealt with as a fundamental human right and this must be the focus of resourcing with all else supporting this common purpose.

2. Adequately resourced planning services – both locally and within the Greater London Authority – to deliver essential placeshaping, utilising planning as a positive taskforce to engage communities and tackle place-based inequality, and to respond adequately to proposed government changes to the planning system.

3. A commitment on the climate change emergency and Zero Carbon London by 2050, working with the construction sector to understand the skills required and devise an achievable roadmap towards this, including a speedier transition away from the motor vehicle to free up more space for pedestrians and cyclists.

4. Championing the Central Activities Zone (CAZ) as the focus of London global brand, whilst supporting the concept of the 15/20-minute city and the development of mixed-use centres with all daily amenities within easy walking distance across Greater London.

5. Collaboration beyond London, with National Government and with the wider South East and with other cities across the UK, to prioritise design and build quality in all planning, regeneration, streets and infrastructure decision-making, while supporting promotion of the capital as the UK’s key economic driver.

We support candidates committed to delivering these bold and necessary ambitions. We look forward to working with a new - or re-elected - Mayor after 6 May and continuing our collaborative efforts with the London Built Environment Industry Coalition.

Don’t forget to vote!

The full list of members of the London Built Environment Industry Coalition is: RTPI London, London Property Alliance, London First, RIBA London, BPF, CIOB, Landscape Institute, Centre for London, NLA, Urban Design Group, The London Society, BCO, NWEC, Heart of London, Federation of Master Builders, HBF, NRLA, Place Alliance, and Academy of Urbanism.

Lucie Murray

Head of Policy, Research & Intelligence

New London Architecture

Lucie Murray

Head of Policy, Research & Intelligence