Our Response to the New London Plan

Historic England considers the London Plan 2021 to be a strong foundation on which to build the next plan: pursuing Good Growth through a contextual approach to development.

We believe that bold and creative approaches will be needed to achieve growth in a way that retains the best of London, respects the character and identity of neighbourhoods, and responds to the twin challenges of climate change and nature recovery. We recognise the importance of getting this right for Londoners.

We therefore responded to the Mayor’s consultation. Our full response can be downloaded below:

London housing research

The large amount of new housing needed in London in the next ten years presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Historic England has partnered with consultants Allies and Morrison to explore how new homes may be provided in ways that respond to London’s character and reinforce its identity. 

Our research suggests that London’s successful high-density historic places can provide inspiration for the homes and neighbourhoods of the future. We have examined the potential of three approaches to providing new housing: adaptive re-use, sensitive intensification, and contextual transformation. All three can be led by character. Our full research report can be downloaded below.

London's Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS)

The Mayor of London has produced the first London-wide Local Nature Recovery Strategy with the aim of reversing biodiversity loss in the capital.

Historic England was asked by the Greater London Authority to produce an advice note to accompany the strategy. This is based on the premise that nature recovery projects can deliver joint outcomes for biodiversity, heritage, and communities. In this note, we provide steps to identify whether there are historic environment considerations on your site, along with associated sources of information.

Further information can also be found on Historic England's web pages on Nature Recovery and Heritage.