Regional planning hub
Planning under the London Plan
The London Plan 2021 is the spatial development strategy for Greater London. Atlasly automates the evidence base for the policies architects hit most often: density, tall buildings, urban greening, and affordable housing thresholds.
Use this overview to plan your research. Verify current requirements and site-specific conditions against the relevant primary sources. Read our data sources, coverage and limits guide.
Framework
Statutory Spatial Development Strategy under the Greater London Authority Act 1999. Sits above borough Local Plans.
Key policies
- Policy D3 Optimising site capacity: Design-led approach to capacity. Atlasly tests massing options against character, transport (PTAL), and walkability before lock-in.
- Policy D9 Tall buildings: Tall building locations defined by boroughs. Atlasly maps borough-defined tall building zones and runs townscape-aware massing.
- Policy G5 Urban Greening Factor: Major developments must meet a UGF target (0.4 residential, 0.3 commercial). Atlasly calculates UGF from a proposed landscape plan in seconds.
- Policy H4 Delivering affordable housing: 35% threshold (or 50% on public land) for fast-track route. Atlasly's capacity engine pre-tests viability scenarios.
Process
- Pre-application: Most boroughs and the GLA strongly encourage pre-app for major schemes. Atlasly produces the site context dossier in 90 seconds.
- Stage 1 GLA referral: Mayor consulted on referable schemes (over 150 homes, over 30m, etc.). Atlasly checks referability automatically.
- Stage 2 GLA referral: Mayor reviews after borough resolution. Heads up on policy compliance avoids late surprises.
Questions
What makes a scheme referable to the Mayor?
Schemes over 150 residential units, over 30m tall outside the City of London, on Green Belt or MOL, or other defined categories. Atlasly flags this automatically when you load a site.
How do I calculate Urban Greening Factor?
UGF weights every surface type by ecological value. Atlasly extracts surfaces from your proposed landscape and produces the GLA-format calculation sheet.
Explore a site in London Plan (UK)
Start with the site location and inspect the available evidence. Confirm the applicable local policies and data coverage.
Open Atlas AIReview current plans and usage and source coverage for your project.