The planning system guides the future development and use of land in cities, towns and rural areas in the long term public interest.
The aim of planning policy is to ensure that development and changes in land use occur in suitable locations and are sustainable. The planning system must also provide protection from inappropriate development. Its primary objectives are:
- to set the land use framework for promoting sustainable economic development
- to maintain and enhance the quality of the built environment.
The Planning Policy team is engaged on work in the following areas:
Statutory Plans
The priority work undertaken by the team is the production of the Council’s Local Development Framework. This is the Council’s spatial plan for the borough and is composed of a series of statutory documents prepared under the Town and Country Planning Acts and related Regulations.
Strategic Planning Issues
The Team comments on and provides advice on behalf of the Council on strategic planning issues. This includes comments on planning related issues from Central Government; the Mayor of London and sub-regional planning organisations such as Thames Gateway London.
Planning Advice and Research
The Team provides planning policy advice on major planning applications, development proposals, regeneration strategies and on green issues such as Local Agenda 21 and the Lewisham Biodiversity Action Plan. The Team also provides planning policy advice to other groups within Lewisham Council. The team undertakes a certain amount of monitoring and research activities. These include data for inclusion in the Planning Service Annual Monitoring Report.