Companies that rely on office space in London may be affected by imminent changes to planning laws. Under the new system, which was announced by communities secretary Eric Pickles last month, developers will be able to convert offices to homes without planning permission.
Local planning authorities have until February 22nd to apply for an exemption, but the government has said these will only be allowed in exceptional circumstances, PlanningResource reports.
However, mayor of the capital Boris Johnson has requested such an exemption for central London.
Commenting on the issue recently, deputy mayor for planning Sir Edward Lister revealed that the exemption will be sought for the central activities zone identified in the London Plan. This stretches across parts or all of the City of London, Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Islington, Camden, Southwark and Lambeth.
He remarked: “We are worried about the central activities zone, which is the core of commercial operations in London. The new rules could drive offices out of Mayfair if we are not careful.”
Sir Edward went on to note that outside of this zone, with only a couple of exceptions, Mr Johnson is “pretty relaxed” about the new regulations. Among the exceptions he identified were the Tech City area on the fringe of the capital, Canary Wharf and the Stockley Park business park in the London Borough of Hillingdon.
The deputy mayor for planning went on to note that he supports the government’s rationale behind the policy, stating that some planning authorities were unreasonably retaining office space that could be usefully converted into domestic dwellings.
About this, he remarked: “Some boroughs are not realistic about what is and isn’t viable. The office market has moved on.”
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