Westminster City Council has published its City Plan Partial Review, setting out strengthened planning policies on retrofitting, affordable housing, and identifying four new, large development sites.
The review follows three years of engagement with residents, businesses, developers and other local stakeholders.
At the centre of the review is a new retrofit first policy, requiring developers to explore options for retrofitting and adapting existing buildings before seeking permission for demolition and redevelopment.
The council said that it recognises that not all buildings can be retrofitted, and therefore is adopting a retrofit-first, not retrofit-only approach.
The City Plan Partial Review also introduces tougher requirements to deliver genuinely affordable homes. The affordable housing split in new developments will shift from 40% to 70% social rent, and from 60% to 30% intermediate homes. For the first time, sites proposing fewer than 10 homes will also be required to contribute to affordable housing delivery.
The review also identifies four strategic sites with potential for mixed-use development: St Mary鈥檚 Hospital, Westbourne Park Bus Garage, land adjacent to Royal Oak, and Grosvenor Sidings.
Westminster City Council is run by the Labour Party, which gained control in May 2022.
Cllr Geoff Barraclough, cabinet member for planning and economic development, said: 鈥淭he City Plan Partial Review focuses our efforts on the most important challenges facing Westminster: tackling the climate crisis and delivering more genuinely affordable homes.
鈥淥ur retrofit first policy sets a new benchmark for local authorities. It will help reduce carbon emissions from today鈥檚 buildings and has the potential to be the biggest single emissions-reduction initiative undertaken by any council in the country.
鈥淲e are also strengthening our commitment to affordable housing by increasing the proportion of social rent homes in new developments and ensuring smaller sites also play their part.
鈥淭aken together, these policies create a roadmap to a fairer, healthier and more welcoming Westminster 鈥� one that works for today鈥檚 residents and for generations to come.鈥�
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