Policy information sourced from The London Plan 2021

SD5 Offices, Other Strategic Functions and Residential Development in the CAZ

  1. New residential development should not compromise the strategic functions of the CAZ.
  2. Residential development is not appropriate in defined parts of the City of London and Northern Isle of Dogs (areas to be identified by boroughs in Development Plans).
  3. Offices and other CAZ strategic functions are to be given greater weight relative to new residential development in all other areas of the CAZ except:
    • the Vauxhall, Nine Elms, Battersea and Elephant & Castle Opportunity Areas, where offices and other CAZ strategic functions are given equal weight relative to new residential; and
    • wholly residential streets or predominantly residential neighbourhoods (with exceptions in appropriate circumstances – for example clusters of specialist CAZ strategic functions, Special Policy Areas and CAZ retail clusters).
  4. In Development Plans, boroughs should develop local policies for the areas in parts B and C above and identify the areas in Part C.
  5. The Mayor will work with boroughs and support them to introduce Article 4 Directions to remove office to residential permitted development rights across the whole of the CAZ and the Northern Isle of Dogs (and those parts of Tech City and Kensington & Chelsea lying outside the CAZ).
  6. In areas where offices and other CAZ strategic functions are given greater or equal weight relative to new residential development (as defined in Part C), mixed-use office/residential proposals should be supported where there is an equivalent or net increase in office floorspace.
  7. Residential or mixed-use development proposals should not lead to a net loss of office floorspace in any part of the CAZ unless there is no reasonable and demonstrable prospect of the site being used for offices. To achieve this, alternative provision of equivalent or net additional office space can be made (including through swaps and credits – see Part H below). This should be within the CAZ and near the development.
  8. Local approaches to mixed-use development of offices with housing should sustain strategically-important clusters of commercial activities within the CAZ and consider the potential to use land use swaps, credits and off-site contributions.

For more information please see The London Plan 2021