Draft London Plan: Key Changes in the Latest Draft
The Greater London Authority (GLA) has published the latest draft version of the London Plan, with public consultation now underway.
Although the draft Plan is not yet adopted, it provides a clear indication of the future direction of planning policy across London and the priorities likely to influence development over the coming years. The consultation runs until October 2026, before the document progresses to an Examination in Public during 2027.
Below, we highlight the key differences between the current London Plan and the latest draft.
Building Performance Takes Centre Stage
Perhaps the most significant technical change is the move away from the current requirement to achieve a 35% carbon reduction beyond Part L towards a greater emphasis on measured building performance. The draft introduces Energy Use Intensity (EUI), Space Heating Demand (SHD) and embodied carbon metrics as key measures of building performance.
Importantly, these proposals do not replace the Future Homes Standard but build upon it, introducing additional performance measures to support London’s net zero ambitions.
More Flexible Affordable Housing Requirements
The draft Plan proposes a more flexible approach to the current 35% affordable housing threshold. Rather than applying a consistent approach across London, boroughs would have greater flexibility to respond to local housing needs and market conditions while continuing to support the delivery of affordable homes.
Greater Support for Density and Growth
Supporting housing delivery and economic growth remains a central objective of the draft Plan.
In certain locations, the threshold used to define tall buildings could increase from around seven storeys to between 10 and 20 storeys where appropriate, providing greater opportunities to deliver higher-density development.
Delivering 558,000 New Homes
The draft Plan identifies capacity for approximately 558,000 new homes between 2028 and 2037, equating to around 55,800 homes per year.
This reflects the scale of development required to accommodate London’s continued growth while supporting the delivery of new homes across the capital.
Tighter Energy Performance Standards
Alongside the introduction of EUI and SHD metrics, the draft Plan proposes tighter energy efficiency and embodied carbon benchmarks than those set out in the current London Plan.
These measures are intended to improve operational building performance and encourage more sustainable, low-carbon development from the earliest stages of design.
Mandatory Post-Occupancy Energy Monitoring
To help address the performance gap between predicted and actual energy use, the draft Plan introduces a requirement for post-occupancy energy monitoring for a minimum of five years. Measuring operational performance after completion is intended to improve accountability and provide valuable data to inform future projects.
Greater Flexibility Through Outcome-Based Planning
Another notable shift is the move towards a more outcome-focused planning framework. Rather than prescribing identical requirements across every borough, the draft Plan places greater emphasis on achieving outcomes such as housing delivery, energy performance and economic growth, while allowing greater flexibility in how local authorities deliver these objectives.
Potential Green Belt Release
The draft Plan also includes proposals for the potential release of selected Green Belt land where it can support housing delivery and wider planning objectives.
Any such changes would remain subject to further assessment, consultation and the planning process.
What Happens Next?
The draft London Plan remains subject to public consultation until October 2026. Following consultation, it will be reviewed before progressing to an Examination in Public during 2027 ahead of formal adoption.
Although the proposals are not yet policy, they provide a clear indication of the direction of travel for planning and development across London. Developers, designers, and any other facets of the engineering and services teams should consider how these proposed changes could influence future projects as the new planning framework continues to evolve.
For further details explore the full Draft London Plan.