Issues and Options

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to this Local Plan consultation. We support your commitment to meet the Council’s growth requirements. We also welcome the strategic longer-term approach to growth within the Oxford Cambridge Arc and continue to be interested in exploring strategic collaboration opportunities across the Wider South East. We note that the GLA uses alternative population and household projections that have consistent outputs for all local authorities in England. They are available on the London Datastore: https://data.london.gov.uk/demography/population-and-household-projections/ Please note that the Borough is located within the two following Strategic Infrastructure Priorities of the new London Plan (see Policy SD3 and Figure 2.15): • East West Rail (Oxford - Cambridge) • Midlands and West Coast Mainline (London - Luton - Bedford / Milton Keynes). As such, they have been endorsed by the Wider South East partnership, and the Council may wish to reflect on their strategic benefits in the emerging Local Plan. Please note that the new London Plan has not yet been formally published. For the latest information please visit our website: https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/planning/london-plan/new-london-plan. Given the Borough’s strategic location within the transport network, it would be useful to understand the Council’s consideration of land for industry and logistics in the context of related requirements for the wider area.