Greater London Authority


Find out about regional planning in London


The Greater London Authority (GLA) is London's regional planning body. The GLA has two political branches: the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan and the London Assembly, a cross-party group of eleven who are elected to hold the Mayor accountable and to scrutinise his decisions. The Mayor writes the London Plan, a document that includes the spatial strategy for London and includes policy directions on housing, transport, the environment, accessibility and growth. This is then published by the GLA.

Planning by the Mayor of London

Planning applications that meet the following criteria are referred to The Mayor :

  • A development that includes more than 150 residential units
  • A development that is over 30metres in height (except for the City of London)
  • A development that is on Green Belt or Metropolitan Open Land

The Mayor will test if the application meets the requirements of the London Plan. You can make a representation at the public hearing of a planning application that the Mayor has called in.

The London Plan

The Mayor and the Greater London Authority are now working on a new London Plan for release in 2026. There are many opportunities to engage and find out more about the next London Plan

A community perspective on the London Plan

Just Space, a network of community groups focussed around mutual support on planning issue, has covered the development of the New London Plan. You can view Just Space's reporting here.