The controversial planning framework for the Isle of Dogs and South Poplar setting out the Mayor of London’s vision to 2041 are up for public consultation.
The aim is to coordinate the development pressures and take into account the effects of the population explosion on local services and the environment.
City Hall is anxious to make sure there is enough infrastructure like mains, drains schools, roads, transport and health services to cope with the population explosion after coming in for heavy criticism over lack of planning.
“This is the last chance to influence the GLA’s plans,” Tower Hamlets deputy mayor Rachel Blake said. “The Isle of Dogs and South Poplar are experiencing huge development—we must get the balance right between investing in our existing communities and preparing for new ones, sharing the benefits of growth.”
City Hall has been slammed by the Isle of Dogs planning forum for keeping its Infrastructure Study under wraps while major developments were going ahead unabated—even though its vital data had already been pushed out by Tower Hamlets since November.
The data was left out of public scrutiny and only released by the GLA 12 hours before a public examination hearing on May 10 into the Isle of Dogs forum’s own Neighbourhood Plan that had used the same figures.
This led to a ruling last week that there wasn’t enough time for the data to have been “in the public domain” and therefore invalidated the Neighbourhood Plan, which has put it back six months before it can be resubmitted and a local referendum organised.
The forum is pressing to make planning permission for major developments illegal without first guaranteeing cash for utilities and public services, after discovering a funding gap of almost £1 billion for the infrastructure, revealed by the East London Advertiser on May 2.
The GLA’s draft Isle of Dogs and South Poplar Planning Framework is being launched at the Museum of London Docklands in Canary Wharf on June 26. Public drop-in events are being set up over the summer, while documents are being promised to be available online and at Idea Stores.
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