Back to Contents - Back to Introduction Introduction     Planning in the London Borough of Greenwich   Change occurs all the time, and these changes are shaped by the way we live and shape subsequent needs, decisions and activities. This in turn affects how we in Greenwich Borough, use land. Our need for buildings such as factories, housing and shops, and for services such as health and leisure facilities, are influenced by changing technology, people moving in to and out of the borough and by changing lifestyles. As a community we have to decide how best the land can be used to meet a wide range of wants and needs. Planning aims to manage land-use change by being aware of what is happening of influence to the Borough, and guiding development in the interests of the community. This is done through both positive and control planning. Positive planning helps to work out what type of environment we want to live in, looks at how individual uses of land affects people and places on a wider scale and helps protect our built and natural heritage. Control Planning works through the granting of planning permission. This is used to permit good developments or new uses of land and buildings and prevent ones that may be harmful to the public interest. The system of planning in Britain is designed so that, at the Borough level, positive planning and planning control work with each other through the Greenwich Unitary Development Plan. This sets out the vision for use of land in the Borough, and also provides the main guidance for making decisions on individual planning proposals.   The Purpose of the Unitary Development Plan (UDP)   Local Councils have a duty to prepare a Development Plan by law. The Greenwich Unitary Development Plan does this for the Borough of Greenwich and is intended to cover the period 2001 - 2011 (or 2016 for Part 1 of the Plan). It is a legal document with the following purposes: To provide a framework of acceptable uses within the Borough, defining the areas where development is not desired or where it needs to be carefully directed and; To provide a detailed basis for the control of development.     Understanding the Plan   The Greenwich UDP is made up of a Written Statement and a Proposals Map.   Written Statement   As required by legislation and in accordance with (Central Government) Planning Policy Guidance Note 12: Development Plans, Greenwich UDP is in two parts: Part 1 outlines the Vision for Greenwich, from the Greenwich Strategy (2003).   It contains a strategy for land use and development based on three key themes on which the UDP is based: Equality and Social Inclusion, Sustainable Development and Regeneration.   It contains a profile of the Borough, alongside details of the achievements of the previous UDP and future opportunities in this UDP.   Key to part I are the strategic land use policies for the Borough, upon which the detailed policies in Part II are based.   Part II is developed from Part I and is broken down into sections such as Open Spaces, Town Centres and Movement.  Each of the sections contain a number of policies, each with a policy number and indicated by bold text.   Each policy is followed by a reason that outlines the key factors involved in its determination.   Part II also contains a schedule of proposals for individual sites in the Borough, which are listed under such topic headings as Jobs and Mixed Uses.     Proposals Map   The Main Proposals Map covers the whole Borough, whilst Inset Maps A-C cover the town centres of Eltham, Greenwich and Woolwich. The Map shows individual sites of proposed developments and areas within the Borough which have been designated for particular uses, or for conservation.     Using the Plan   The plan can be read as a document on planning in Greenwich, or used for reference purposes on particular topics or development proposals. If you are interested in a particular issue, such as cycling you can either use the Contents Page at the front of the plan, or look up the most relevant topic chapter, which in this case would be Movement. If you are interested in a particular site or building or want an indication of how the Council would respond to a site proposal, the Proposals Map will indicate if there are any designations or scheduled proposals for the site.  Designations can be identified using the map's key and site schedules can be identified by a letter and number with corresponding details contained in Part II of the Written Statement.  A policy relating to a designation can be found in the Plan by looking it up in the Contents Page. It is important to remember that many policies in Part II will apply to all types of development and need to be taken into consideration.   Reviewing the Plan   The review of the 1994 Adopted UDP was carried out over a number of years.  The Council published the First Deposit Draft UDP (February 2002) and the Second Deposit Draft UDP (April 2004) for public consultation.  A Public Inquiry was held between January and April 2005, where an independent Inspector examined unresolved objections.  The Inspector’s Report on Objections was published by the Council in November 2005.  In response to the Inspector’s Report, the Council published Modifications (January 2006) and a Further Modification (April 2006) for public consultation.  The Council adopted the Replacement Unitary Development Plan on 20July 2006, when it replaced the 1994 Unitary Development Plan.  The Replacement UDP (2006) together with the London Plan (2004), forms the Development Plan for the Borough. Under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, UDPs usually retain ‘development plan status’ for a period of three years.  During this period, the Council will bring forward Local Development Documents to replace parts of the UDP in accordance with the Local Development Scheme (LDS - a project plan outlining the content and production of planning policy documents).  The LDS is available on the Council website at www.greenwich.gov.uk).  The UDP is also available on the Council website, in all local libraries in the Borough and from the Development Planning Reception, First Floor, Peggy Middleton House, 50 Woolwich New Road, London SE18 6HQ or by telephoning 020 8921 5190.   Map 1: Greenwich in the South East   Map 2: Greenwich in London Context   Map 3: Ward Boundaries   Map 4: Key Sub-regional Diagram Click map for a larger view     start of chapter