Business Privilege and the Strategic Planning Agenda of the Greater London Authority

Abstract

The establishment of the Greater London Authority (GLA) in 2000 brought a new form of politics to London and new powers to formulate strategic policy. Through an investigation of the access of business interests in the formulation of London's strategic agenda, this article illuminates one aspect of the pressures on city government. It uses the urban regime approach as a framework for analysing the co-operation between the Mayor and business interests in shaping strategic priorities. Although there was a surrounding rhetoric that pointed towards a greater consensus-seeking approach, the business sector was very active in maintaining its privileged access. Strategic priorities were established in the GLA's first year and were then subsequently embodied in the London Plan. Our analysis is based on a detailed examination of this agenda-setting period using material from meetings, written reports and interviews with key actors.

Coordinating density; working through conviction, suspicion and pragmatism

“…In the survey, when asked what was driving higher density in their authority the greatest influence was seen as the development industry (17 of 17 agree/strongly agree); although closely followed by regional policy (16 of 17 agree/strongly agree). These are not necessarily so different, as the 2004 London Plan was argued by Thornley et al (2005) to have been strongly influenced by private sector interests. There was a strong sense that the planners we interviewed had been on a journey following the post-millennial policy turn that favoured higher density but which ran parallel with a burgeoning land and property market.…”

Enhancing urban autonomy: Towards a new political project for cities

“…As part of the Thatcher (Bulkeley and Schroeder, 2012; see also Thornley et al, 2005). Particular parts of the city have had a catalytic role as well.…”

London: Planning the ungovernable city

“…In part its optimism was simply born of the experience of (what now seems) a 'golden age' of expansion and investment in the period between the GLC's demise and establishment of the GLA. But, observers of the first two years of the GLA note that a draft Plan, grounded very largely in the work of the London Planning Advisory Committee (LPAC) which operated on a consensual basis during this 'inter-regnum' period in London government, was then transformed into a much more positive, growth-oriented document, as the Mayor's own Office assumed the central role in its development (Thornley et al, 2005). The Mayor's vision rested on the view that large scale population and job growth was inevitable for London (with forecast increases of 700,000 and 636,000 respectively over 15 years) because of its global city role, and that the London Plan should be geared to accommodating this.…”