The plea has been made in response to the Mayor of London’s ongoing consultation on the London Plan and how it can be improved.

This is the overarching planning document used to guide development in London.

The BPF has accused the current plan of being “overly prescriptive” and “too detailed.”

Instead, greater flexibility and pragmatism is needed, the trade body has argued, with a view to unlocking development and progress stalling sites.

The organisation believes this will support a more diverse range of housing, such as BTR, co-living, and PBSA developments that can supply housing at both scale and pace, while also supporting economic growth.

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In addition, the BPF is calling for government and public bodies to play a more active role to help unlock private sector investment as part of this.

“What we need to see within London is the return of a genuinely strategic overarching plan to guide the city’s growth, rather than an overly prescriptive document which is increasingly unable to deal with many of the complex development challenges the capital faces,” said Sam Bensted, assistant director of planning and development at the BPF.

“In addition to increased flexibility and pragmatism, the future London Plan also needs to have a strong focus on planning for both economic growth and housing delivery.

“Without this dual focus, the London Plan will not create the sustainable communities spatial planning is meant to promote.”