Planning policies

The new borough-wide local plan 2033, known as LP33, is the key strategic planning document used to direct and guide development in the borough up to 2033. LP33 combines and replaces the following – the core strategy (2010), development management local plan (2015) and parts of the site allocations local plan (2016) as well as the area action plans for Dalston, Hackney Central, Hackney Wick (which now falls within the LLDC area) and Manor House.

We apply local, regional and national planning policies and guidance when assessing and determining planning applications and when promoting development proposals across the borough.

 

Local planning policies

Local Plan

A local plan is the statutory land use and development plan for a borough which sits alongside the London Plan. It provides the spatial planning framework for Hackney to deliver the sustainable community strategy.

For more information on the evidence and adoption of Hackney’s Local Plan

Along with the London plan, the local plan forms the development plan against which individual proposals are assessed and Hackney local plan 2033 (July 2020)

Area action plans

An Area Action Plan (AAP) is a Development Plan Document (DPD) that provides specific planning policy and guidance for an area where significant regeneration or investment needs to be managed. The council has the following AAPs currently under preparation:

Supplementary planning documents (SPDs)

Supplementary planning documents are produced to support existing policy found in development plan documents. They provide guidance to the public, applicants and developers when making planning applications

Site allocations local plan

The site allocations local plan (SALP) was adopted in 2016, and identified key strategic sites for development across the borough.

Following the adoption of the Hackney Local Plan 2033 part of the SALP has been superseded. The SALP site allocations that have been replaced by LP33 are:

  • ref 133 – London College of 182 Mare Street E8 3RF
  • ref 270 – Former Rose Lipman Library, Downham Road N1 5TH
  • ref 143 – Ash Grove Bus Depot, Andrews Road E8 4RH
  • ref 271 – 164-170 Mare Street, E8 3RH
  • ref 223 – 27-37 Well Street (Lidl), E9 7QX
  • ref 279 – 71-73 Lordship Road (St Mary’s Lodge), N16 0QX
  • ref 225 – Works Andrews Road, E8 4RL
  • ref 286 – Woodberry Down Estate , Seven Sisters Road, N4 1DH
  • ref 256 – Tram Depot, 38-40 Upper Clapton Road, E5 8BQ

SALP site allocations within the Shoreditch and Stamford Hill areas of Hackney will remain in place until the forthcoming Future Shoreditch and Stamford Hill AAPs are adopted. Other allocations in the SALP are no longer deliverable or developable, and were not taken forward into LP33. Full details of the adoption of the SALP can be found here.

Neighbourhood planning

Neighbourhood planning gives communities the opportunity to direct the development of their areas through creating plans and policies. Communities can prepare neighbourhood plans to influence the future of their areas. These let people set out their vision for their local area and general planning policies to guide development in their neighbourhood.

Visit neighbourhood planning

Article 4 directions

An Article 4 Direction (A4D) is part of planning legislation that allows the Council to remove permitted development rights including changes of use from an area or a particular property.
Permitted development (PD) rights are a national grant of planning permission which allow certain works and change of use to be carried out without having to make a planning application.

Further information on the various Article 4 directions within the Borough can be found below:

Statutory documents

Authority monitoring report

We produce a monitoring report every year, which forms part of the local plan. This is required under Clause 113 of the Localism Act. The purpose of the report is to:

  • provide information on key trends in the borough
  • identify the effects of planning policies on social, environmental and economic outputs
  • help determine how well we’re meeting our objectives, targets and programmes
  • inform and guide future plans and policies
  • monitor how well we’re meeting our local development scheme timetable

The latest authority monitoring report covers financial years 2021 to 2022 and 2022 to 2023 (1 April 2021 to 31 March 2023) and was approved by the council’s Corporate Committee 13 March 2024.

See authority monitoring report 2021 to 2023 (google doc).

Local development scheme

The Local Development Scheme (LDS) outlines planning policy documents’ content and the programme for preparing or reviewing them. It helps ensure effective spatial planning, guiding sustainable development and helping regenerate the borough. It’s reviewed regularly to keep it up to date.

The current version, which covers the period 2023 to 2025, was approved by the council’s cabinet on 27 February 2023.

See LDS 2023 to 2025 (PDF 193kb).

See LDS timetable (PDF 34kb).

We are updating the LDS and will publish a new LDS in March 2025. Check individual projects for updates to the project timetable.

Previous versions of the LDS

The previous versions of the LDS covered the periods 2018 to 2021, 2016 to 2019, 2014 to 2017, and 2009 to 2013.

Infrastructure delivery plan

The Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP) identifies the borough’s infrastructure requirements including social, physical and green infrastructure.

The IDP sets out what is needed, where it is needed and when it is needed. It then provides an update on the delivery of the required infrastructure to date. You can see the recent version of the IDP below:

See infrastructure delivery plan (2018)

Previous infrastructure delivery plan

See infrastructure delivery plan (2016)

Infrastructure funding statement

The community infrastructure levy (CIL) regulations require us to publish an infrastructure funding statement (IFS) at least annually. This new annual reporting requirement was introduced as part of the amended CIL regulations in 2019.

The infrastructure funding statement is a summary of the Section 106 and community infrastructure Levy contributions negotiated, received, allocated and spent in the previous financial year.

View infrastructure funding statement 2024 (google doc)

View infrastructure funding statement 2023 (PDF 13mb)

View infrastructure funding statement 2022 (PDF 23.7mb).

View infrastructure funding statement 2021 (google doc).

View infrastructure funding statement 2020 (google doc).

For information on Full developer contributions data for 2021 to 2024, see below:

Statement of community involvement

The statement of community involvement (PDF 2mb) (SCI) outlines the council’s standards for involving the community in the planning process and identifies ways it will achieve these standards. It sets out the council’s approach to public consultation in two areas of planning:

  • the preparation, alteration and continuing review of its planning policy documents
  • consultation on planning applications

On 29 January 2014, the Council approved the adoption of the revised statement of community involvement. An addendum (PDF 56kb) to the statement of community involvement has been made in accordance with the National Planning Practice Guidance update published on 13 May 2020 which sets out government requirements on social distancing restrictions when consulting on plans.

The addendum sets out how the council is responding to the Covid-19 pandemic in progressing plan making and associated consultations.

Temporary amendments to SCI following cyberattack

During October 2020 Hackney Council suffered a cyberattack that has had an adverse impact on our ability to meet the commitment to notify all interested third parties of planning decisions as set out in the SCI. Consequently, we have reluctantly taken the decision to amend the SCI to remove this commitment. This amendment will be temporary. Once we secure access to the data affected we will seek to return to normal service.

Where we have access to all of the data relating to active planning applications we will continue to notify all interested third parties as normal. We remain committed to providing a transparent planning service to all our customers and will seek to make good on our commitments as soon as we can. A copy of the amended SCI can be found below:

See adopted statement of community involvement (PDF 2mb)

Hackney community infrastructure levy

The council charges a local community infrastructure levy (CIL) in addition to the Mayoral CIL on all liable development located in Hackney.

Regional planning policies

London Plan

The Mayor’s London Plan is a strategy for how London evolves and develops, it covers housing and many other issues. The London Plan identifies housing capacity and policies for London as a whole, as well as for each council.

See London plan

London Mayoral CIL

is a levy that local authorities (including the Mayor) can charge against new development, to fund local infrastructure projects. Although the legislation for CIL was introduced in 2008, authorities can only charge CIL when their charging schedule has been examined and approved. In London, Mayoral CIL is in addition to any s106 obligations or CIL charged by the relevant London Borough.

See London Mayoral community infrastructure levy (CIL)

North London waste plan

The North London waste plan was adopted on 19 July 2022. The plan was prepared by seven north London boroughs: Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington and Waltham Forest.

The plan forms part of the`Development Plan’ for Hackney which comprises the London Plan, Hackney Local Plan 2033 and other planning documents.

The waste plan will identify a range of suitable sites for the management of all north London’s waste up to 2031 and include policies and guidelines for determining planning applications for waste developments.

 

The plan needed to be adopted by each of the boroughs, Hackney Council adopted it on the 26 January 2022 Council meetings.

National planning policies

Page updated on: 19 December 2024

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