London Plan
book by Mayor of London
The London Plan is the statutory spatial development strategy for the Greater London area in the United Kingdom that is written by the Mayor of London and published by the Greater London Authority. It is updated from time to time.
Mandate
Section 41 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 (GLA Act 1999) required that the Mayor of London publish publish seven statutory strategies, one of them being the spatial development strategy known as the London Plan. It is required that it deals only with matters that are of strategic importance to Greater London.
The act also requires that the London Plan includes in its scope:
the health of Londoners,
equality of opportunity,
contribution to sustainable development in the United Kingdom.
Section 337 of the GLA Act 1999 enables the government to require that the mayor make certain changes to the draft of the London Plan before it can take effect, through a direction. Section 340 of the GLA Act 1999 states that the government can require the mayor review the London Plan through a direction.
History
Before the London Plan, regional planning guidance for London was issued by the Secretary of State and known as "Regional Planning Guidance 3" (RPG3).
The regional planning document was first published in final form on 10 February 2004. Initially the mayor could only direct a borough to refuse planning permission on the basis of a scheme not complying with the London Plan.
The public source identifies “London Plan” as book by Mayor of London. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around London, Plan and book.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “London Plan”, the useful work is to connect “book by Mayor of London” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Object files, edition statements, performance records and contemporary criticism preserve different stages of the work’s history. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1571368. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1999 and 2004.
Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
- Finding collection records
The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “London Plan”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow London Plan primary sources, London Plan archive and London research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “London Plan”?
- Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
- How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “London Plan” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.