London Plan news

August 30, 2018

Earlier this month, the Mayor published the comments on his new Draft London Plan sent by councils, businesses, community groups and individuals between January and March this year.

There has been a fantastic response from the Gypsy and Traveller community to the consultation, amounting to almost a quarter of all the responses. Mena Mongan, Community Engagement Officer at London Gypsies and Travellers, was very pleased with the outcomes: “We collectively posted 977 postcards out of around 4000 responses. They were all from Gypsies and Travellers who responded to our call to sign it, post it, sort it.”

As a result of the consultation, there have been some amendments to the Plan, including to the Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation policy. However stronger changes need to be made to ensure the delivery of new sites.

The Draft London Plan is currently being considered by independent planning inspectors. They will soon publish further questions to decide which issues will be debated in the Examination in Public and who will be invited to participate in the oral hearings early next year.

This is another opportunity to make sure the voices of Gypsies and Travellers are heard. Join us to discuss these issues at the next London Gypsy and Traveller Forum meeting on 2nd October, 10.30am-12.30pm at City Hall.

Pictured: Mena Mongan giving an update on the Draft London Plan consultation

More news

Learning together for young people

October 7, 2026

Mini Ravi, Bright Futures programme lead, writes: In September, Gypsy and Traveller community members came to LGT for a two-day Bright Futures training course which allowed us to connect, share, and learn together. The course, run by the organisation StreetGames, focused on mentoring young people in community settings. As far as we know, this is …

New planning rules bring summer of attacks

September 11, 2026

Gypsies and Travellers are setting the record straight after a summer of politically-motivated attacks in the media and social media, centring on the introduction of new planning regulations. The attacks started with Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch complaining about Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities “breaking laws that no one else would get away with”. They …

Children playing at a Council-run Gypsy and Traveller site in East London

Signs of improvement in the Draft London Plan?

July 17, 2026

The Draft London Plan published yesterday by the GLA has been cautiously welcomed by London Gypsies and Travellers (LGT). Yet for families who have been waiting for years in overcrowded, insecure or temporary accommodation, the real test will be whether this will be the time when plans translate into action and targets into homes. “We …