Securing suitable places for worship in London has never been more difficult. The problem is exacerbated by London’s growing and increasingly diverse population and pressures for other forms of development.
Through extensive consultation and data analysis, this study for the Greater London Authority explored the issue and recommended that the London Plan and a specific Supplementary Planning Guidance should address a number of planning issues. It also recommended that the GLA - in conjunction with partners and other stakeholders - consider a range of additional spatial and process based methods to improve the response of the planning system to future worship space needs in London.
There are around 2,200 faith buildings in London and faith communities have a long tradition of engagement in community service provision and social enterprise. Religious groups are often at the heart of communities. They have the potential to reach the most marginalized and excluded groups, and offer responsiveness and speed in terms of providing community services and engaging people.
Broadly, and cutting across all faith communities, LUC identified that there appears to be demand for four main types of places of worship, with the differences mainly relating to scale. These are:
1. Home based worship, involving small, informal congregations of people in one another’s houses2. Local places of worship, serving an established local population. The majority of this type are the ‘inherited’ churches, but also places of worship for other faith groups that meet local needs, including weddings and funerals3. Local places of worship, serving an emerging or new local population. This type covers the development of type 2, above, in new development areas (where existing provision is inadequate), and new types of places of worship that are required to meet the needs of a changing population in an established area4. Places of worship serving a wider sub-regional, regional or London-wide population as a centre for a particular faith community in London (this category could also cover a London multi-faith centre)
The research revealed that the majority of current and likely future needs relate to types 3 and 4. The problem with type 3 is that there is no consistent approach to assessing needs in development plans and, as a result, the needs are generally not being met in new development areas or areas with a rapidly changing population. The result is that people are travelling further afield to find alternative places of worship and the opportunity for community cohesion is reduced. The need for type 4 places of worship is possibly a consequence of the problems of type 3 places of worship, but there is a general trend across most faith groups for larger, sub-regional, or ‘mega’ places of worship which draw worshippers from across London and beyond.
In terms of planning policy and other responses that can be used to respond to these needs, we recommended that the London Plan and the SPG should address the following:
• More appropriate use of D1 Use Class and planning conditions • More flexible policies relating to employment areas• Making effective use of the London Plan Sub-Regional Implementation Frameworks and the master planning of Opportunity Areas
The project was ground breaking and sensitively conducted, reflecting LUC’s objective and analytical approach to key planning issues.
