Central activities zone
Central areas of London with implications for planning designated by the Greater London Authority (GLA)
- Design stage
- On the platform
- Tags
- local plan
- Datasets
- Frequency of updates
- Ad hoc
- Useful links
- Last updated
- 19 March 2025
Backlog
Who asked for 'Central activities zone' data?
This dataset has been identified as a constraint for PlanX, and acts in the same way as an article 4 direction.
What is the driver for the request?
Specific user requirement
Which 2024 focus area does the request support?
Modern planning software;Faster local plans
Screen
What is the 'Central activities zone' consideration?
Central areas of London with implications for planning designated by the Greater London Authority (GLA).
Is there legislation that defines 'Central activities zone'?
Yes
What is the legislation that defines 'Central activities zone'?
There is NO legislation defining the central activities zone.
There is supplementary planning guidance (2016) on the CAZ, which states that “the CAZ is characterised by a diverse mix of places and functions and planning for the Zone is distributed across ten boroughs”, with those 10 boroughs being the City of London, City of Westminster, Camden, Hackney, Islington, Kensington & Chelsea, Lambeth, Southwark, Tower Hamlets and Wandsworth. In the original London Plan, this defines the CAZ as “the area in central and east London where planning policy promotes finance, specialist retail, tourist and cultural uses and activities.”
What is the specific part of the legislation that describes how a 'Central activities zone' gets designated?
There is no legislation that defines how the CAZ was designated.
What is the specific part of the legislation that requires the publication of 'Central activities zone'?
There is no legislation which requires the publication of this data.
Who, in law, is responsible for the planning consideration or makes decisions about 'Central activities zone'?
Greater London Authority and The Mayor - 1.1.6 - “The Mayor and GLA will continue to monitor development capacity in the London office market through the London Plan Annual Monitoring Report15 and through established or revised monitoring benchmarks in London Office Policy Reviews.”
Central London local authorities - “It [the CAZ futures action plan] has been developed by six central London local authorities” etc…
Which organisations do we think should publish the data?
- Greater London Authority
Is the Central activities zone a trigger?
Yes
What needs to be done because Central activities zone has acted as the trigger?
- Retail impact assessment
Further research is required to pinpoint what the CAZ might trigger.
Is the Central activities zone something to consult during plan making?
Yes
Provide information about when Central activities zone is used during plan making
CAZ Webpage - “SPG can also assist London boroughs when preparing their Local Plans.”
Is there any Central activities zone data already available?
Yes
What Central activities zone data is currently available?
- Greater London Authority (coverage: National; licence: UK Open Government Licence; fields: unknown)
Do we think the data should come from a single source?
N / A
Will a data standard be required?
No
Research
Do we understand the lifecycle of a Central activities zone?
No
Do we understand how the data is created/produced?
We do not know how the GLA produced their data, but our expectation would be that they: - consulted with relevant bodies to identify the boundaries of the zone - used OS basemap data to encapsulate the zone
Where will or should the data be used?
The CAZ and it’s SPG should be used to help keep central London local authority’s local plans closely aligned with the strategic goals of the London plan in a modern way.
What other planning considerations does it interact with?
- Local Plans
From what we have learnt so far are there any risks to making Central activities zone data available?
N / A