Development of new housing areas and the creation of business space is vital to London’s success.

While most of the London Boroughs provide details of the planning applications they receive on their own websites, it can be difficult to get an overview across London or to view the permissions granted in a particular location where it is close to borough boundaries.

The London Development Database (LDD) records selected planning permissions in the Greater London area as part of the process of monitoring the Mayor’s London Plan. These are tracked through to implementation, allowing us to produce data on completions and the development pipeline in addition to levels of approvals. The LDD is a collaboration between the GLA, which provides the IT infrastructure and co-ordinates the project, and the London Boroughs who are responsible for providing the data for schemes in their area. The LDD is used by both to inform policy and to provide data for their Annual Monitoring Reports.

The data is made available to the public and professionals in the development field via the ‘London Development Database Webmap’ website, in which you can search by area or postcode to find the location of live and completed planning permissions anywhere in Greater London.

The LDD contains information on all Full or Outline planning permissions granted in London that propose:

• any new build residential units or any loss or gain of residential units through change of use or conversion of existing dwellings
• seven or more new bedrooms for hotels, hostels, student housing or residential homes
• 1,000m2 or more of floor space changing from one use class to another or created through new build or extension in all other non-residential categories
• the loss or gain or change of use of open space.

The LDD began on 1 April 2004.