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About North London

"North London has many strengths, not least its rich mix of communities and its varied environments. These must be sustained and supported."
Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, May 2006

North London is a vibrant, thriving sub-region strategically situated between central London and three of the four main Government growth areas. It is also at the southern end of the London Stansted Cambridge Peterborough corridor and in close proximity to the new Wembley stadium development, Kings Cross and the site of the 2012 Olympics.

As a sub-region of a major world city, North London is well placed to grow and thrive with urban renewal projects supporting sustainable communities and a buoyant economy. North London is strategically located for growth.

With a population larger than Birmingham (over 1 million), North London is a key component of the capital's economy, boasting a skilled and diverse population, attractive suburbs and town centres and a high proportion of urban green space. Around 31% of North London's population are from black and ethnic minority communities, with substantial Black African, Middle Eastern, Irish, Chinese, Caribbean, Eastern European and Pakistani communities living across different areas of the sub-region.

But to make North London a place where people want to live and work, there is a need for co-ordinated investment in the sub-regional economy and infrastructure. We need to ensure the projected growth enhances, rather than detracts from the quality of life.

Visit our Projects pages to find out growth areas in North London and how NLSA is supporting the development of our sub-region.

London's growth - the sub-regional challenge
London is a rapidly growing world city. The London Plan predicts that by 2016, the capital's population will have grown by 800,000 - the population of a city the size of Sheffield. By 2016, the population of North London alone is expected to rise by up to 160,000, increasing by between 7% and 15%.

Major Successful Town Centres at Edgware, Enfield Town, Walthamstow and Wood Green offer an existing network of hubs around which sustainable and interconnected communities can develop. But more and better housing is needed as well as support for new and existing Businesses within a strategic and effective approach to spatial Planning and development.

Meanwhile, the Upper Lee Valley has a number of development and regeneration opportunities where effective use of financial and other kinds of investment will make a lasting, positive difference to local communities, the North London sub-region and to London as a whole.

All in all, North London is moving into a crucial stage of its development with great opportunities to be realised if the challenges it faces can be met.

Economy and Employment
In North London, population growth is predicted to outstrip employment and Economic growth . This will put increasing pressures on our transport infrastructure.

There is effectively a growing jobs deficit in the sub-region, as North London has 14% of the capital's population but only 8% of London's jobs. This gap looks set to widen as population is projected to grow three times faster than jobs in the sub-regional economy. Variations exist across the sub-region with some areas showing strong growth and others projected to lose jobs.

Currently, North London has 30,000 businesses employing over 300,000 people. However, recent economic growth projections from the GLA suggest that North London's economy will grow at a much lower rate than central London and the wider south east.

And while the majority of the population of North London is highly skilled, there are also significant concentrations of worklessness. The sub-region has 75,000 non-employed people who want work, nearly 11% of the working population.

North London needs:

  • Investment in its education and training infrastructure, to make sure that people have the skills and motivation to take advantage of the opportunities available
  • Good transport links between the sub-region and the surrounding growth areas - specifically established and emerging centres of employment.
  • North London based businesses, realising the opportunities available through key developments, growth sectors and the sub-region's successful town centres

Community Infrastructure
Along with the substantial projected growth in North London's population over the next 10 years is a substantial target for new homes across the sub-region.

North London needs to plan for and manage this housing growth in a cohesive and effective way, as much of it will be dispersed among numerous small sites as well as the major new housing locations such as Brent Cross, Cricklewood, Haringey Heartlands and Tottenham Hale.
Moreover, additional investment and better co-ordination is needed to support North London's community infrastructure if it is to keep pace with need, reduce existing inequality and develop the high quality infrastructure needed to improve quality of life across the sub-region. The NLSA will campaign for more resources, delivering strong messages to partners such as the GLA, the Regional Housing Board, Strategic Health Authorities and the Government.

Transport
North London needs a transport infrastructure and transport services that match the sub-region's aspirations and expected growth.

As London's gateway to the North, the sub-region has good (if generally congested) radial connections to central London. However, the sub-region's transport infrastructure is already under pressure and demand is increasing.

Although North London has high levels of commuting and substantial housing targets, it suffers from the lowest levels of investment in sub-regional transport. The benefits of good radial connections to Central London are offset by the need for improved orbital transport routes.

Key problem areas include:

Upper Lee Valley: rail transport is already limited by the congested twin track West Anglia line and inadequate links to Stratford. Key trunk roads (the A10 and north-south route) have major bottlenecks at each end, at the M25 to the north and the Tottenham Hale gyratory to the south. Improved transport capacity and better transport services are needed to link the regeneration areas of the Upper Lee Valley and Stratford and the London Stansted Cambridge Peterborough corridor.

Increasing congestion on the western border of the sub-region, as the major developments at Brent Cross / Cricklewood and Colindale come forward over the coming decade. Up to 20,000 new homes will be delivered which will put increased pressure on key routes such as Thameslink, the Northern Line and the A406.

Orbital movement and interchanges: the existing road and orbital public transport network has inconsistent capacity and major bottlenecks - especially the North Circular A406. Regular gridlock and inhibited orbital movement are the results.

The lack of a coherent structure of interchange hubs focusing on town centres is another major issue for the public transport network across North London, keeping more people in their cars, adding to congestion and diminishing quality of life across the sub-region.

MORE DETAIL
The GLA's North London sub regional development framework published in May 2006 provides a more detail on the sub region.

North London's Strategic context (Map Below)

Between 3 growth areas:

  • London-Stansted- Cambridge-Peterborough corridor
  • M1 / Thameslink corridor (Milton Keynes- South Midlands)
  • Thames Gateway
  • And central London

Other external drivers of growth:

  • Stratford City / Olympic Park
  • Heathrow / 'Western Wedge'
North LondonŐs Strategic context