Reports say that parking requirements set out in the London Plan will be reviewed

Sir Edward Lister reportedly told the London Assembly’s Planning and Housing Committee that parking standards would be reviewed, according to Planning magazine.

 “The London Plan doers set out some parking standards. Those are the things that we are reviewing," he said, according to the report. "There is a need to particularly look at outer London. We need to get some greater flexibility. The requirements for parking in inner London and outer London may be different.”

London's spatial development strategy, The London Plan 2011, (319-page / 27MB PDF), provides in Policy 6.13 on strategic parking  that in areas with high levels of public transport accessibility, car-free development should be encouraged, though it says that provision should be made for parking.

In addition it says that in town centres where there are identified viability issues the need to regenerate may require a more flexible approach to the provision of public car parking facilities.

Under the policy those outer London boroughs that wish to promote more generous standards for office developments need to demonstrate in their development plans that there is a need for regeneration; that there are no significant adverse impacts on congestion and air quality, and that there is a lack of public transport and off-street parking.

Planning also reported that Lister claimed to have a relaxed attitude to the introduction of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

The NPPF is widely expected to published along side the Budget on 21 March, following a report on the BBC's Newsnight that indicated that the Chancellor was now taking a keen interest in the NPPF following a cabinet meeting when it was identified as one of the “blockages” to economic growth.