Greater London Plan

The Greater London Plan of 1944 was developed by Sir Leslie Patrick Abercrombie (1879-1957). The plan was directly related to the County of London Plan written by Abercrombie in 1943, with contributions by John Henry Forshaw (1895-1973). Following World War II, London was presented with an opportunity to amend the perceived failings of unplanned and haphazard development that had occurred as a result of rapid industrialisation in the nineteenth century.

During the Second World War, the blitz had destroyed large urban areas throughout the entire county of London, but particularly the central core. Over 50,000 inner London homes were completely destroyed, while more than 2 million dwellings experienced some form of bomb damage. This presented the London County Council with a unique chance to plan and rebuild vacant tracts of the city on a scale not seen since the Great Fire of London.

The plan was based around five main issues facing London at the time:

Rapid population growth, combined with the inevitable return of many evacuees during the war, saw London facing significant housing shortages and density problems. The 118 square mile town was estimated to have a population of over 4 million in 1938. A series of four rings were outlined (Inner Urban, Suburban, Green belt and Outer Country) in order to control development and limit sprawl into regional areas. The ‘Inner Urban Ring’ restricted any new housing or industrial development that were deemed to be above the limit of tolerable conditions, whilst reconstructing damaged buildings in a modern interpretation of their original state. The ‘Suburban Ring’ would be developed with a mix of both housing and light industry so that no regions became inefficient dormitory suburbs. The ‘Green Belt Ring’ encouraged the creation of parkland and recreational spaces, restrictions were placed on all development apart from that within existing villages. The ‘Outer Country Ring’ would support farmland whilst containing a number of satellite towns that would help to relocate large populations away from the overcrowded areas of central London.

The creation of new housing developments were to be mostly concentrated within areas damaged by the air raids, the suburban ring and in new satellite towns. Abercrombie notes the locations of existing communities within London, and aims to develop these communities as growth areas focussed around a core neighbourhood. Housing development aimed to foster these communities with a mix of professions, family sizes and socio-economic groups. The ‘Homes of One’s Own’ initiative aimed to reduce the number of families that were forced to share a dwelling (63.5% of families were forced to share their home in 1931). Affordable living options in both apartment and detached houses would be constructed under the Greater London Plan. Specific architectural styles would be adhered to throughout all new developments in order to create aesthetically pleasing streetscapes.

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