Development coordination - Local community and developers

The Development Coordination team

The Development Coordination team was set up in early 2021. It aims to address the harm that construction can cause to residents and visitors as well as improve coordination between construction sites across the borough.

The team sits within Infrastructure Planning under Planning and Building Control.

We focus on finding solutions to prevent the most common negative effects from occurring (noise, dust, poor air quality, vibration, HGV congestion, footpath and road access issues). We do this in various ways:

• We work with other internal council departments, who approve and monitor construction.
  
  
• We review our methods for approving documents and looking for ways to improve and simplify processes
  
  
• We review communication between teams involved in approving and monitoring construction. This will help to make sure that we are all aware of problems arising and to be able to offer solutions on time 
  
  
• We review how other councils are solving similar issues and share our own best practice successes with other boroughs
  
  
• We regularly talk to developers to share plans for new policy that may affect their work. We also want to understand where they struggle in delivering well-planned construction and how we might be able to help

Some of the solutions we are delivering include:

• Updating the council's Code of Construction Practice (CoCP) which was last updated in 2006. We reviewed its contents to make sure all the advice and guidance was appropriate. We also made sure it presented current law and best practice
  
  
• Designing tools and templates to standardise developers' responses. These will help internal teams better manage their review and approval processes
  
  
• We are trying out live greening (with living plants) on construction hoardings. This will help with how our streets look when construction is happening in your area. The aim of this is to restore natural green space where, during construction, there is often a loss of plants for many years. Visit Talk Tower Hamlets for more information
  
  
• We hold regular meetings with developers and contractors in busy parts of the borough. This way, we can stay up to date with their work. They can also understand what nearby construction sites are doing and how they may affect each other
  
  
• We write guidance for how developers can improve their communication with residents who live or work near active construction sites
  
  
• We also write guidance on how best to plan and maintain hoardings around construction sites. This has particular regard to the experiences of vulnerable footpath and road users
  
  
• We have set up a new service for reviewing, approving and monitoring Construction Management Plans (CMP) and Site Environmental Management Plans (SEMP). This team sits within Public Realm
  
  
• The council is now a CLOCS Champion. This means we must ensure that the movement of  Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGV) around our local road network is properly planned. This planning is part of a Construction Management Plan (CMP) or Construction Logistics Plan (CLP)
  
  
• Finding opportunities for HGV ‘holding areas’ to assist with planning (HGV) construction deliveries across the borough
  
  
• Introducing Construction Awards to promote good practice and innovation during the construction phase of development
  
  
• Researching and recommending how the council can support a Circular Economy for development across the borough; where existing building materials (obtained through demolition) are carefully transformed and traded for re-use in planned new development projects

For further information, please contact development.coordination@towerhamlets.gov.uk.

Code of Construction Practice (CoCP) 2023

Tower Hamlets cabinet approved the Code of Construction Practice 2023 (CoCP) for adoption on the 26 April 2023.

 The Code of Construction Practice (CoCP) is a guidance document setting out:

• Up to date law that covers construction activity and development
• Provides links to policy that refers to construction in the Tower Hamlets Local Plan 2031
• Describes important actions for developers. These actions will allow timely approvals by a variety of council teams. These teams include Planning, Environmental Health, and Highways and Transport
• ‘Best practice’ when planning and managing demolition and construction works across the borough

There have been changes to ‘Working Hours’ in the April 2023 CoCP that mean we will be running two CoCPs alongside each other for a few years.

We cannot apply these new restrictions to developments that have already received planning approval.

The following table gives advice on which CoCP will apply to your development based on when it received planning approval.

Permitted working hours

There have been changes to ‘Working Hours’ in the April 2023 CoCP that mean we will be running two CoCPs alongside each other for a few years.

We cannot apply these new restrictions to developments that already have planning approval. The following table gives advice as to which CoCP will apply to your development depending on when it received planning approval.

Developments seeking amendments to planning approvals issued before 26 April 2023 may have the new 2023 working hours imposed if relevant to the details being amended.

• Download Code of Construction Practice (CoCP 2023)
• Code of Construction Practice (CoCP 2006) is available on request development.coordination@towerhamlets.gov.uk

CoCP working hours comparison

The following table compares the 2006 and 2023 CoCP working hours. It is for a variety of common construction activities for ease of reference.

Construction Hoardings (CoCP 2023)

The following table highlights CoCP 2023 requirements for live greening of hoardings and provision for potential community/schools arts projects.

Construction Management Plan Service

The Construction Management Plan Service (CMP Service) is a new fee-based service to review, approve and monitor Construction Management Plans (CMP) and Site Environmental Management Plans (SEMP). This is done for demolition stage through to final handover or occupation of developments.

For most Strategic and Major schemes, the council require a CMP and an SEMP to be submitted for approval.

This must be done before the start of any construction work on site. The CMP Service will monitor compliance with these documents for the duration of the development. A fee is charged prior to any review and negotiation on CMP/SEMPs.

For further information and useful contacts please visit the CMP Service page.

You will find information on:

• How to contact the service
• Downloadable CMP/SEMP templates for submission
• Fee schedule

 If you have a specific query relating to the submission of the CMP/SEMP, then please contact:

• CMP Service: CMP@towerhamlets.gov.uk  

Construction forums (area based)

The Tower Hamlets Local Plan 2031, Policy D.DG4 states that for new development, developers must attend a Construction Forum. The forum attended must be appropriate to the location of the development.

Every six weeks, the Development Coordination team hosts two online forums. These forums bring together developers and contractors who work in areas that have high levels of construction activity.

The forum aims to improve coordination and foster collaboration between developers, contractors, and the council. The forums provide an opportunity for attendees to:

• Receive updates from the council on policy and guidance that may affect construction activity and planning
• Update on the progress of the works
• Discuss delivery planning challenges, vehicle movements
• Alert teams and residents of approved out-of-hours works
• Alert teams and residents to any planned weekend works
• Arrange walking tours of the area. These will look into access and wayfinding challenges presented by current construction activity. Developers and council officers attend, plus TFL partners
• Any other issues that may affect local residents and businesses

 Currently we host two forums:

• Isle of Dogs Construction Forum (previously known as the ‘Marsh Wall Construction Forum’) has been meeting since July 2021
• City Fringe and East of the Borough Construction Forum set up inMay 2023

Contact the team to join a forum at this email development.coordination@towerhamlets.gov.uk

Marsh Wall cumulative health assessment

In 2022, the council commissioned research which investigated how past and present construction works impact the health of Tower Hamlets residents.

The report summarises how current methods used to address health impacts can be altered to improve health outcomes in the future. 

For more information and to read the summary report visit the Lets Talk Tower Hamlets Health Impact Assessment.

Useful contacts

For planning related queries about development in the borough view the Online Planning Register.

General enquiries can also be made via:

• Duty planner service 020 7364 5009 available from Monday to Friday, 9am to 1pm

You can also contact the following departments if you have a specific question