Part 3: Planning Electronic inspection of spatial development strategy Section 21: Mayor of London’s spatial development strategy: electronic inspection
Section 21 temporarily modifies the effect of section 43 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 ("GLAA") which is to be read as if new subsections 4A and 4B were inserted in it (see subsection (1)).
	Section 43 of the GLAA requires the Mayor of London to take steps to give adequate publicity to his strategies (which include strategies in relation to transport, economic development and regeneration, spatial development, biodiversity, municipal waste management, air quality, ambient noise and culture), to make the current versions of them available for public inspection at the Greater London Authority’s offices and other suitable places, and to provide them at a reasonable cost to any person who asks for them. A spatial development strategy is a strategy that the Mayor is required to produce setting out strategic planning policies for London (see section 334 of the GLAA).
	New subsection (4A) of section 43 removes the requirement to make the current version of the spatial development strategy available for inspection at the Greater London Authority’s offices, and other suitable places, and to provide the strategy at a reasonable cost to any person who asks for it, if a copy of the current version of the strategy is available for inspection free of charge by appropriate electronic means. New subsection (4B) provides that the current version of the spatial development strategy is available for inspection "by appropriate electronic means" if: (a) arrangements have been made such that it is available for inspection by electronic means in a reasonably convenient way, and (b) in deciding what arrangements to make, the Mayor has had regard to any guidance issued by the Secretary of State as to (i) how it should be made available by electronic means; and (ii) the arrangements (if any) that may be appropriate to mitigate the effects on a person of not being able to inspect a copy of the strategy, or finding it difficult to do so, by electronic means.
	Section 21(2) provides that this measure will expire at the end of 31 December 2020. Subsection (3) enables the Secretary of State to make regulations substituting the date specified in subsection (3) for the time being with a later date if he considers it reasonable to do so to mitigate an effect of coronavirus.