The second meeting of the NLA Culture Expert Panel focused on a vital question facing London’s future growth: how can culture be meaningfully embedded within the capital’s ongoing development? In response to a growing demand for guidance in this space, the panel is now shaping a Cultural Toolkit for Developers—a practical resource to support those delivering new places to consider culture as a core component of planning and placemaking.

Culture plays a central role in shaping London’s identity, economy, and social fabric. Yet while developers are often expected to include cultural infrastructure within their schemes, there is limited support for understanding how to do this effectively or sustainably. The proposed toolkit aims to address this by offering developers a clearer understanding of the opportunities and responsibilities involved when building in a culturally rich and diverse city.

Rather than prescribing a one-size-fits-all solution, the toolkit will provide a starting point for developers to think more intentionally about how cultural elements can be integrated into different types of development. Drawing on lived experience, policy context, and selected case studies, it will outline broad principles and practical considerations to support culture-led placemaking in a variety of contexts.

The discussion underscored the importance of defining key terms. “Developer” is a broad category encompassing housebuilders, institutional investors, and others—each with different motivations and constraints. Likewise, “culture” must be understood expansively: it is not limited to theatres or galleries, but includes a range of spaces and activities that support community life and creative expression, from cafés and studios to informal gathering places.

Participants noted the importance of recognising the city’s cultural ecology—not just its venues, but the people, organisations, and informal networks that underpin cultural life. The toolkit will aim to reflect this complexity, while remaining accessible and relevant to those working in development and planning. It will also build on, rather than duplicate, the work of the Greater London Authority and other partners, ensuring alignment with current policy frameworks.

A key concern raised was the need to move beyond superficial cultural commitments. The toolkit will offer reflections on how to avoid these pitfalls and foster longer-term cultural value.

The panel also discussed the uneven distribution of cultural investment across London’s boroughs. While some areas receive concentrated support, others remain overlooked. A city-wide approach is therefore essential, one that encourages consistency and ambition regardless of postcode.

Importantly, the toolkit will seek to bridge the gap in language and priorities between the cultural and development sectors. Where the former often speaks in terms of values and social outcomes, the latter tends to operate through the lenses of viability, returns, and planning obligations. Finding common ground is essential if culture is to be taken seriously in future development.

As the capital continues to grow and change, this work offers an opportunity to ensure that culture remains not only present, but meaningfully embedded in the places Londoners live, work, and gather.