Further to the S&P hypothesis that planning policy is being driven by a cabal of London Tory councils and developer mates and that removing Whitehall vetoes might well be one crucial indicator, tomorrow's TfL Board meeting is considering something called the Transport for London Bill 2010, which proposes to amend the London devolution settlement including this interesting snippet:

The procedure which applies to the sale of operational land: The current requirement that Secretary of State consent be obtained to sell TfL operational land is proposed to be amended to apply no longer to TfL.

Recall that Earl's Court is a key development site for the 'supercouncil' Conservatives in Hammersmith and Fulham and Kensington and Chelsea and that the land is owned by TfL.  So, is this principled devolution of powers, or a block removed on the flogging off of public land for private profit?

Furthermore this section looks very like a resurrection of a new kind of PPP, months after the last one collapsed:

Formation of limited partnerships: TfL is seeking to extend its power to form bodies corporate so as to enable TfL to become a partner of a limited partnership or to promote and assist, or join with other persons in promoting or assisting, a limited partnership in order to carry on any activities which TfL has power to carry on. Limited partnerships are used in the private sector as an investment vehicle.

All rather worth watching, really.

[x-posted to Boriswatch]