Who needs a UGF calculation?
Every major planning application in Greater London — Policy G5 applies through all borough local plans. Increasingly, boroughs also ask minor schemes in greening-priority areas for a calculation, and several authorities outside London have begun adopting UGF-style policies of their own.
How is the UGF calculated?
Each surface type is multiplied by a factor from London Plan Table 8.2 — 1.0 for semi-natural vegetation, 0.8 or 0.6 for trees depending on their soil volume, 0.7 for intensive green roofs, down to 0.1 for permeable paving — and the weighted areas are totalled and divided by the site area. The result is a single score compared against your target.
What scores well — and what barely counts?
Trees planted in generous soil volumes, intensive green roofs and rain gardens carry the strongest factors. Permeable paving scores only 0.1 — a common and costly surprise in schemes that assumed it would do the heavy lifting. We flag exactly which swaps raise your score fastest.
Can the score exceed 1.0 — and can green walls help?
Yes. Green walls count in the greened area but not the site area under the guidance’s special rule, and tree canopies may legitimately overlap other scored surfaces — so a well-greened scheme can score above 1.0. Both rules are frequently applied wrongly in submitted calculations; ours follow the GLA measurement rules exactly.
What if my scheme cannot reach 0.4?
The target is applied with judgement, but a shortfall needs design effort first and justification second. We advise on the highest-value changes — tree soil volumes, roof build-ups, surface substitutions — before any justification case, because a strengthened scheme is far more likely to be approved.
Do you cover boroughs with their own UGF policies?
Yes — where your borough has adopted its own target or surface weightings, the calculation is run against the local policy as well as Policy G5, so the officer sees compliance in their own terms.
