Westminster City Council will this week adopt a brand new planning policy to enable rainbow 'freedom' flags to be flown in Soho.
The policy was necessary after Soho's Prowler store fell foul of planning guidelines over the erection of flagpoles and display of flags.
Prowler was denied planning permission for a flagpole outside its premises as Westminster's planning committee felt the application was in conflict
with the council's planning policy.
Now Westminster has moved to draw up a new policy to protect the tradition of flying rainbow flags in Soho and it will be adopted this week.
The new policy removes the need for most premises along Old Compton Street and Brewer Street to apply for planning permission if they wish to erect a single
flagpole at fascia level.
Buildings which are listed will have to apply for listed building consent as normal if they wish to fly a flag.
Westminster's cabinet member for planning, Cllr Robert Davis, said he felt the new policy would meet the concerns of Soho's gay community.
"The flying of rainbow flags is an important tradition in this part of Soho and it was unfortunate that our planning policies were not flexible
enough to accommodate the flag and flagpole at the Prowler store," he said.
"But we have responded to that problem by changing our guidelines and now have a new policy, which will enable this tradition to carry on.
"As a local authority we have to be responsible custodians of the city but we can always improve the way we do things. Hopefully this change in
policy will be seen as a small, but important, improvement."
London Mayor Ken Livingstone welcomed the news, hailing the decision as "great progress" for "one of the most lesbian and gay friendly
cities in the world."
"This welcome U-turn by Westminster follows the decision by Bromley to allow lesbian and gay partnership ceremonies and holiday firm Sandals to
stop discriminating against gay copuples after we banned discriminatory ads from the transport system," Livingstone said.
"It shows that if you stand up to bigotry you can win in 21st century London."
Courtesy of the
Rainbownetwork