Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Sir Mark Boleat, Deputy Keith Bottomley, Sophie Anne Fernandes, Alderman Gregory Jones QC, Barbara Newman, Jason Pritchard and Deputy James Thomson.

There were no declarations.

To agree the public minutes and non-public summary of the meeting held on 25 July 2017.

RESOLVED - That the minutes of the meeting held on 25 July 2017 be approved as a correct record.

Report of the Chief Planning Officer and Development Director.

The Committee received a report of the Chief Planning Officer and

Development Director in respect of development and advertisement

applications dealt with under delegated authority.

A Member asked if in future it would be possible to have an explanation of the abbreviations given in the graph.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

Report of the Chief Planning Officer and Development Director.

The Committee received a report of the Chief Planning Officer and

Development Director which provided details of valid planning applications

received by the department since the last meeting.

A Member highlighted the fact that given the period of time since the last meeting, some of  the applications would already have been dealt with under delegated powers.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

Report of the City Surveyor.

The Committee received a report of the City Surveyor providing an update in

respect of the status of public lifts and escalators in the City.

RESOLVED: That the report be received and its content noted.

Report of the Senior Planning Officer.

The Committee received a report of the CPO in relation to the demolition of the

existing building and erection of a new building at 6-8 Bishopsgate and 150 Leadenhall Street London.

The CPO advised that the proposed development would provide a significant increase in flexible officeaccommodation, retail uses and publicly accessible space on this site, whichwould assist in meeting the needs of the financial and business services of theCity as well as visitors. The Assistant Director  (Design) further described the proposals. 

Members asked a number of questions concerning the pavement space at ground level and the impact on the safety of pedestrians and cyclists, whether or not advertising boards could be prohibited, what the consolidation arrangements were, whether or not the S106 Agreement could include the developer addressing any resulting wind tunnel and general safety issues, and whether or not the design could be improved to prevent the reduction of space at ground level.

Debate ensued and while many Members spoke in support of the application, they also expressed concern about the lack of pavement space and the risks to pedestrians. It was noted that the proximity of the proposed building to the new Crossrail station would also increase the number of pedestrians in the area.

Officers advised that appropriate highway measures would be secured through S.278 arrangements as part of the S106 Agreement, and obstructions on the pavement would also be prohibited.

The Director of the Built Environment advised that there was currently an area strategy in place for the area and suggested these issues could be looked at again as part of that.

The CPO suggested that were the Committee minded to approve the application, it would be possible to do so and refer any S278 agreements and related highway requirements back to the Committee

The Committee received a further report on the acquisition of the footbridge which had previously been considered on 23 May and 25 July 2017.

Members expressed frustration that no progress had been made since the meeting on 23 May, given that the bridge had been closed since October 2016.

They questioned why an initial assessment of the bridge had not been carried out between 25 July and the current time and why the issue was being brought back to the committee. A query was also raised on how the process of making a decision on the bridge by the CoL could take 12 months.

Officers advised that the main issue being brought back to committee related to the vesting of the bridge and whether the committee wished to authorise this before the structure could be  comprehensively assessed. The decision to assess the structure  had been agreed to by Committee on 25 July.

Even though the structural surveys werepromptly commissioned, the appointed surveyors had to wait for a date to access to the highway from TfL. This delay had also meant that there had been no opportunity for approval of any project through the Gateway process.

Members expressed the view that given the bridge would be of use to all in the City, not just those in the locality, it was essential that ownership be transferred to the CoL as soon as possible so that the project could proceed to the Gateway process.

RESOLVED – That the owners be advised that the CoL wish to acquire the Thames Court Footbridge and that a project be initiated through the Gateway procedure to bring it back into use.

This item was withdrawn.

The Committee considered a report on the need for electric vehicle (EV) charging in the City of London. The report proposed an overarching policy on charging for electric vehicles, balancing the benefit of providing charging facilities within the Square Mile at appropriate locations whilst guarding against the generation of additional vehicle trips and minimising the impact on the public realm.

Members noted that the report proposed placing rapid charging points for taxis in Baynard House car park and raised concerns on this location, noting that charging points at taxi ranks might be more useful. Members added that the location in a car park might attract additional vehicles to the City solely to use the charging points.

Some Members raised their concerns on the low number of charging points proposed and stated that the City should lead the way in this field. Others considered the paper to set out a proportional response to the need for charging points and that in addition to taxis, private cars should be able to use the rapid charging points

The Director of Transportation and Public Realm explained that Officers had worked with TfL and consulted taxi drivers in order to offer the appropriate number of charging points in locations that would be used by drivers. Officers believed that at the current time, given the low number of zero emission taxis likely to be in service in 2018, the new provision would be adequate. It was important to provide a service to the vehicles within the City, but a balance had to be struck in order to ensure the charging points were not an attraction for drivers who did not ordinarily travel into the City, as this would exacerbate the issues of congestion and pollution. The Director also explained that a sample of taxi drivers had

The Committee received a report previously considered by the Streets and Walkways Sub-Committee on 5 September 2017 concerning the alternative junction layout and delivery of mitigation measures at Tudor Street/New Bridge Street.

The report sought agreement for officers to work with TfL to confirm whether the new alternative layout was viable through detailed design and modelling, and drew Members’ attention to the fact that if it is found to be so, then the cost would be in excess of £2.3M for which funding had not currently been identified.

The Committee noted that the recommendations had been approved by the Streets and Walkways Sub-Committee and would be considered at the Court of Common Council on the 12 October 2017.

RESOLVED -To

1)            Agree that officers continue to work with TfL and representatives of the

Temples to establish the viability of the new layout through detailed design, and traffic modelling, and

2)            Endorse officers to investigate possible funding options for the scheme.

At the end of this item, and in respect of Standing Order No. 40, the Chairman sought the Committee’s consent to extend the meeting to allow for the remaining business to be considered. This was put to the meeting and AGREED.

The Committee received a report concerning the CoL’s response to the Mayor of London’s draft Transport Strategy (MTS) which was published on 21 June 2017, and set out the Mayor’s policies and proposals for transport to 2041.

Members were supportive of the Strategy and welcomed the emphasis on traffic reduction, however suggested that a number of responses should be strengthened in relation to ensuring a balanced approach to managing both taxis and  Private Hire Vehicles (PHVs), reducing emissions from both petrol and diesel PHVs and the City Corporation’s support for the expansion of Heathrow. Also measures to reduce the number of fatalities needed to be immediate, not in the future.

Members also highlighted the need to make more use of the river as a means of transportation, the potential to improve the Congestion Charge, and the need to ensure street improvements consider the needs of all users.

RESOLVED – That the CoL Corporation’s response to the Mayor’s Transport Strategy be agreed subject to the comments made.

The Committee received a report concerning the proposed CoL policy statement on proposed dockless cycle hire,  in response to the commercial dockless cycle hire operations that were beginning to launch in London and were likely to affect the City.

The report also set out proposals to manage the operation of dockless cycle hire in the Square Mile through Transport for London?s (TfL) Code of Practice.

RESOLVED  to

1)         Approve the proposed City Corporation Policy Statement on dockless cycle hire set out in paragraph 13 of the report; and

2)         Endorse and adopt the TfL Dockless Cycle Hire Code of Conduct

RESOLVED to declare an area of City Fund highway land measuring 2,739 ft2

(254.46 m2) to be wholly surplus to highway requirements and further City

Fund highway land measuring 1,301 ft2 (120.87 m2) surplus to highway

requirements only in respect of the airspace and subterranean parts thus

ensuring retention of the highway stratum for the continuing highway functions

therein and all situated at Bishopsgate, Undershaft and Great St Helen's EC2

as shown on the annexed plan to enable disposal upon terms including

necessary datum levels all to be approved by the Corporate Asset Sub

Committee and Finance Committee and the Court of Common Council.

RESOLVED  to declare a volume of City Fund highway land above an area of

highway measuring 78 ft2 (7.2m2) situated in Great Swan Alley, EC2 to be

surplus to highway requirements to enable its disposal upon terms to be

approved by the Corporate Asset Sub Committee and subject to the City

Corporation retaining ownership of the highway and the continuing highway

functions.

RESOLVED to note the report and the actions taken in the Department of the BuiltEnvironment to monitor and manage effectively risks arising from the

department’s operations.

Report of the Town Clerk and Cultural Hub Director.

The Committee received a report concerning the development of the new cultural strategy which had been designed to fully reflect the organisation’s activities across arts, culture, heritage and learning and its new and emerging ambitions.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

Report of the Director of Markets & Consumer Protection.

The Committee considered a report on the Draft Code of Practice for Deconstruction and Construction Sites Eighth Edition 2017. The report highlighted the Code's aim to set out simply and clearly what constituted acceptable site practice within the City, and to assist developers, architects, engineers and construction professionals to prepare Schemes of Protective Works required for the planning process, to plan, cost and manage the environmental issues which arose in the industry.

A member raised a query regarding Saturday morning construction work, and it was confirmed that Port Health Committee had instructed officers to investigate and consult on a further amendment to the Code prohibiting Saturday morning construction work.

RESOLVED – That

1)        The Code be approved and published on 3 October 2017;

2)        The introduction of the proposed monitoring contribution fees set out in Appendix L of the Code be approved with effect from 3 October 2017; and

3)        The amendments to the Standard Panning Conditions as shown in Appendix Four be endorsed.

A Member expressed concern that the paint marking left on the roads by Thames Tideway were still there despite the CoL previously seeking assurance that these would be washed away.

The Director of Transportation and Public Realm advised that it had been established that Thames Tideway had used permanent rather than the correct soluble paint and it was agreed that Thames Tideway be asked to meet the full costs of cleaning up the area.

There were no items of urgent business.

MOTION – That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of the Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

RESOLVED - That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

To agree the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 25 July 2017.

RESOLVED - That the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 25 July 2017 be approved as correct record.

The Committee considered a report relating to the closure of the London Wall Car Park.

The Committee considered a report in relation to the development of the site of 15/16 Minories and 62 Aldgate High Street.

The non-public questions were noted.

The Committee received a short update on the latest position with regard to Bernard Morgan House.