Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Deputy Jamie Ingham Clark.

Alderman Alison Gowman declared an interest in Item 5 by virtue of living in the vicinity of Beech Street.

Graham Packham declared an interest in Item 6 by virtue of living in the vicinity of Tudor Street.

To agree the public minutes and non-public summary of the meeting held on 3 July 2018.

The Committee noted that Alderman Alison Gowman had given her apologies for the previous meeting and this was not recorded in the minutes.

RESOLVED – That, pending the above correction, the minutes of the meeting held on 3 July 2018 be approved as a correct record.

Report of the Town Clerk.

The Committee received a list of outstanding references.

Swan Pier

The City Surveyor advised the Committee that work was on target for completion in February 2019.

Members queried whether the works related to the pier itself or the flood defence wall, and whether there would be any legal ramifications if the pier was taken out, even temporarily. The Chairman asked for officers to prepare a response to all Members of the sub-Committee as there was some confusion around the project.

22 Bishopsgate

The Director of the Built Environment advised the Committee that the negotiations over public realm improvements had been successful. It was hoped that a legal agreement with the developer would be in place by October 2018 and that work could start in late October or early November 2018.

The Sub-Committee noted that Dockless Bikes was on the agenda for the meeting, and that a report on ATTRO had been received by the Planning & Transportation Committee on 26 July 2018. Members asked that an annual report on ATTRO be submitted.

Members asked that two items be added to the list of Outstanding References:

Committee Structure

Members had previously discussed asking the Port Health and Environmental Services Committee to nominate a Member to the Sub-Committee, to ensure pollution issues were tied in with the Sub-Committee’s discussions. Members agreed that the Planning & Transportation Committee should be asked to amend the terms of reference of the Sub-Committee to include one member of the Port Health & Environmental Services Committee, and to invite the Port Health & Environmental Services Committee to nominate one Member to the Streets & Walkways Sub-Committee.

Fann Street

The Director of the Built Environment advised the Sub-Committee that further work had been done to improve the street from U-turning traffic. An independent study had been undertaken which had resolved that it would

Report of the Director of the Built Environment

The Sub-Committee considered a report of the Director of the Built Environment concerning the Beech Street Transport and Public Realm Project. The report had been resubmitted following its original submission in July, with increased scope for the project, an increased emphasis on air quality, and more consideration given to the possibility of a City-wide traffic model which could be applied to the area.

This model could have several aspirational City schemes input into it to understand cumulative traffic impacts, more discussions are to follow between City officers and TfL as well as Islington Council who were working on a project for the Clerkenwell Road area. Officers had also undertaken structural investigation work and ground radar surveys were ongoing.

The Chairman noted that 2024 felt like a long timescale, and that if there were options to bring this forward they should be explored, including high-level political intervention if necessary. A Member suggested that this could be an opportunity to work closely and cooperate with TfL as a way forward. The Director of the Built Environment advised that officers had been working with TfL and had offered the City as a pilot for their model.

Members discussed the timescales of the project, noting that whilst 2024 was an unattractive target, in light of the scale and significance of the project it might be necessaryand that it was comparable to other similarly complex projects such as Aldgate. The Chairman concurred but felt it was necessary to keep pressing on this project, politically and with TfL, and it was agreed that regular updates should be provided to the Committee as a standing item. It was important for the project to be done correctly and with minimal impact on neighbours. A Member suggested that it might be more efficient to simply ban polluting vehicles

Report of the Director of the Built Environment

(To be read in conjunction with the non-public appendix at Item 15)

The Chairman proposed that the item be withdrawn, as the other planned activities in the area meant that funding for the project in its present guise was unlikely to be agreed. The timing was not right, and a number of issues including which projects would be deferred needed to be settled before the project could proceed.

A Member requested that a report or a presentation be brought to the Sub-Committee on the Temple Area Traffic Study, as it would inform future decisions. The Member was also concerned with the arrangements of using a third-party transport consultant to review the Embankment access. Another Member queried what the City was doing regarding a recent injury collision at the Tudor Street/New Bridge Street junction.

The Sub-Committee was advised that as part of the Temple Area Traffic Review project, a further report setting out the findings would be submitted to this committee soon. The arrangements to use a third party had previously been agreed by Members.  The Sub-Committee was assured that any proposals would be scrutinised by Corporation officers who would undertake their own due diligence and provide advice on anything brought before Members. A copy of this agreed arrangement will be circulated. The Sub-Committee was advised that officers would continue to discuss the safety performance of the current junction with TfL to see what safety improvements they could make.

The Sub-Committee agreed to withdraw the item.

Report of the Director of the Built Environment

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Director of the Built Environment giving further detail on additional funds sought for the Bank on Safety scheme, subject to the outcome of the decisions of the Policy & Resources Committee and Court of Common Council on 6 September 2018 and 13 September 2018 respectively.

The Director of the Built Environment gave Members an overview of the small package of enhancement works planned in advance of the All Change at Bank project. Members noted the proposed timescale set out in the report, and that resources would be allocated to complete the works as quickly as possible.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

Report of the Director of the Built Environment

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Director of the Built Environment concerning adoption of the City Lighting Strategy. The strategy would introduce significant changes including upgrades to LED lights. The public consultation on the strategy had been well-received. There would be an emphasis on linking the strategy with the planning process as this had been a consistent feature in consultation feedback, and officers were looking at producing a guidance note for developers to this end.

Members praised the strategy and commended officers for their work, adding that the consultations had been very well-organised. Members of the Sub-Committee endorsed the recommendations that would be put to the Planning & Transportation Committee on 11 September 2018.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

Report of the Director of the Built Environment

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Director of the Built Environment concerning the City of London Corporation’s dockless cycle hire policy. Officers had reviewed the policy and confirmed that the Corporation does not have the power to prevent dockless cycle operators from operating within the City, but has the power to remove cycles if they were deemed to be causing an obstruction, danger or nuisance.

The recommendation was that officers would investigate whether additional management measures could be applied pending the adoption of the City’s new Transport Policy and in the meantime the Corporation could be more proactive in removing cycles in accordance with the Street Obstructions Policy. The Sub-Committee was advised that TfL was consulting on devising a London-wide byelaw which would enable the Corporation to licence dockless bike operators in coordination with other boroughs and TfL.

The Comptroller & City Solicitor drew the Sub-Committee's attention to the legal advice set out in the report. Whilst Members' frustrations were understandable, the matter had been looked at very carefully, and the general law does not permit the City to ban operators from operating in the City. Officers were continuing to work closely with the operators, and the Corporation retained the right to remove any dockless bikes that were an obstruction, nuisance or danger.

Members suggested that the opportunity be taken to undergo a wider review of the Corporation's Street Obstruction Policy to reconsider issues such as A-boards, road signs, and people congregating in large numbers to drink outside pubs. The current Street Obstructions Policy was agreed in 2014 and may need to be updated given the greater number of pedestrians in the City today. Members asked that a report be brought back on street obstructions generally.

A Member commented that the City had power to prosecute obstructions of the highway.

A Member asked about the current situation with Cadent, and what formal work was being done to address it. The Director of the Built Environment responded that central London as a whole was experiencing the same issues as the City due to the age of the gas main network in place. There had been 8 major gas main failures recently, and officers were pushing for the mains to be replaced rather than repaired. However, the Tideway project and potential closure to Embankment could cause delay to this work. A report would be brought to the Planning & Transportation Committee on plans for 2019 when more details about Tideway were known.

A Member reported that on Saturday 11 August 2018 a mass cycling event organised via Facebook had come through the City and had resulted in a number of incidents including pedestrians being hit and intimidated, and asked what officers knew about the incident. The Director of the Built Environment responded that a large anti-knife crime event had been organised, and that a Metropolitan Police escort had been arranged to monitor the event. A Member advised officers that incidents had been reported and received crime numbers. Officers were asked to look into the matter and provide a written response to Members.

A Member requested that officers give an update to Members regarding the delay to the opening of Crossrail. The Director of the Built Environment responded that officers were disappointed about the delays, but it had become clear that although the Crossrail project at Farringdon East was on course to be completed by the original deadline, Liverpool Street/Moorgate was falling behind. In response to a query from a Member, the Director of the Built Environment responded that full funding for the public realm works had been received for Farringdon East and Moorfields,

There was none.

MOTION – That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business 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 as follows:-

RESOLVED – That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

Item No.                                              Exempt Paragraphs

13 - 15                                                             3

16 - 17                                                             -

To agree the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 3 July 2018.

RESOLVED – That the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 3 July 2018 be agreed as a correct record.

Report of the Director of the Built Environment

The Sub-Committee considered a report of the Director of the Built Environment.

To be read in conjunction with the report at Item 6.

The item was withdrawn.

There was a non-public question.

There was no other business.