Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Deputy Kevin Everett, Deputy Alistair Moss and Oliver Sells (Deputy Chairman).

The Chairman advised the Sub-Committee that Christopher Hill had offered to take over from Deputy Kevin Everett as the appointed representative of the Port Health & Environmental Services Committee on the Sub-Committee. Both Members were happy with this change which was likely to be actioned at the next meeting of Port Health & Environmental Services Committee.

There were no declarations.

To agree the public minutes and summary of the meeting held on 4 December 2018.

RESOLVED – That the public minutes and non-public summary of the meeting held on 4 December 2018 be agreed as a correct record.

Report of the Town Clerk.

The Sub-Committee received a list of outstanding actions.

Swan Pier

The City Surveyor advised the Sub-Committee that the contractor had been appointed and had started to set up the site and finalise licenses. The project was on programme with no current issues. The contractors were taking the old pier out so that works to the flood defence wall could be carried out, and would leave it so that the pier could be re-established following the work.

22 Bishopsgate

The Director of the Built Environment advised the Sub-Committee that 95% of the details of the legal agreement had been agreed. A proposal had been drafted to break the impasse on the remaining negotiations which had been circulated to the Chairman and Deputy Chairman for information. The Chairman advised that he was satisfied with the proposals and advised officers to proceed.

Dockless Cycles

The Director of the Built Environment advised that discussions with the cycle hire operators were continuing. There had been additional approaches from operators about electric cycle schemes, but officers had asked them not to move to set up any such scheme until the Transport Strategy had been adopted.

A Member advised that they had had seen an electric cycle scheme operator presentation and had been impressed. The scheme had better technology than some of the existing schemes and could be a promising route forward. The Chairman added that he would be meeting with an operator next week.

Beech Street

The Chairman advised the Sub-Committee that he was continuing to meet with his counterpart from the London Borough of Islington and had discussed a possible two-way closure. A report on that would be brought back to Committee.

The Director of the Built Environment added that officers were also meeting with Islington to discuss possible closure plans and the ramifications for

Report of the Director of the Built Environment

The Sub-Committee considered a report of the Director of the Built Environment seeking approval to restart the All Change at Bank project, align it with the changes in the corporate project management processes and governance, incorporate the corporate plan outcomes, and seeking Members guidance on the trajectory of change desired at Bank to focus the design efforts and minimise the length of the programme. The Chairman reminded Members that the All Change at Bank project had been put on hold whilst the Bank on Safety scheme had been completed, and now officers sought authority to restart the project, and instruction from Members on how to develop the scheme.

The strategic options presented for consideration all had the possibility of allowing some traffic through the junction. The Chairman added that whilst he did not want to debate the point, the Sub-Committee should note that there was still support amongst some Members for permitting taxis to use the junction, and reported comments he had received from Members detailing the reasons for their support.

The Director of the Built Environment introduced the report and gave a short presentation setting out the project timeline to date, project objectives, each strategic option for consideration and indicative timescales for the project. The recommendation was to proceed with option 2, working towards semi-pedestrian priority with areas for place activity. This provided balance which most closely reflected the responses to consultations and previous Members debate. Guidance on how the options worked against the project objectives was set out as an appendix to the report.

Members then discussed the strategic options. Some Members felt that option 1 should be the Corporation’s ultimate aspiration for the junction, but that this may be a longer-term vision. If another option was taken, the scheme should be implemented in a way which kept

Report of the Director of the Built Environment

The Sub-Committee considered a report of the Director of the Built Environment presenting detailed design information and costs for Phase 1 of the Greening Cheapside project. The Director of the Built Environment introduced the report and gave a short presentation setting out the two phases of the project and key observations. The recommendation was to approve the proposed design and details set out in the report relating to the budget.

A Member suggested that the plans might benefit from more bins, as the area tended to attract litter and particularly cigarette butts. The area should also be designed to be unattractive to skateboarders.

A Member queried whether there were plans to redesign the exit to the tube station, as the current area was a cluttered design with a busy coffee bar, a map that was often vandalised and a number of street obstructions. The area could be significantly improved if the station building was improved. A Member added that no solution to the existing issues with wayfinding were proposed, although it might not be within the Corporation’s power to change the station building. Members asked that the Phase 2 report be submitted to Streets & Walkways Sub-Committee as well as the Open Spaces & City Gardens Committee.

A Member said that many people may still try to sit on the wall of the plant bed, and suggested making the wall deeper so that the plants were not disturbed. The Member added that he recalled the Corporation had tried to do something about the exit to the station in the past and had decided against it due to cost or another issue. A Member suggested requesting a message giving directions over the PA system within the station.

A Member asked what the anticipated budget for Phase 1B was, and how it was decided

Report of the Director of Markets and Consumer Protection

The Sub-Committee considered a report of the Director of Markets and Consumer Protection concerning the proposed pilot scheme to introduce an ultra-low emission vehicle (ULEV) access only restriction at the southern section of Moor Lane in April 2019.

The Director of Markets and Consumer Protection introduced the report. It was proposed to postpone the pilot scheme for up to 6 months to avoid confusion with the Mayor of London’s Ultra-Low Emission Zone. The pilot scheme had been out to consultation with responses received.

A Member said that they were troubled by some of the responses to the consultation, and queried whether the questions posed by Noble & Associates, set out on page 81 of the agenda, could be answered, and whether the scheme represented value for money.

A Member added that the responses to the consultation had been interesting. The proposed postponement was understandable but possible confusion would need to be dealt with eventually regardless, particularly with regards to signage and definitions of ULEV. The Member was not opposed to the pilot scheme but felt there were questions to answer. As the scheme was being postponed anyway, it was suggested that more thought should be put into the scheme and a report brought back to Committee with clearer proposals.

A Member said that the pilot schemes originated through funding from the Mayor of London and one of the key purposes was to remove traffic from Beech Street. If this could not be delivered, then the funding should be returned or rerouted to the Beech Street project.

A Member drew the Sub-Committee’s attention to the response from the LTDA, who raised a valid point about rapid charging points. Not enough of them had been delivered and the Corporation could not insist on electric taxis without sufficient provision. A Member suggested that if

Report of the Director of the Built Environment

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Director of the Built Environment reviewing the use of the City’s permanent Anti-Terrorism Traffic Regulation Order (ATTRO) which was used only once in 2018, namely for the New Year’s Eve celebrations as part of the Metropolitan Police-led operation. The Director of the Built Environment introduced the report and advised the Sub-Committee that officers felt the system in place was proportionate and challenged police effectively.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

There were no questions.

There was no other business.

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

12                                                                    3

13 – 14                                                            -

To agree the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 4 December 2018.

RESOLVED – That the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 4 December 2018 be agreed as a correct record.

There were no questions.

There was no other business.