Agenda and minutes

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Contact: Amanda Thompson
tel. no.: 020 7332 3414  Email: amanda.thompson@cityoflondon.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Deputy Alastair Moss, Peter Dunphy, Alderman Gregory Jones, Alderman Vincent Keaveny, Oliver Lodge, Susan Pearson and Jason Pritchard.

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 1.

2.

Members' Declarations under the Code of Conduct in respect of items on the agenda

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.

3.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 209 KB

To agree the public minutes and summary of the meeting held on 2 May 2017.

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 3.

Minutes:

 

RESOLVED - That the minutes of the meeting held on 21 March 2017 be agreed as a correct record.

 

A Member expressed concern in relation to 11.1 Creed Court which she felt did not adequately reflect the long debate that had taken place or include sufficient details of all the questions and answers, which might need to be relied upon in court should the application go to appeal

 

The Town Clerk responded that the minutes were not intended to provide a verbatim account of proceedings but to provide a record of the decision-making.

 

In response to a question concerning the recording of meetings, the Town Clerk advised that this was not current practice.

 

The Chairman asked Members if this was something they wished to consider but there was no support for the proposal.

 

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

4.

Wardmote pdf icon PDF 182 KB

To consider Orders of the Court of Common Council of 22 March 2017 referring to the Committee resolutions of the Grand Court of Wardmote.

 

 

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 4.

Minutes:

The Committee noted the resolutions as follows –

 

(i) “That the Ward of Dowgate, mindful of the impact of the Bank junction safety project on the adjoining streets (especially Cannon Street), wishes to receive assurances from the City of London Corporation that the impact of the temporary traffic scheme at Bank junction will be properly assessed and monitored in accordance with the modelling that led to the scheme being agreed, and that it will report fully and openly to the residents and businesses of the Ward of Dowgate upon the impact six months after the scheme is implemented.”

 

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

5.

Delegated Decisions Of The Chief Planning Officer and Development Director pdf icon PDF 160 KB

Report of the Chief Planning Officer and Development Director.

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 5.

Minutes:

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.

 

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

 

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

6.

Valid applications list for committee pdf icon PDF 37 KB

Report of the Chief Planning Officer and Development Director.

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 6.

Minutes:

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.

 

RESOLVED – That the report be noted

 

 

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

7.

Reports Relative to Planning Applications

Minutes:

7a

Barbican and Golden Lane Estates - Proposed Conservation Area pdf icon PDF 91 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee received a report of the Director of the Built Environment setting out the steps to be followed for consideration of a new conservation area following a request from Barbican and Golden Lane Estate Residents Association who had requested that a new conservation area be designated by the City to include the Barbican and Golden Lane Estates and surrounding area.

 

In response to a question concerning what the likely costs and timescales would be, the Chief Planning Officer advised that it would take about four months and a full report including the costs would be brought to the Committee in the Autumn.

 

RESOLVED – To

 

1)            Note the report

2)            Agree that assessment and analysis of the proposed area would be carried out in accordance with policy and national guidance; and

3)            Consider the results of this work and if a conservation area should be designated.

 

 

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 7a

7b

Bernard Morgan House 43 Golden Lane London EC1Y 0RS pdf icon PDF 1 MB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee received a report of the Chief Planning Officer (CPO) in respect of the redevelopment of the site for 'Demolition of existing building, retention of existing basement and construction of new residential building to provide 99 dwellings, together with ancillary car parking, hard and soft landscaping and associated works’.

 

The development comprised the demolition of the existing building and the

construction of a new residential building. The height of the proposed building

would range from ten storeys opposite Cripplegate House to six/eight storeys

opposite Bowater House, and would reduce in height along Brackley Street

from ten storeys to four storeys in the southwest corner. Of the 99 private flats

proposed ten would be studio flats, 41 would be one-bedroom flats (including

two duplex flats), 39 would be two-bedroom flats (including ten duplex flats)

and nine would be three-bedroom flats (including two duplex flats).

 

The CPO reported that the Committee’s resolution in respect of the previous Item, to agree the carrying out of an assessment as to whether a conservation area should be designated to include the application site, was material to the consideration of the application. However, the CPO advised that it should be given limited weight as the matter was in very early stages of consideration, and it did not affect the evaluation and recommendation. 

 

The CPO reported that in addition to the representations referred to in the report, a number of other representations had been received subsequently and had been circulated to Members. In addition, an email had been received from solicitors acting for the Bernard Morgan House Liaison Group requesting an adjournment of the Committee’s consideration so that omissions in the Daylight, Sunlight and Overshadowing  evaluation (which it was thought missed out consideration of some windows) could be considered and addressed.  The CPO advised that the

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 7b

8.

Any other Business that the Chairman considers urgent

Minutes:

The Committee received a report of the Director of the Built Environment in relation to the temporary private footbridge across Upper Thames Street at Thames Court which was erected following an agreement reached in 1997 between the CoL Corporation and the owners of Thames Court.  The agreement provided that the owners make the footbridge available for use by the public throughout its operating life.

The report advised that the Thames Court footbridge was now closed and its owners were in discussions with Transport for London, the current local highway authority for Upper Thames Street, about a road closure to allow the footbridge removal works to be undertaken.  Although the footbridge was across Upper Thames Street, parts of the abutments and footings of the footbridge on either side were located on adjoining highways for which the CoL Corporation was the local highway authority.

There was a local desire for the footbridge to be retained although a wider public need for the footbridge had not been demonstrated.  Transport for London (TfL) was willing, without prejudice, to consider having the footbridge vested in TfL as a highway structure in order to allow it to be retained if all parties considered this to be desirable.

Brian Mooney spoke in support of the retention of the footbridge and MOVED an Amendment to Recommendation 3 to state that if neither TfL or the owner of the structure were willing to take over ownership then the CoL Corporation should do so.

The Amendment was SECONDED by Marianne Fredericks.

Discussion ensued and although Members were sympathetic to local residents and retaining the bridge, they sort further clarification on the financial implications of doing so and whether or not the CoL would still be able to take it down at a later date if it required.

The Director of

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

9.

Questions on matters relating to the work of the committee

Minutes:

In response to a question from a Member on the speed of response to developers in discharging planning conditions, particularly in light of all the conditions imposed on the previous application, the Committee heard that  many conditions did not need to be discharged prior to implementation. Where they did, responses would be provided as soon as possible, but due to the information and input involved, it was not always possible to respond  as swiftly as  hoped for.

 

In response to a question from a Member on a policy approach relating to  information on viability being made public, the Committee heard how the City Corporation’s starting point, set out  on its pre-Application website advice,  was that all information provided in connection with planning applications (from  pre-application stage onwards) was publicly available. However, there were  statutory exceptions, and if the person providing the information felt this applied and the CoL Corporation agreed the information was not disclosed. Officers reviewed this on a case by case basis.  Members were also advised that the approach to disclosure and to the viability test in assessing affordable housing contributions and changes of use were being reviewed as part of the Local Plan Review.   However, local policy was required to conform to Government policy, and this made provision for affordable housing contributions to be subject to viability. It was agreed that a Viability Workshop would be useful for Members to better understand the process.

 

 

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

10.

Exclusion of the Public

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.

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 10.

Minutes:

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.

 

 

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

11.

Non-Public questions on matters relating to the work of the Committee

Minutes:

There were no questions.

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

12.

Any other business that the Chairman considers urgent and which the committee agrees should be considered whilst the public are excluded

Minutes:

There were no items.

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.