Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Alderman Alison Gowman and Oliver Lodge.  The Chairman apologised for lateness.

Marianne Fredericks and Sylvia Moys declared a non-pecuniary interest in respect of item 5 as Members of the City of London Boy School.

To agree the public minutes and summary of the meeting held on 16 September 2013.

RESOLVED - the Minutes of the meeting held on 16 September 2013 be approved as a correct record subject to the following sentence being included in paragraph 2 of item 6 (Fleet and Plumtree Court Public Realm and Security Improvements) – ‘Members expressed concern over the limited area of the Section 106.’

Beating the Bounds (Item 3) – Members were informed that the poor weather conditions had affected the turnout of the event which attracted around 100 motorcyclists.  Members noted that another motorcyclist event had taken place that same day in Brighton.  In light of this, very few complaints had been received and minimal road closures were required on the day.

Ludgate Hill Crossing Review (Item 5) – Members were informed that funding had not yet been secured from Transport for London, however, an application had been submitted.  A further update would be provided at the next meeting.

A report of the Director of the Built Environment was considered in respect of the Middlesex Street Area Project.

During discussion, reference was made to the following –

·        Consultation process - Members were informed that as part of the consultation processes issues in respect of the enhancement of areas, co-ordination of maintenance, licensing and trespassing had arisen.  Issues such as the positioning of tables and chairs would be addressed as part of the detailed design stage.

·        Design - Members were advised that the design of the carriageway would be similar to those at Whitecross Street and Cheapside. 

·        Signage – As part of the project, signage on Widegate Street had been accounted for.

·        Christmas lights – In response to a question, the Assistant Director advised that Officers were looking at the capital costs being borne by the City and discussions around on-going maintenance costs for the lights were being undertaken between the Corporation and the market traders.

·        The use of York Stone was queried and the Assistant Director advised that by varying the module of the York Stone and in this case reducing it, this would mitigate the risk of cracking where there were high levels of trafficking.

Members were informed that Option 3 under Financial Implications on page 18 of the report should read – “The first five years maintenance costs (£815,000) for the new planting…”

RESOLVED – That,

a)     new signage and way finding in the project area be implemented and funded by £6,000 from 201 Bishopsgate Section 106 agreement;

b)     Phase 1 of the project proceed to Gateway 5 (authorisation to start works) and be funded by £96, 571 from 201 Bishopsgate Section 106 agreement;

c)     Option 2 be approved at a total cost between £850,000 to £932,000 to be funded by 201 Bishopsgate Section

Consideration was given to a report of the Director of the Built Environment in respect of 40 – 45 Chancery Lane (Section 106 prioritisation).

It was agreed that Christmas lighting should be included in the list of potential enhancements, along with Quality Court to be funded from Section 106 monies with negotiations to progress with the Chancery Lane Association on future maintenance costs.

RESOLVED - The projects outlined below be progressed to the detailed design stage (in order of priority).  The delivery and scale of Quality Court and Christmas Lighting would be subject to funds remaining upon completion of the raised crossovers and Southampton Buildings.

i)                 Raised crossovers at two locations on Chancery Lane to improve accessibility and connectivity;

ii)                Closure to traffic of the eastern end of Southampton Buildings and the creation of a new ‘pocket space’; and

iii)              Public realm improvements to Quality Court to enhance the character of the courts and alleyways off Chancery Lane, and Christmas Lighting in Chancery Lane, subject to negotiations with the Chancery Lane Association on future maintenance costs.

A report of the Director of the Built Environment was considered in relation to the Aldgate Highway Changes and Public Realm Improvement project.

During discussion, reference was made to the following –

·             Members noted that on St Botolph Street there would be a general narrowing of the carriageway with a formal crossing.  The design of the crossing would take account of the increasing number of pedestrians and would include a timer, a feature of most new crossings.

·             It was noted that by the time construction of the project had begun, the proposed 20mph speed limit would be in place.

·             One Member highlighted the importance of the safety of pedestrians and that the positioning of the bus station needed to be given careful consideration to respond to traffic flow.  Members noted that Officers were liaising with Transport for London on this matter.

·             Concern had been raised by the Open Spaces Committee about on-going revenue costs, for example for the proposed water feature. Revenue costs might be funded by larger up-front payments to cover a longer period of running costs.

·             Members were informed that more work would be undertaken to address issues regarding pollution from stationary vehicles and a response explaining a plan to address this would be submitted to the nearby residents.

·             One Member advised that at a meeting between Ward Members it was considered that the project should not move forward unless the cycle way through the open space was relocated to below ground level.  In response, the Assistant Director agreed to contact the Ward Members to arrange a meeting to discuss the concerns raised.

·             Members noted that details regarding the design, funding and operation of the kiosk were not contained in the report however; the Assistant Director explained that these were being investigated by the working party and would

In response to a question from a Member, Officers informed the Committee that gas repair work on London Wall had been undertaken, and although the utility had found it difficult to access their plant due to other underground services, London Wall had now been reopened.

There was one item of urgent business in relation to Riverside Walk

The project for landscaping on the Riverside Walk, adjacent to the City of London Boys School required ground condition bore holes to be carried out and were approved by Committee in June at a cost of £18,895. These costs were required to ascertain the deep ground conditions and minimise potential risk on below ground structures and the river wall, and commenced in August.  Unfortunately, the drilling of the bore holes had to be halted at 7 Metres below ground, due to striking an ‘unidentified ferrous object’. Mindful of the potential for this to be a piece of unexploded WWII ordnance, Officers in consultation with the Town Clerk and City Surveyor put in place further urgent investigative works, involving adjacent drilling to allow access for detection equipment. Thankfully this investigation concluded that the object was highly unlikely to be ordnance and the object can be left in place.

Carrying out this urgent investigation required expenditure above the level agreed for the initial bore holes. Initial estimates were that an additional £24,000 would be required to carry out the investigations. However, difficult ground conditions in this area, related to instability from below ground voids and buried building material meant that 3 additional boreholes were attempted. The final cost of this investigation was now £48,965. Detailed breakdown of these costs are in Table below.