Agenda item

The Committee received a report of the City Surveyor seeking approval to declare an area totalling 24.243 sq m (261 sq ft) of City Fund highway land at Fenchurch Street and Leadenhall Street EC3 (above ground, and to be restricted by upper and lower datum levels) to be surplus to highway requirements, to allow its disposal and enable the development scheme which was being proposed by Vanquish Properties (managed by TH Real Estate).

The Committee was advised that the City Corporation regularly granted suitable land interests to owners and developers whose permitted schemes encompassed City owned highway, for the purpose of promoting long term development. In order to grant third party interests in City Fund highway land, the affected parts first needed to be declared surplus to highway requirements.

In response to questions concerning why the matter was not dealt with when planning permission was originally granted and whether or not public highway status would be lost, the Committee was advised that the request had not been made at the time and the existing highway stratum would remain public highway unless that status was removed by a stopping-up order.

The Deputy Chairman advised that the Committee was being asked to consider the highways issue not the disposal issue which would be separately reported for approval to the Property Investment Board.

A Member raised the question of whether or not consideration should be given to the introduction of a new policy when dealing with matters such as these and it was agreed that officers should report back on this issue.

RESOLVED –That:

1.  approval be given to declare the airspace areas of City Fund highway land at Fenchurch Street and Leadenhall Street, EC3 with a combined total of 24.243 sq m (261 sq ft) as shown on the plan at Appendix 1 of the report and described in Appendix 2 (Parcel nos. 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15 and 16) to be surplus to highway requirements to enable its disposal upon terms that are to be subject to the approval of the Property Investment Board; and

2.  the Director of the Built Environment be requested to report back on the merits of the introduction of a new policy for dealing with the declaration of surplus highway land.