Agenda item

Report of the Director of the Built Environment.

The Committee considered a report of the Director of the Built Environment setting out a proposed response to the Mayor of London’s statement of ambition for the future of London and Londoners, ‘A City for all Londoners’. Responses to this consultation would be used to inform the development of the Mayor’s seven statutory strategies, including the London Plan and the Transport Strategy, which would then be published for consultation during 2017.

Introducing the report, the Policy & Performance Director was pleased to note the statement’s continued support for and commitment to the protection of the international business cluster within the City of London and the rest of the Central Activities Zone. The statement’s recognition of the need to improve transport infrastructure and resilience, as well as an improved focus on air quality, were also particularly welcome. A draft response to the consultation was set out at appendix one to the report which also highlighted additional issues that the City Corporation would wish the Mayor to consider, including further thought on increasing airport capacity and facilitating swift progress in this area, as well as the need to balance increased housing provision with the preservation of the central area as an employment hub.

In considering the proposed response, a Member asked that a request be included for the existing scope of protected views be revisited. The importance of pressing for the development of a Freight & Delivery Policy was stressed, as was the need to highlight how crucial the safety and security of London and its workers, residents, tourists and infrastructure was, with the potential impact of an attack on the economy of the entire country highlighted. It was also asked that more robust wording be used at appropriate points to emphasise the importance of the various issues set out in the response being acted upon.

RESOLVED:  That Members:-

·         Note the summary of the key issues and the implications for the City of London arising from the Mayor’s document ‘A City for all Londoners’, as set out in the report; and, 

·         agree that the City Corporation supports the Mayor’s ambitions for London and agree that the detailed comments set out in Appendix 1 should be forwarded to the Mayor as the City Corporation’s formal response to ‘A City for all Londoners’, subject to the inclusion of Members’ comments during discussion.