Agenda item

Questions on matters relating to the work of the committee

Minutes:

City Business Population Growth

A Member commented that, whilst he had already raised this matter at yesterday’s Court of Common Council meeting he wished to explore it further here. He noted that the response from the Chair of the Policy and Resources Committee on the matter at Court had been to suggest that future growth be left to Market Forces. However, he stated that he would prefer to see a more proactive approach taken.

 

The Member went on to suggest that he was of the view that planning policy and the conditions attached to large, new developments within the City should also require developers to provide new Open Spaces within the City. He added that there was already a precedent for this which had seen some new buildings built on stilts to allow for the provision of open spaces beneath them. The Member also suggested that there should be a dialogue between the City and neighbouring boroughs to establish a hinterland between the two that could form part of the business community within the Square Mile whilst being of benefit to both.

 

The Policy and Performance Director stated that the Mayor’s London Plan set the broad scale and distribution of future growth across London and this approach has been found sound at the London Plan’s recent public examination.  The London Plan identified the City and its surrounding City Fringe to be important areas for future growth and it was a legal requirement for the City’s Local Plan to be in general conformity with the Mayor’s London Plan.  Therefore the approach in the City’s Local Plan is to use a range of policies to manage successfully the projected intensification including taking steps to ensure that the City streets and open spaces play their part in the City remaining an attractive place to work, visit or live.  A range of measures set out in the Local Plan and the Transport Strategy are intended to give greater priority to the needs of pedestrians so that they have more space available to them at street and other levels as the City intensifies. 

 

Another Member noted that one of the attractive characteristics of the City was that it was a conglomeration or buildings that were easy to move between on foot – the addition of large expanses of open spaces could take away from this.

 

The Chair welcomed this debate and suggested that it could be revisited on receipt of the draft Local Plan at the next meeting of this Committee. He added that more metrics around this would be useful going forward in order to assist a more determined and focused effort on this matter.     

 

Third Runway at Heathrow

A Member referred to the fact that the City Corporation were in support of introducing a third runway at Heathrow Airport. She noted, however, that this seemed to be at odds with the organisation’s views around air quality and the desire for a low carbon future. She went on to highlight that she understood that this decision was now to be revisited as part of the City’s Climate Action Strategy and that, whilst she understood that this was ultimately a matter for the Policy and Resources Committee, this Committee should be endorsing that a review should now happen as a priority and as soon as possible.

 

The Chair agreed with the fact that this should be revisited, particularly in light of the recent legal decision on the Government’s handling of the matter.