Agenda and minutes

Contact: Gemma Stokley
tel. no.: 020 7332 3414  Email: gemma.stokley@cityoflondon.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Mark Bostock, Peter Dunphy, Tracey Graham, Sheriff Christopher Hayward, Christoper Hill and Deputy Jamie Ingham Clark.

 

 ...  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.

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

3.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 348 KB

To agree the public minutes of the meeting held on 24 February 2021 (TO FOLLOW).

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

Minutes:

The Committee considered the public minutes of the meeting held virtually on 24 February 2021 and approved them as a correct record.

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

4.

STATIONERS HALL, STATIONERS HALL COURT, LONDON EC4M 7DD pdf icon PDF 2 MB

Report of the Interim Chief Planning Officer and Development Director.

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

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report of the Interim Chief Planning Officer and Development Director regarding Stationers Hall, Stationers Hall Court, London, EC4M 7DD – specifically, the installation of condensing units within louvred acoustic enclosure on flat roof and lowering the height of the flat roof, located to the south of the Great Hall of The Stationers' Hall. Units to serve the Great Hall, Court Room and Stock Room.

 

The Town Clerk introduced the item by reporting that, in addition to the Officers’ report and presentation slides, Committee Members had also received three virtual site visit clips of the site in question and a late addendum containing late representations which had been published and circulated yesterday.

 

The Interim Chief Planning Officer and Development Director introduced the application and began by reporting that the London Plan had been adopted on 2 March 2021 and that the reference within his report to draft policy now related to adopted policy. He went on to explain that the application before Members today was for a plant room to include four air conditioning units within a louvered, acoustic enclosure onto a flat roof of a two storey extension to the south of the Great Hall of the Stationers’ Hall. Members were shown a site plan with Officers explaining that Stationers’ Hall was both a Grade I listed building and also a scheduled ancient monument. It was also situated within the St Paul’s Conservation Area with a number of other listed buildings located nearby. Members were informed that this application affected a flat roof area which fell outside the designation of both the scheduled ancient monument and the Grade I listed building but the setting of this and its impact on these and other assets would clearly be a material consideration. The Committee were shown aerial photographs

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

5.

OUTSTANDING ACTIONS pdf icon PDF 134 KB

Report of the Town Clerk.

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

Minutes:

The Committee noted a report of the Town Clerk detailing the Committee’s outstanding actions.

 

Daylight/Sunlight – Alternative Guidelines

A Member noted that this matter had first been raised two years ago after he had pointed out that, on applications where loss of daylight was an issue, the Committee typically received advice around the application of BRE guidelines and that breeches of these guidelines could be tolerated because the City was a dense, urban environment. In May 2019, an expert consultant subsequently provided a training session to the Committee and mentioned that radiance studies were another way to assess the impact of a development on daylight. It was noted that the same consultant had conducted a training session for the Committee earlier this morning, and expressed a view that radiance studies were the best way for laymen to assess the impact of developments on daylight where there was a genuine concern about this issue. In response to a Member’s question about the practicality of an applicant preparing radiance studies if they did not have precise data about the rooms potentially affected, the consultant had stated that he thought that reasonable assumptions could nevertheless be made. The Member added that he felt that the applicant could simply ask the relevant owner for access to their property to prepare the study. He had put to the consultant that, if an applicant omitted to provide a radiance study in a case in which daylight was an issue, this Committee should draw an adverse inference from such an omission. The consultant felt that, in appropriate cases, the applicant should be asked to provide a radiance study. In response to a question asked by another Member, the consultant also indicated that radiance studies had the added advantage of taking account of reflective light from light coloured

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

6.

PUBLIC LIFT REPORT pdf icon PDF 167 KB

Report of the City Surveyor.

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

Minutes:

The Committee received a public lift report of the City Surveyor for the period 09/02/2021 – 19/02/2021.

 

A Member commented that this was the first time in many years that a lift had been out of service for an entire reporting period. He recognised that this had apparently been caused by vandalism and asked Officers to confirm if there was any form of CCTV evidence of this vandalism and, if so, what was being done to follow up on this. He noted that a longer-term solution to this problem was forthcoming with the delivery of Millennium Bridge House but, even so, this act of vandalism which had taken the Millennium Inclinator out of service for an entire reporting period was very concerning.

 

Another Member noted that reconstruction had now begun on Millennium Bridge House and sought assurances that the Inclinator was not out of service as a result of these works. She added that she would hope that, as the ongoing works were carried out, greater surveillance would be put in place to discourage vandalism. She noted that, with the gradual lifting of lockdown measures and with better weather on the horizon, the riverside walkway would be very well utilised and the ability to move up and down here would be vital for those with access needs.  

 

The City Surveyor responded to clarify that the Inclinator was not out of service due to any building works and it, was hoped that it would be returned to service later today. It was reported that inclement weather was causing problems in terms of repairing the lift as was common at this time of year. In relation to any CCTV, it was reported that there was no dedicated surveillance for the Inclinator but that Officers were checking footage from surrounding buildings such as

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

7.

Delegated decisions of the Chief Planning Officer and Development Director pdf icon PDF 68 KB

Report of the Interim Chief Planning Officer and Development Director.

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 7.

Minutes:

The Committee received a report of the Interim Chief Planning Officer and Development Director providing Members with a list detailing development and advertisement applications determined by the Interim Chief Planning Officer and Development Director or those authorised under their delegated powers since the report to the last meeting.

 

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

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

8.

Valid planning applications received by Department of the Built Environment pdf icon PDF 19 KB

Report of the Interim Chief Planning Officer and Development Dircetor.

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

Minutes:

The Committee received a report of the Interim Chief Planning Officer and Development Director providing Members with a list detailing development applications received by the Department of the Built Environment since the report to the last meeting.

 

RESOLVED – That Members note the report.

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

9.

Questions on matters relating to the work of the committee

Minutes:

City Plan 2036

A Member questioned when the City Plan would go out for public consultation. Officers reported that all of the necessary documents were set to be uploaded onto the public webpages this week and that if that happened on schedule the public consultation would commence next week. Members were reminded that the consultation stage would last for 6 weeks.

 

Awareness of Planning Applications/Stakeholder Engagement

A Member commented that, on the basis of comments made at today’s and previous meetings, there seemed to be an ongoing issue with regard to the lack of awareness when applications were being submitted and worked up in the pre-consultation stages. These concerns had been raised by residents with regard to the 70 Gracechurch Street application where they had said that they had not been made aware of pre-consultation meetings taking place in the wider area and a Member had raised concerns today that residents had not been made aware of plans or given the ability to feed into the wider process. The Member questioned how this might be improved upon for people living and working in the City and how information on plans might be shared at an earlier stage with a view to minimising objections in the longer term.

 

The Interim Chief Planning Officer and Development Director underlined that Officers took a very proactive approach to advise developers at a very early, pre-application, stage of the need to engage, with any major schemes also required to have a Statement of Community Involvement which would set out measures taken. He recognised that there were, however, questions posed as to whether this process had been as rigorous and robust as it could have been in relation to some schemes.

 

The Chair added that when he and the Deputy Chairman first met with developers at

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

10.

Any other Business that the Chairman considers urgent

Minutes:

There were no additional, urgent items of business for consideration.

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