Agenda and minutes

Venue: Virtual Public Meeting (Accessible Remotely) https://youtu.be/4CeY-RorZ_0

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 James de Sausmarez.

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 1.

2.

Members' Declarations under the Code of Conduct in respect of items on the agenda

Minutes:

Deputy Jamie Ingham Clark declared an engaged disclosable pecuniary interest in relation to Agenda Item 4, by virtue of the fact that he is a Clothworker with a tenancy at will. He confirmed that he had taken the advice of the Comptroller and City Solicitor on this matter and that he would not be participating in this item by either speaking or voting on the recommendations. There was no requirement for him to leave the meeting whilst this item was considered.

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

3.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 294 KB

To agree the public minutes and summary of the meeting held on 6 March 2020.

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

Minutes:

The Committee considered the public minutes and non-public summary of the meeting held on 6 March 2020.

 

MATTERS ARISING

The Tulip – Appeal (page 3) – The Comptroller and City Solicitor reported that the Appeal had now been deferred to a provisional date in November 2020 as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

 

New Approach to Address Vehicle Idling (page 11) – A Member reiterated his question as to where the recommendation of an £80 fine for vehicle idling had originated from. Officers responded to state that this was set by London Councils and authorised by the Department for Transport. However, Members were informed that some initial discussions with London Councils had taken place around applying to the Department for Transport to increase the level for idling and bring it in line with other on-street penalty charge notices (£130, reduced to £65 if paid on time). This is something that Officers intended to continue to pursue but, for the time being, the charge would remain at the £80 level.

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

4.

SITE BOUNDED BY FENCHURCH STREET, MARK LANE, DUNSTER COURT AND MINCING LANE - LONDON, EC3M 3JY pdf icon PDF 3 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 i) demolition of 41-43 Mincing Lane, 40-54 Fenchurch Street, former church hall and the Clothworkers' Hall and its redevelopment to provide a new building comprising four levels of basement (including a basement mezzanine level), ground, mezzanine, plus part 9, 31 and 35 storeys plus plant containing offices (B1) and flexible shop/financial and professional services/cafe and restaurant uses (A1/A2/A3) at ground floor level; and flexible shop/cafe and restaurant/drinking establishment uses (A1/A3/A4) at levels 10 and 11, including winter garden (Sui Generis); ii) reprovision of the Clothworkers'

accommodation (Sui Generis) within part ground, part first, part second and part third floors and four levels of basement (including a basement mezzanine level); iii) creation of ground

level public access to level 10 roof garden and basement level 1 to Grade II Listed crypt; iv)dismantling, relocation and reconstruction of the Lambe's Chapel Crypt to basement level 1 and associated exhibition accommodation (Sui Generis) (listed Grade II); v) alterations to and conservation of the Grade I Listed Tower of All Hallows Staining; vi) provision of new hard and soft landscaping and other associated works.

 

(The total proposed floor area of the new building is 94,336sq.m  GIA, comprising 88,064sq.m of office floorspace, 289sq.m of flexible retail floorspace (A1/A2/A3), 550sq.m of flexible retail floorspace (A1/A3/A4),789sq.m of livery hall floorspace, 214sq.m of crypt floorspace and 430sq.m of winter garden floorspace. The building would rise to a maximum height of 149.6m when measured from the lowest office ground floor level, 165.1m AOD.)

 

The Interim Chief Planning Officer and Development Director presented the case which he explained was situated at an island site, at 50 Fenchurch Street, comprising of a number of buildings, all of which were constructed in the 1950s but also including a

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

5.

61-65 HOLBORN VIADUCT LONDON EC1A 2FD pdf icon PDF 5 MB

Report of the Interim Chief Planning Officer and Development Director.

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

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Members considered a report of the Interim Chief Planning Officer and Development Director in respect of 61-65 Holborn Viaduct, London, EC1A 2FD. At the Planning and Transportation Committee on 28th January 2020 it was resolved that the application be approved, subject to Planning obligations and other agreements being entered into under section 106 of the Town & Country Planning Act 1990 and Section 278 of the Highways Act 1980, and the decision notice not being issued until the Section 106 obligations had been executed.  

 

The Chair stressed that the Committee would normally expect to receive the consultation response from the GLA well in advance of bringing any application before the Planning and Transportation Committee, thereby incorporating their comments into the report. However, in this rare instance, Officers had only just received the response from the GLA and therefore considered it appropriate to report this back to Members, to ensure that they could be taken into account, and to confirm that the Officer’s recommendation to grant permission remained the same.  Members were asked to note that Officers were in constructive liaison with the GLA to ensure there would not be a repeat in delays in receiving their Stage 1 letters on other schemes.

 

A Member noted that the GLA had requested that affordable workspace be secured as part of Section 106 and questioned why, procedurally, the City did not intend to do this already and whether it was normally something that would be done as a mater of course. Officers responded that this point was picked up when the application was originally considered and was set out in the Committee report of January 2020. Some form of affordable workspace would be sought, space for SMEs would be at a discounted rate or for a free period at the outset.

 

RESOLVED -  That:

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

6.

Consultation on an application for a non-material amendment to the Thames Tideway Tunnel Development Consent Order; Delegation of Powers to Officers to respond to consultations in respect of applications to the Secretaries of State for non-material or minor material amendments to Development Consent Orders pdf icon PDF 174 KB

Joint report of the Interim Chief Planning Officer and the Director of the Built Environment.

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

Minutes:

Members considered a joint report of the Interim Chief Planning Officer and Development Director and the Director of the Built Environment in respect of Tideway’s proposal to submit an application to the Secretaries of State for non-material amendments to the Thames Tideway Tunnel Development Consent Order 2014 at the beginning of May 2020.  As local authority, the officers recommended that no objections be raised to the current application.

 

A Member stated that report seemed to be seeking delegated authority not just for a batch of imminent proposed changes to be requested in May but to be open ended. He questioned why this might be the case. He stressed that he was hopeful that this project would hopefully have a major beneficial impact in his Ward around Blackfriars and was therefore keen to have continuing visibility of it as changes proceed.  Officers reported that this was referring only to non-material or minor material amendments to the scheme for the Secretary of State to decide. Members were assured that any material changes or matters of concern would be referred to the Planning and Transportation Committee.

 

RESOLVED – That Members:

 

·         Endorse the recommendation of City officers that no objections be raised in  response to the consultation on Tideway’s application to the Secretaries of  State for non-material amendments to the Thames Tideway Tunnel Development Consent Order 2014;

 

·         Delegate authority to the Director of the Built Environment, and/or the City Planning Officer and Development Director and/or the Assistant Director (Development) and/or the Assistant Director (Planning Development) to respond to consultations in respect of applications pursuant to the Planning Act 2008, as amended, and Regulations thereunder for non-material or minor material amendments to Development Consent Orders.

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

7.

Temporary changes to City Corporation Statement of Community Involvement pdf icon PDF 172 KB

Report of the Director of the Built Environment.

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

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report of the Director of the Built Environment proposing temporary amendments to the City of London Corporation’s Statement of Community Involvement arising from the circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

The Director of the Built Environment introduced the report and drew Members’ attention to the key points. Officers underlined that the report was prepared a few weeks ago and also set out how consultation could continue to be performed effectively in the City during the current movement restrictions. Members were reminded that the government had announced further changes to the planning system through regulatory changes that had come into force today and will remain in force until the end of 2020. For planning applications, the regulations had now given local authorities the flexibility to publicise applications electronically if they were not able to meet the statutory requirements for physical site notices, neighbour notifications or newspaper publicity. It was highlighted that the regulations also extend the minimum period for responding to consultations by 7 days. Officers drew Members’ attention to Appendix 1 which demonstrated that the City Corporation was already effectively ahead of the game in this respect and had put in measures to ensure that they continued with the requirements on consultation and publicity and also to extend the response time by that 7 day period.

 

Officers went on to report that there was also new guidance around Local Plans, highlighting the ability for local authorities to undertake consultations electronically and using videoconferencing measures. They also referred to the potential introduction of public enquiries and examinations by virtual means. Members were reminded that, rather than trying to progress the City’s Local Plan consultation electronically at this stage, the Committee had previously agreed to hold back on consultation until after the summer recess in the hope that, by

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

8.

City Streets: transportation response to support Covid-19 recovery pdf icon PDF 869 KB

Report of the Director of the Built Environment (to follow).

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

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered a late, separately circulated report of the Director of the Built Environment relative to the City Streets and the Transportation response to support the COVID-19 recovery.

 

The Acting Assistant Director – City Transportation explained that this report set out the City Corporation’s approach to facilitating social distancing on the City’s streets, ensuring that residents, workers and visitors are safe when travelling in the City and supporting businesses as their workers return to workplaces. Members were informed that there was still uncertainty around exactly what that return will look like, but Officers underlined that it was important that the City was well prepared and able to ensure businesses that appropriate measures were in place.

 

Members were asked today to approve the aims and objectives of this work, the overall approach and the first phase of delivery. They were informed that this work was proceeding at pace in response to an evolving situation. With that in mind, delegated authority on detailed design and approval to deliver the first phase was also sought to enable Officers to continue to move quickly whilst also taking account of any emerging issues, for example, the final proposal for Cannon Street will need to take account of TfL’s proposals for Bishopsgate and Gracechurch Street.

 

Officers clarified that should proposals be agreed here today, they would then be considered by the Resource Allocation Sub Committee later this month and then by the Policy and Resources Committee itself under urgency procedures.

 

The Chair underlined the high strategic importance of this project and thanked Officers for an exceptional piece of work so far that had been produced at pace and in challenging circumstances.

 

A Member commented, in his capacity as Chair of the Streets and Walkways Sub Committee, that this was obviously a very fast moving/changing scenario

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

9.

Questions on matters relating to the work of the committee

Minutes:

Beech Street

A Member commented that he would be interested to receive an update on this now that the zero emissions scheme had been operational for a few months and that there had been decreasing levels of traffic in the City.

 

Officers reported that the zero emissions restrictions came into force on 18 March 2020 at Beech Street, just a matter of days before lockdown was announced. Members were informed that the restriction was still in place, operating 24/7. However, any motorists passing through this area in a non zero emission vehicle that had been picked up by cameras were receiving information letters to advise them of this and were not currently being issued with penalty charge notices. Officers were cognisant of the fact that, due to lockdown, there had been a huge reduction in traffic volumes in the City and that it was therefore not possible to truly monitor the impact of this experimental traffic order on either air quality or traffic on surrounding streets. The public were also not able to accurately feedback on how this experiment was impacting on them all of which would be very important when evaluating how successful the experiment is and making a decision as to whether it should be retained or not. Members were further advised that a decision had been made by the Director of the Built Environment, under delegated powers, to extend the public consultation period and the objection period beyond the initial six months previously agreed. Officers continued to monitor traffic flows to determine an appropriate period by which to extend. When a decision had been reached on this nearby residents would be advised via letter drops with the usual channels also being used to communicate plans more widely.

 

City Plan 2036

A Member sought clarity on the approval

 ...  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.

11.

Exclusion of the Public

MOTION – That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of the Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 11.

Minutes:

RESOLVED – That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of the Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

 

            Item No                                                                       Paragraph No(s).

               12                                                                                         3

            13 – 14                                                                                    -

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

12.

Non-public minutes

To agree the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 6 March 2020.

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 12.

Minutes:

The Committee considered and approved the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 6 March 2020.

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

13.

Non-Public questions on matters relating to the work of the Committee

Minutes:

There were no questions raised in the non-public session.

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

14.

Any other business that the Chairman considers urgent and which the committee agrees should be considered whilst the public are excluded

Minutes:

There were no additional, urgent item of business for consideration in the non-public session.

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

15.

PUBLIC NOTES OF LAST INFORMAL, VIRTUAL MEETING pdf icon PDF 92 KB

To receive the public notes of the informal, virtual meeting held on 22 April 2020.

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 15.

Minutes:

16.

OUTSTANDING ACTIONS pdf icon PDF 122 KB

Report of the Town Clerk.

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 16.

Minutes:

17.

PUBLIC LIFT REPORT pdf icon PDF 184 KB

Report of the City Surveyor.

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 17.

Minutes:

18.

DELEGATED DECISIONS OF THE CHIEF PLANNING OFFICER AND DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR pdf icon PDF 129 KB

Report of the Interim Chief Planning Officer and Development Director.

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 18.

Minutes:

19.

VALID PLANNING APPLICATIONS RECEIVED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT pdf icon PDF 47 KB

Report of the Interim Chief Planning Officer and Development Director.

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 19.

Minutes:

20.

REPORT OF ACTION TAKEN pdf icon PDF 157 KB

Report of the Town Clerk.

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 20.

Minutes:

21.

NON-PUBLIC NOTES OF LAST INFORMAL, VIRTUAL MEETING pdf icon PDF 116 KB

To receive the non-public notes of the informal, virtual meeting held on 22 April 2020.

 

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 21.

Minutes: