Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Christopher Hayward (Deputy Chairman), Alderman Emma Edhem, Alderman Robert Hughes-Penney, Oliver Lodge and Natasha Lloyd-Owen.

Alderman Prem Goyal declared a standing, personal interest in agenda items 6, 7 by virtue of holding a tenancy in the Ward of Farringdon Within.

The Chair declared an interest in agenda item 10, reporting that he had acted in a professional capacity with regard to the original planning application and was therefore intending to withdraw from the meeting whilst this report was considered.

To agree the public minutes and summary of the meeting held on 18 June 2019.

The Committee considered and approved the public minutes of the meeting held on 18 June 2019 as a correct record.

MATTERS ARISING

Ludgate Circus (page 2) – A Member clarified that right turns from Fleet Street in to New Bridge Street were banned.

10 Bolt Court (page 2) – A Member commented that he had been informed that work had already commenced on site, on the roof terrace but that neither he or local residents had seen a planning application relating to this.

The Chief Planning Officer and Development Director stated that revised drawings had not been received to date and that she would investigate the current situation on site before reporting back to the Member on this matter.

Telephone Kiosk – Fleet Street (page 10) – In response to a question on progress on this matter, the Chief Planning Officer and Development director confirmed that discussions with the legal department on this matter were ongoing.

Bow Lane Traffic (page 11) – The Member who had originally raised this question at the last meeting thanked Officers for their response on this but questioned when the work here would be undertaken given that it was an ongoing health and safety risk. Officers undertook to report back further to the Member.

Yellow Line on Coopers Row (page 11) – The Member who originally raised this query at the last meeting referred also to several near misses at the junction with Pepys Street and asked that the possibility of introducing traffic calming measures also be investigated here. Officers undertook to report back to the Member on this additional point.

To receive the draft minutes of the Streets and Walkways Sub Committee meeting held on 28 May 2019.

The Committee received the draft public minutes of the Streets and Walkways Sub Committee meeting held on 28 May 2019.

MATTERS ARISING

Museum of London Public Realm Project (page 15) – A Member reported that he had attended a consultation meeting on the Museum of London project last week and was concerned that were no proposals for Public Realm, pedestrian movement and road closures within the presentation. He added that, to his mind, this was an essential part of the project and sought reassurance from Officers that it was therefore being properly integrated. The Director of the Built Environment undertook to update Members on this matter in writing.

Dockless Bikes (page 14) – A Member questioned progress around the dockless bike hire trial and asked how many bikes from operators not participating in the trial had been confiscated by enforcement officers to date. She went on to question how this message was being communicated to those operators not selected to form part of the trial.

The Transportation and Public Realm Director reported that there were currently 30 bikes in store and that talks were being held with the relevant operators around how they might retrieve these and also ensure that their bikes are not operating within the City boundaries going forward. He confirmed that no fees had been charged for the recovery of the bikes to date and that Officers were placing more emphasis on reducing the presence of other operators in the City at present.

A Member questioned who was deemed to be at fault (the hirer or the operator) if a bicycle was hired outside of the City but then left here after a journey had been completed.

Another Member stated that the vast majority of people were unaware of where the City boundaries were and to therefore

Report of the Town Clerk.

The Committee received a report of the Town Clerk detailing outstanding actions from their last meeting.

RECEIVED.

Report of the Chief Planning Officer and Development Director.

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

RECEIVED.

Report of the Chief Planning Officer and Development Director.

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

RECEIVED.

Report of the Director of the Built Environment.

The Committee received a report of the Director of the Built Environment updating the Committee on the potential implications of Brexit for the Department of the Built Environment.

RESOLVED – That Members note the report and that further update reports will be made to subsequent meetings of the Committee as appropriate.

Report of the Director of the Built Environment.

The Committee considered a report of the Director of the Built Environment relative to Dark House Walk, City Walkway Alteration.

The Transport Planning Manager, reminded Members that this report had been deferred from the 24 May Planning and Transportation Committee meeting. The re-submitted report now included a more detailed plan including dimensions of the walkway area that would remain alongside some proposal alterations.

The Chair welcomed Simon Hart of Pringle Richards Sharratt Limited – the architects acting on behalf of the applicant - to the meeting and asked him to address the Committee on the proposals.

Mr Hart referred to the fact that the existing area of walkway concerned was in a poor state, it was a secluded and segregated slot with a lack of seating provided and where there was evidence of some misuse. He added that the width of walkway here presented a great opportunity to add to and improve this area of river walkway.

Mr Hart went on to state that the applicant had been working closely with the City Corporation’s Open Spaces team and intended to retain a lot of the greenery in the existing location. In addition, seating would be incorporated and most of this would be river facing. Members were informed that the pavilion itself would be set back allowing for a more open and free flowing space.

Mr Hart invited comments and questions from the Committee.

A Member stated that, whilst he was content with the proposals regarding the pavilion, he was concerned about how the external seating area here would be properly managed so that dining furniture was not taken on to the public walkway. Mr Hart responded by stating that a row of timber posts/bollards in front of the seating area would clearly mark out public seating and restaurant furniture.

A

Report of the City Surveyor.

The Committee considered a report of the City Surveyor seeking approval to declare a volume of land and airspace totalling 81 square foot (7.5 square metres) of City Fund Highway land at Golden Lane, EC1 to be surplus to highway requirements to allow its disposal to provide 99 residential dwellings at 43 Golden Lane, EC1.

The Chair withdrew from the meeting whilst this item was considered. It was moved and unanimously seconded that past Chairman Barbara Newman take the chair for this item.

The City Surveyor opened by clarifying that the works received full planning permission from this Committee in 2017 as opposed to under delegated powers as suggested within the report.

A Member tabled an email which she had also sent to the Committee electronically outlining her concerns around these proposals. She drew Members’ attention to Appendix 2 and 3 of the report which did not show a large lime tree situated on the site in question. She added that the space overlapped by the tree fell within the area that the Committee were now being asked to declare surplus. The Member highlighted that the Chief Planning Officer and Development Director had assured her that the tree would be protected during the construction phase of the development but no such assurances were made thereafter.

The Member continued by stating that the tree in question was a large, mature tree and, apart from providing visual amenity, it also served the important role of reducing air pollution and cleaning the air in a residential area with schools situated directly opposite. It was therefore plainly not ‘surplus’.

Another Member agreed with the case made by the previous speaker and noted that, whilst airspace was, ordinarily, uncontroversial, in this case the space in question was occupied by a large, mature tree. He

Report of the Director of the Built Environment.

The Chair re-joined the meeting at this point.

The Committee considered a report of the Director of the Built Environment detailing the City of London Housing Delivery Test action plan.

The Policy & Performance Director reported that, as the City of London had not met the housing delivery requirements set out within the first set of Government Housing Delivery Test figures, the organisation was required to produce an action plan setting out how it will improve new housing delivery to meet targets and apply a 20% buffer to its 5 year housing land requirement to provide greater flexibility to developers in bringing housing sites forward. He went on to clarify that, at present - no further action was required in addition to implementing our Local Plan policies, as projections showed that sufficient new housing would be constructed consistent with those policies to meet housing delivery targets up until 2022.  

In response to questions, the Policy & Performance Director clarified that this was a national approach to housing delivery and that there were no exceptions made for local circumstances.

RESOLVED – That, Members approve publication of the City of London Housing Delivery Test Action Plan, attached at Appendix 1.

Report of the Director of the Built Environment.

The Committee received a report of the Director of the Built Environment covering the draft Transport Strategy 3-year Delivery Plan 2019/20 – 2021/22.

The Strategic Transportation Officer indicated that a separate report focusing on Section 106 allocations would be submitted to the next meeting of the Streets and Walkways Sub Committee and then to this Committee. A final delivery plan would then also be brought back to this Committee at the conclusion of the Fundamental Review and reviewed by Members annually thereafter.

The Chair underlined that the delivery of the transport strategy was a political priority for he and the Deputy Chairman to pursue. He added that it was clear that action could be taken on some issues now and some projects delivered by the end of the year, whereas other issues had been paused pending the outcome of the Fundamental Review which was set to conclude in the Autumn. He underlined that the organisation were very much leading the way with this transport strategy and it would also have wider effects beyond the City.  

A Member made reference to the Riverside Walkway Project and underlined that what was needed here was completion of the project. The Group Manager Strategic Transportation reported that it was made clear throughout the strategy itself that the aim was to achieve the completion of the Riverside Walkway.

A Member expressed concern around the Fundamental Review which, in his opinion, would not only hold up many large Capital Project proposals but would also risk vital work like this becoming stalled or unnecessarily slowed down. He was of the view that the strategy should be pursued as soon as possible. He encouraged all Members of the Committee to also push this corporately. He concluded by stating that he personally considered that there were too many large

Report of the Director of the Built Environment.

The Committee received a report of the Director of the Built Environment updating Members on the workings of the District Surveyor’s office which reports to it for the purposes of building control, engineering services for the City’s major infrastructure and to provide resilience to buildings and businesses within the square mile that may be affected by environmental hazards.

The District Surveyor & Environmental Resilience Director reported that financial statements for the year were due to be issued shortly and would show an increase in income for the year which was to be applauded in a very competitive market in which many were still choosing to use the District Surveyor’s Office for works in the City.

He highlighted that, whilst 2016 had seen a pause in construction in the City, numbers had risen consistently since this time. He assured Members that the Building Control Team was currently fully staffed.

Members were informed that, following the Grenfell tragedy, much work had been done and would continue to be done around Building Regulations and Fire Safety.

A Member questioned the introduction, for the first time this year, of a Building Control Apprentice. The District Surveyor & Environmental Resilience Director reported that Local Authority Building Control (LABC) had set up a new Building Control degree qualification and that the City Corporation had secured a slot on the course. At least 3 A-Levels were required of applicants who were also required to sit a University entrance interview.

A Member questioned whether those who chose not to use the District Surveyor’s Officer did so because other private firms sought to undercut them. She also questioned how often, in these cases, the District Surveyor’s Office were called upon to later unravel any difficulties.

The same Member also referred to the ongoing training and development being offered to staff and

Report of the Director of the Built Environment.

The Committee considered a Gateway 6 outcome report of the Director of the Built Environment on Park Street Bridge waterproofing.

A Member questioned why work on this project, originally initiated on 2007, had not commenced until 11 years later. Another Member highlighted that the report referred to water main leakage that had delayed the commencement of the works alongside protracted discussions with Thames Water on these. The Member went on to question whether this remained a problem.

The Assistant Director, Engineering reported that Thames Water had now made some repairs and that preparations for the next phase were commencing imminently after the City Corporation had managed to identify the leak for them.

A Member questioned the consequences of delaying the second phase of the works by 2 years. The Assistant Director, Engineering assured Members that the design and the tendering of the works were progressing so that costs could be fixed at this stage and minimise any risk in that respect. Work would then commence as soon as practicably possible.

RESOLVED – That, Members approve the content of this Outcome Report and approve that the project be closed, subject to successful verification of the final account by the Chamberlain’s Financial Services Division.

Report of the Director of Market and Consumer Protection.

The Committee received a report of the Director of Markets and Consumer Protection setting out the City Corporation’s Air Quality Strategy 2019 – 2024.

The Air Quality Manager highlighted that the Strategy was overseen by the Port Health and Environmental Services Committee and had been out to consultation for a period of eight weeks from March 2019.

The Strategy had been well received with the GLA, who oversee the organisation’s work in this area, stating that they felt it was an excellent, ambitious plan which demonstrated leadership. It was also stated that some of the work being undertaken here, including work taking place as part of the planning process, went above and beyond minimum

requirements.

In response to questions, the Air Quality Manager reported that Officers across the organisation had always worked very closely in terms of minimising any impact on local air quality and would continue to do so.

RESOLVED – That Members of the Planning and Transportation Committee note the content of the Air Quality Strategy 2019-2024 and continue to provide support for improving air quality and reducing the impact of poor air quality on public health.

Joint report of the Director of Markets and Consumer Protection and the City Remembrancer.

The Committee received a joint report of the Director of Markets and Consumer Protection and the Remembrancer providing an update on action taken since the approval given by the Port Health and Environmental Services and the Policy and Resources Committee to develop a Private Members bill to deal with emissions from combustion plant.

The Air Quality Manager reported that it was hoped that the proposals were such that they could be adopted by any London local authority. It was hoped that the Bill could be introduced in the next parliamentary session in September 2019.

A Member congratulated Officers on this piece of work but questioned whether the Air Quality Manager was content with the language used around this within the draft City Plan. The Air Quality Manager stated that she was pleased with the way that the draft City Plan was being developed on this point and also with the way that the London Plan addressed the matter.

Another Member echoed the congratulations offered to Officer but went on to question whether it demonstrated a lack of ambition to state that the limits imposed in respect of gas boilers, solid fuel burners and combined cooling heat & power plants would not affect existing installations. He pressed Officers as to why this was the case. The Air Quality Manger reported that this issue had been discussed at length with the Remembrancer who had cautioned that Officers should look to give the Bill as much opportunity as possible to be discussed and not risk it being pushed out on this one issue. She undertook to seek further feedback and clarification on this point.

The Chair agreed with the point made and asked that this Committee’s views on the matter be fed back to the Port Health and Environmental Services Committee underlining that they

Barbican and Golden Lane Conservation Area

A Member stated that he had recently questioned when Members could expect to see the Management Strategy Supplementation Planning Document for the Barbican and Golden Lane Conservation Area, which was registered on 31 October 2018. He reported that he had been advised that this had been delayed due to resource constraint and expressed his disappointment at this which, in his view, should be regarded as a priority.

The Chief Planning Officer and Development Director agreed that the current position was regrettable and undertook to look at how this matter might be advanced.

London City Airport Masterplan Consultation

A Member referred to London City Airport plans to expand from 75,000 to 151,000 aircraft flights a year by 2035. He reported that their Masterplan was currently out for consultation until 20 September 2019 and questioned whether the City Corporation was planning to respond on this and, if so, whether Members could see a draft of the response before it was sent.

The Policy & Performance Director reported that a response would be co-ordinated by the deadline and that this would be considered by  the appropriate Committees which would depend on the nature of the response but would probably include Port Health and Environmental Services.   He also undertook to keep the Member informed of progress on this.

Ludgate Circus – RTA

A Member referred to a road traffic accident at Ludgate Circus that had taken place just yesterday, the details of which were communicated by another elected Member. He asked for further details on the incident.

The Transportation and Public Realm Director confirmed that a small van had lost control and run into a signal pole at the junction and that Officers had requested further details around this. He added that he believed that no one had been

There were no additional, urgent items of business for consideration in the public session.

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.

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.

To agree the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 18 June 2019.

The Committee considered and approved the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 18 June 2019.

To receive the draft non-public minutes of the Streets and Walkways Sub Committee meeting held on 28 May 2019.

The Committee received the draft non-public minutes of the Streets and Walkways Sub Committee meeting held on 28 May 2019.

Report of the Town Clerk & Chief Executive.

The Committee received a report of the Town Clerk & Chief Executive providing Members with an update of the work that has been undertaken as part of the Bridge House Estates (BHE) strategic governance review since the last report to Members in December 2018.

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

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