Agenda and minutes

Introductions

The Town Clerk opened the meeting by introducing herself and stating that the Committee was quorate.

A roll call of Members present was undertaken.

The Town Clerk highlighted that the meeting was being recorded as well as live streamed and would be made available on the City Corporation’s YouTube page for a period of time after the meeting had concluded. With this in mind, it was confirmed that participants in the meeting had all individually agreed and given their consent to being recorded and that all personal data would be processed in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018. The Town Clerk highlighted that, for further information on this, viewers could contact the City Corporation using the details provided on the public webpages.

Apologies for absence were received from Deputy Peter Dunphy, Tracey Graham, Andrew Mayer and James de Sausmarez.

There were no declarations.

To agree the public minutes and summary of the meeting held virtually on 27 October 2020.

The Committee considered the public minutes and non-public summary of the virtual meeting held on 27 October 2020 and approved them as a correct record.

Joint Report of the Town Clerk, the Director of the Built Environment and the Comptroller and City Solicitor.

The Committee considered a joint report of the Town Clerk, the Director of the Built Environment and the Comptroller and City Solicitor recommending that the Planning Protocol be amended to reflect current case law and procedural updates, and particularly to address the recent judgement in the Holocaust Memorial case in respect of local authorities’ own developments.

A Member highlighted that Members were permitted to serve on the Property Investment Board and Capital Buildings Committee from which planning applications for the City of London Corporation’s own properties originate and also to serve on the Planning Committee which went on to determine those applications. He went on to state that the Corporation’s Planning Protocol used to set out that a member of a property committee who also sat on the Planning Committee could not participate in the determination of a planning application made by the Corporation. However, in 2014, this provision was removed meaning that if any member of the Planning Committee who also serves on a property committee believes that they can participate in the determination of a planning application made by the Corporation they may do so. He recognised that it may be the case that members had the ability to compartmentalise their thinking and vote against an application if they felt it failed on planning grounds even though they may have spent some time supporting the plans in a property committee but added that this would generally be perceived as a conflict by most members of the public. The Member added that he did not feel that the law and public perception were distinct concepts and highlighted that the judgement of the House of Lords in the ‘Magill and Porter’ case had made it clear that avoiding even a perception of bias was a principle of public law. This

Report of the Interim Chief Planning Officer and Development Director.

The Committee considered a report of the Interim Chief Planning Officer and Development Director regarding 150 Aldersgate Street, 3-4 Bartholomew Place, London EC1A, specifically:

(i)            Demolition of roof top plant enclosure, rear service ramp and removal of cladding to facilitate the refurbishment, recladding and extension of the existing Office (Class B1 (a)) building at 150 Aldersgate Street to create a basement, ground plus nine storey building, including rear and roof top extensions, infill extensions to the rear courtyard (ground plus two storeys) to link with 3-4 Bartholomew Place;

(ii)           A part change of use at ground floor from Office (Class B1) to Café (Class A1).

(iii)          Erection of a new building Office (Class B1 (a) t 3-4 Bartholomew Place comprised of basement, ground plus three storeys;

(iv)          The amalgamation of the two buildings;

(v)           The creation of new accessible and inaccessible terraces, green roofs, hard and soft landscaping, and creation of external courtyards;

(vi)          Upgrade works to Braidwood Passage, including new lighting; and

(vii)        Reconfiguration of the loading bay and associated works.

The Town Clerk drew Members’ attention to the fact that a supplementary document pack containing additional background papers had also been circulated and published yesterday afternoon, as had an additional letter of representation from DLA Piper and a response to this representation from Gerald Eve.

Officers presented the application to Members, reporting that it involved onto Cloth Street, an 8 storey post-modernist office building fronting onto Aldersgate Street, but also with faces onto Cloth Street, Half Moon Court and Bartholomew Place, with the site sitting opposite the Barbican and Golden Lane Estate Conservation Area and only the rearmost part of the site, formerly occupied by a commercial building at 3-4 Bartholomew Place, lying within the Smithfield Conservation Area. Members were informed that the surrounding area was mixed in

Report of the Director of the Built Environment.

The Committee considered a report of the Director of the Built Environment detailing revisions to the Proposed Submission Draft City Plan 2036.

Officers reminded the Committee that the Court of Common Council had approved the Plan for consultation in May. However, this consultation could not then take place due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions. The City Corporation was now in a position for a revised consultation to take place but, before doing so, the Plan needed updating to reflect changes to the Use Classes Order and Officers had also taken the opportunity to update the document in reference to the Climate Action Strategy and to incorporate references to the impact of COVID. With regard to COVID, Officers reminded Members that the Plan was looking at a 15 year period until 2036 and that, although there were very significant impacts due to the pandemic in the short-term in the City, it was felt that the evidence as it currently stood suggested that the City would recover and that the Plan would provide a strong and stable strategy for enabling the City to continue to be a world leading financial and professional services centre going forward.

The schedule of changes being put to Members today would, if approved, also go to the Policy and Resources Committee and finally the Court of Common Council for approval prior to being put out for consultation. The schedule had been considered in detail and agreed by the Local Plans Sub Committee.

Officers went on to suggest that some of the recommendations set out within the report be amended. The recommendations had been written on the basis that Government guidance was very clear that consultation on a Plan at this stage meant that it should not subsequently be amended and should be submitted by

Report of the Director of Innovation and Growth.

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Innovation and Growth providing Members with an overview of the proposed Recovery Task Force.

The Director of Innovation and Growth explained that the ongoing pandemic had introduced new challenges and accelerated local trends and it was clear that the cities who could adapt to and help shape this would thrive in the future. Member were informed that the City Corporation had a vital role to play in terms of speeding up the City’s evolution towards being the most innovative, inclusive, sustainable, global financial centre. This report represented a first step in the aim to produce an actionable five year blueprint, it built on the London Recharged Report which had had huge input from across the City and beyond and had also received very good coverage.

In terms of governance, the Director explained that  primacy on this work would sit with both the Policy and Resources Committee and this Committee but that Officers would also seek to adopt the same approach as had been taken with the Climate Action Strategy in terms of input from relevant Chairs and broader discussions with all Members. A draft interim report would be presented to this Committee in January 2021 and a draft final report a few months later.

The Director concluded by stating that he would welcome any steer that Members may have on this work at this stage.

RESOLVED – That Planning and Transportation Committee Members agree to the project start up and next steps.

Report of the City Surveyor.

N.B: - To be considered alongside a Non-Public Appendix at Agenda Item 19.

The Committee considered a Gateway 4C Detailed Design (Complex) report of the City Surveyor relative to Tower Bridge HV System Replacement and Increasing Resilience.

RESOLVED – That Members:

1.    Approve additional budget of £128,115 for professional fees to progress from Gateway 4C to Gateway 5;

2.    Approve a Costed Risk Provision of £335,000 to progress from Gateway 4C to Gateway 5 (to be drawn down via deletion to Chief Officer0;

3.    Note the revised project budget of £888,270 (excluding risk);

4.    Note the total estimated cost of the project of £5,687,003 (excluding costed risk); this is a decrease of £112,997 since the previous report;

5.    Note the total estimated cost of the project at £7,872,003 (including £2,185,000 costed risk); this is a decrease of £527,997 since the previous report.

To receive the public minutes and summary of the Local Plans Sub-Committee meeting held virtually on 20 October 2020.

The Committee received the public minutes of the Local Plans Sub-Committee meeting held virtually on 20 October 2020.

To receive the draft public minutes and summary of the Local Plans Sub-Committee meeting held virtually on 4 November 2020.

The Committee received the draft public minutes of the Local Plans Sub-Committee meeting held virtually on 4 November 2020.

Report of the Town Clerk.

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

Barbican and Golden Lane Conservation Area SPD

A Member noted that there would now be a further delay in this document being presented to the Committee. The Town Clerk reported that the further delay was to allow for sufficient time for consultation to take place with the Barbican Centre Board, the Barbican Residential Committee and the Barbican Residents Consultation Committee. Consultation would also take place with Golden Lane Estate residents and this was being facilitated by a Member of this Committee.

A Member questioned whether it might also be possible to include Tudor Rose Court Residents Association in the consultation process. The Member facilitating the Golden Lane consultation stated that she was very happy to include Tudor Rose Court residents in a forthcoming Zoom meeting that she was organising on this matter if this was considered appropriate. The Chair thanked the Member for all of her work on this.

Member Training

The Town Clerk reported that a six month training schedule would be circulated to the Committee at the conclusion of this meeting.

A Member commented that the Planning Protocol examined today effectively created a requirement for Members of this Committee to undertake training both on appointment and periodically thereafter. She questioned whether it was still customary for new Members of the Committee to receive this and noted that this matter had been on the outstanding actions list for over a year now. The Chair reported that he personally met with all new Members of the Committee upon appointment and had discussed with them their training requirements.

The Town Clerk  reported that, in addition to the training schedule which had now been produced for all members of the Committee, all newly appointed members were invited to

Report of the City Surveyor.

The Committee received a public lift report of the City Surveyor for the period 08/10/2020 – 26/10/2020.

RESOLVED – That Members note the report.

Report of the Interim Chief Planning Officer and Development Director.

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

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

Report of the Interim Chief Planning Officer and Development Director.

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.

Report of the Town Clerk.

The Committee received a report of the Town Clerk advising Members of action taken by the Town Clerk since their last meeting in consultation with the Chair and Deputy Chairman and in accordance with Standing Order Nos 41(a) and 41(b).

The Chair commented that he and the Deputy Chair had considerably shortened the agenda for this meeting in the interests of efficiency and good meeting management and yet this had still resulted in a very lengthy meeting. For transparency, the Chair reported that this would mean that more decisions would have to be taken under these Standing Orders and subsequently reported back to the Committee.

RESOLVED – That Members note the report.

There were no questions.

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

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.

                        Item No(s)                                                      Paragraph No(s)

                            18                                                                           7

                            19                                                                           3

                         20 – 21                                                                       -

Report of the Director of the Built Environment.

The Committee considered and approved a joint report of the Director of the Built Environment and the Commissioner, City of London Police relative to the Secure City Programme (SCP) – CCTV and telecommunications workstream.

To note the non-public appendix 3 to Agenda Item 8 – Gateway 4C  – Tower Bridge HV System Replacement and Increasing Resilience.

The Committee received a non-public appendix which was considered in conjunction with Item 8.

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

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