Agenda and minutes

Venue: Livery Hall - Guildhall

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

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies

Minutes:

Introductions

The Town Clerk opened the meeting by introducing herself.

 

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.

 

The Town Clerk also reminded Members, and any members of the public observing the meeting on-line, that this was an informal meeting and that any views reached by the Committee today would therefore have to be considered by the Director of Markets and Consumer Protection or those deputising for him after the meeting in accordance with the Court of Common Council’s COVID Approval Procedure and that they would make a formal decision having considered all relevant matters. The Town Clerk highlighted that this process reflected the current position in respect of the holding of formal Local Authority meetings and the Court of Common Council’s decision of 15th April 2021 to continue with virtual meetings and take formal decisions through a delegation to the Town Clerk and other officers nominated by him after the informal meeting has taken place and the will of the Committee was known in open session. Details of all decisions taken under the COVID Approval Procedure would be available online via the City Corporation’s webpages.

 

New Executive Director, Environment

The Chair took the opportunity to introduce the new Executive

 ...  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 266 KB

To agree the public minutes and summary of the informal, hybrid meeting held on 20 July 2021.

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

Minutes:

The public minutes and summary of the informal, hybrid meeting held on 20 July 2021 were considered and approved as a correct record.

 

MATTERS ARISING

Panel Arrangements – Wider Consultation (page 7)– A Member questioned whether any progress had been made in terms of the engagement strategy referred to by the Chair at the previous meeting and secondly he questioned when a further report on Panels would be put to this Committee, offering Members a further opportunity to vote according to their preferences.

 

The Chair reported that he and the Deputy Chairman were due to hold informal engagements meetings with approximately ten stakeholders across the City, beginning on Wednesday 15 September. Following these meetings, Officers had been asked to bring forward a report to this Committee in the first instance.

 

Another Member questioned who had been invited to attend the meetings. The Chair reported that they included representatives from the development community as well as most of the major Residents Associations in the City. The Chair asked that the full list of those invited be circulated to all Members of the Committee via email at the conclusion of the meeting. Another Member requested that the full list of invitees also feature in the minutes for full transparency. She added that this might also encourage others who were not represented to come forward with their views.

 

A Member reported that the matter of how this Committee operated going forward was being considered alongside but also outside of the main Lisvane recommendations around the wider governance of the City Corporation.

 

Another Member questioned how City residents who were not part of Residents Associations were to be represented in these engagement sessions. The Chair stated that only those Residents Associations that were formally constituted had been invited to attend and that he

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

4.

100 AND 108 FETTER LANE LONDON EC4A 1ES - OPTION A pdf icon PDF 3 MB

Report of the Chief Planning Officer and Development Director.

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

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report of the Chief Planning Officer and Development Director relating to 100 and 108 Fetter Lane London EC4A 1ES – specifically the demolition of 100 and 108 Fetter Lane and construction of a new building for office use (Class E) and a public house comprising a basement level, ground, mezzanine and 12 upper storeys plus roof plant, creation of a new pedestrian route and pocket square at ground level, ancillary cycle parking, servicing, plant and enabling works. (Option A).

 

The Town Clerk introduced the report and referenced the presentation pack and two further addendums containing additional, late representations that had also been published and circulated.

 

Officers presented the applications (Option A and Option B / agenda Items 4 and 4a) and confirmed that the issues addressed by the late representations were addressed within the addendum report. Officers confirmed that both applications were identical in terms of massing and height with the main differences being at lower level. It was highlighted that Option A proposed to relocate the existing White Swan public house to the north eastern corner of the site whereas Option B would see this retained in its existing location with a new flexible, commercial unit proposed at the north eastern corner of the site.

 

Officers shared the site location plan, noting that there were two residential blocks in close proximity to the site. It was noted that the building was not listed or located in a  Conservation Area, however the Chancery Lane Conservation Area was situated to the north and west. There was also a Grade II listed building immediately west of the site at 2 Greystoke Place which comprised office and residential use. Members were also shown a photograph of the existing building – an early 1950s building rising to seven storeys, made

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

4a

100 AND 108 FETTER LANE LONDON EC4A 1ES - OPTION B pdf icon PDF 3 MB

Report of the Chief Planning Officer and Development Director.

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

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report of the Chief Planning Officer and Development Director regarding 100 and 108 Fetter Lane London EC41 1ES – specifically, demolition of 100 Fetter Lane and construction of a new building for office use (Class E) and a flexible commercial unit (Class E(a)(b)(c)(d)), comprising a basement level, ground, mezzanine and 12 upper storeys plus roof plant level, creation of a new pedestrian route and pocket square at ground level, ancillary cycle parking, servicing plant and enabling works – Option B.

 

Having fully debated each Option, the Committee proceeded to vote on the recommendations before them within this report. The vote was conducted by rollcall led by the Town Clerk with those Members present and eligible to vote asked to also confirm that they had been present for and able to hear the entirety of this item.

 

Votes were cast as follows:    IN FAVOUR –  21 Votes

                                                OPPOSED –    5 Votes*.

                                               There was one abstention.

 

RESOLVED -

 

(1)  That planning permission be granted for the above proposal in accordance with the details set out in the attached schedule subject to:

 

(a)  Planning obligations and other agreements being entered into under Section 106 of the Town & Country Planning Act 1990 and Section 278 of the Highway Act 1980 in respect of those matters set out in the report, the decision notice not to be issued until the Section 106 obligations have been executed.

 

(2)  That your Officers be instructed to negotiate and execute obligations in respect of those matters set out in “Planning Obligations” under Section 106 and any necessary agreements under Section 278 of the Highway Act 1980.

 

(3)  The Mayor of London be given 14 days to decide whether or not to direct the council to refuse planning permission (under Article 5) 1(a) of the Town

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

5.

Transport Strategy: Timetable for review pdf icon PDF 140 KB

Report of the Director of the Environment.

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

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee received a report of the Director of Environment updating Members on the Transport Strategy and the timetable for review.

 

Sheriff Christopher Hayward declared an interest in this item as a consultant to WSP and stated that he would not contribute to the discussion or vote on this item.

 

A Member expressed some concern that, by 2023, targets for various things such as the provision of charging points would have moved on considerably and stated that he felt that the Corporation should therefore be acting sooner rather than later. He questioned whether more could be done around the sustainability agenda in the interim. 

 

Another Member stressed that there was no suggestion that the implementation of the Strategy would be halted. Officers clarified that there would be no delay in delivery as a result of the review period being extended and that this would be continuing as per the strategy to also include the action plan around electric vehicle charging. Officers underlined that they felt that there was enough certainty from the work carried out to date and feedback through the Recovery Taskforce that continuing and, where appropriate, accelerating areas of this work was the correct approach.

 

A Member reported that, at a recent Court meeting, Members had posed questions around taxis and Officers undertook to report back on this matter. She questioned what progress had been made on this. Officers clarified that the debate here had been around the pedestrian priority programme and the undertaking had been to consult with relevant Ward members in advance of any recommendations on this coming forward. It was confirmed that these meeting shad been scheduled and would take place in the week commencing 20 September and would provide these Members with the opportunity to set out their concerns and aspirations.

 

Another Member spoke

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

6.

Department of the Built Environment Risk Management - Quarterly Report pdf icon PDF 170 KB

Report of the Executive Director, Environment.

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

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee received a report of the Executive Director, Environment providing Members with assurance that risk management procedures in place within the Department of the Built Environment are satisfactory and that they meet the requirements of the corporate Risk Management Framework.

 

A Member underlined that the highest risk the Department had was around road safety and the issue of limited space in the City’s medieval street network versus the increased use of the highway by vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists. The Member expressed concern that this was simply being set out and then seemingly ignored when this Committee repeatedly enabled and approved proposals around greater business populations in the City. He argued that this should seriously be taken into account when it was highly relevant to an application. The Chair recognised the importance of this risk and highlighted that it was something that he kept a very close overview of. He added that this Committee had debated the reputational risks associated with not correctly addressing this and that he was sure that it was also foremost in the minds of Officers too when applications were brought forward. Officers reported that, from a transportation perspective, this was taken incredibly seriously and that they were fully committed to mitigating this risk as quickly as possible and, ultimately, to achieving ‘vision zero’ as set out within the Transport Strategy. Members were also informed that there was a deep dive report being prepared on this risk to go to the Audit and Risk Management Committee in October and it was suggested that this also be shared with this Committee for information.

 

Another Member supported the point made by the previous speaker and stressed that the whole purpose of having risk assessments and policies was so that the Committee could have a holistic view of issues

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

7.

PUBLIC MINUTES OF THE STREETS AND WALKWAYS SUB COMMITTEE pdf icon PDF 175 KB

To receive the draft public minutes of the Streets and Walkways Sub-Committee meeting held on 8 July 2021.

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

Minutes:

The Committee received the draft public minutes of the Streets and Walkways Sub-Committee meeting held virtually on 8 July 2021.

 

RECEIVED.

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

8.

OUTSTANDING ACTIONS pdf icon PDF 139 KB

Report of the Town Clerk.

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

Minutes:

The Committee received a report of the Town Clerk regarding the Outstanding Actions.

 

Barbican and Golden Lane Conservation Area SPD

The Chief Planning Officer and Development Director reported that a significant number of consultation responses had been received, some of which were very detailed and would now require additional meetings with some stakeholders. The final document would then have to be presented to the three Barbican Committees for input before being finalised by this Committee. It was therefore expected that the document would now be submitted to the 1 February 2022 meeting of this Committee.

 

A Member commented that he was disappointed to learn that this work would be further delayed and highlighted that, in communications received from Officers, it had been suggested that this work had to be tied in with the SPD for the Barbican Arts Centre. He questioned why this was the case. Officers clarified that this was not strictly necessary but seemed to be a logical approach to discuss both at the same time given that they were part of the same complex.

 

The Chair stressed the need for and importance of proper consultation and engagement on this piece of work.

 

RESOLVED – That Members note the report.

 

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

9.

PUBLIC LIFT REPORT pdf icon PDF 170 KB

Report of the City Surveyor.

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

Minutes:

The Committee received a public lift report of the City Surveyor for the period 03/07/2021 – 20/08/2021.

 

RESOLVED - That Members note the report.

 

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

10.

Delegated decisions of the Chief Planning Officer and Development Director pdf icon PDF 345 KB

Report of the Chief Planning Officer and Development Director.

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

Minutes:

The Committee received a report of the Chief Planning Officer and Development Director providing Members with a list detailing development and advertisement applications determined by the 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 10.

11.

Valid planning applications received by Department of the Built Environment pdf icon PDF 70 KB

Report of the Chief Planning Officer and Development Director.

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

Minutes:

The Committee received a report of the 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 11.

12.

Questions on matters relating to the work of the committee

Minutes:

Riverside Walkway

A Member referred to a recent email received from Officers regarding the completion of the Riverside Walkway in Queenhithe – something which he had been campaigning on for 22 years now and which was due for completion this Autumn. The email recently received suggested that the budget was in place to raise orders for the next design stage but that the Corporate Finance Team had blocked these orders due to the project programme dates in the financial system having expired. It recognised that recent Committee reports had set out a programme for delivery in Autumn/Winter 2021 but that this issue may now cause slippage. The Committee supported the Member in stating that this was unacceptable. The Chair stated that he would be happy to deal with this matter under urgency if that would help to resolve it. 

 

Officers commented that they were aware of the issue and that an urgent meeting had been called with colleagues in the Corporate Project Team and the Chamberlain’s Department to discuss this further and seek to resolve at pace. The Chairman of the Finance Committee also undertook to raise this with the Chamberlain at a meeting later today.

 

Refurbishment versus Redevelopment

A Member commented that, when considering applications, the Committee were increasingly told by Officers that refurbishment had been looked at initially but subsequently decided against in favour of redevelopment. He questioned whether it might be possible to establish some sort of qualifying criteria for proposals coming forward so that Members could better understand where the line between refurbishment and redevelopment was crossed. Another Member agreed that this would be helpful but also suggested that this should take account of other valid factors such as land utilisation, economics and whole life carbon impact. Another Member stated that part of the problem here

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

13.

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 13.

14.

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 14.

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(s)                                                      Paragraph No(s)

                             15                                                                              3   

                             16                                                                             7

   17-18                                                                           - 

 

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

15.

Non-public minutes

To agree the non-public minutes of the informal, hybrid meeting held on 20 July 2021.

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

Minutes:

The Committee considered the non- public minutes of the informal meeting held virtually on 20 July 2021 and approved them as a correct record.

 

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

16.

Issues Report: Public Realm Security Programme - Continued Delegated Authority

Report of the Director of the Built Environment.

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

Minutes:

The Committee considered and approved an issues report of the Director of the Built Environment relating to the Public Realm Security Programme and continued delegated authority.

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

17.

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 17.

18.

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 items of business for consideration in the non-public session.

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