Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies were received from Ian Bishop-Laggett, Deputy Michael Cassidy, Deputy Marianne Fredericks, Jaspreet Hodgson, Alderman Robert Hughes-Penney, Deputy Alastair Moss, Alderwoman Jennette Newman, Deputy Henry Pollard, Alderman Simon Pryke and Shailendra Umradia.

In relation to Agenda Item 5 - Salisbury Square Development - Appropriation for Planning Purposes, Deborah Oliver and Graham Packham declared that they were Members of the Police Authority Board and Deputy Randall Anderson and Alderwoman Susan Pearson declared that they were Members of the Capital Buildings Board.

To agree the public minutes and summary of the meeting held on 31 January 2024.

RESOLVED, that the public minutes of the previous meeting held on 31 January 2024 be approved as a correct record.

Report of the Town Clerk.

The Committee received a report of the Town Clerk, setting out a list of the outstanding actions.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

Report of the City Surveyor.

The Committee considered a report of the City Surveyor, which sought approval for the appropriation of land for planning purposes (Section 203 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016) to facilitate the redevelopment of Salisbury Square. Members noted that the report had been updated to reflect the current position, since being deferred from the meeting on 12 December 2023.

The report set out that approval was sought for the appropriation of land for planning purposes under Section 12 of the 1949 Act, in order to engage the provisions of Section 203 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016 to facilitate the carrying out of the redevelopment of Salisbury Square. Members were informed that the item was before the Planning and Transportation Committee, as several years ago the Court of Common Council had delegated decisions on appropriation of land and the operation of Section 203 to the Planning and Transportation Committee. Members were also informed that those with Rights of Light that were infringed, were entitled to compensation. Some had agreed offers of compensation and some negotiations were ongoing and would continue.

RESOLVED, that -

1.         The Main Development Site be deemed no longer required for the purpose for which it was acquired;

2.         The Main Development Site be appropriated for the planning purpose of the development (in its current form or as it may be varied or amended); and

3.     all existing offers made to rights holders be honoured.

Report of the Interim Executive Director, Environment.

The Committee considered a report of the Interim Executive Director, Environment, in respect of the Historic Buildings Retrofit toolkit, which would provide a resource to allow building owners to confidently start the process of responsible retrofit, build a business case and deliver any necessary adaptations.

Officers gave a presentation during which the following points were made:

•         The toolkit was the result of a project undertaken as part of the Climate Action Strategy to explore the potential carbon reduction and opportunities for strengthening climate resilience of heritage buildings in the square mile.

•         Decarbonising heritage buildings in the square mile was a major challenge. There were 600 listed buildings and 28 conservation areas, all with their own particular characteristics.

•         A route map for those seeking to undertake retrofit projects within heritage buildings was included within the guidance.

•         The toolkit focused on the eight typologies of heritage buildings within the square mile to identify common features, common challenges and opportunities.

•         The toolkit drew on existing practice in the City.

•         There would be a launch event on 21 March. There was strong alignment between the toolkit and Historic England guidance and Historic England would be involved in the event. Follow-up workshops could be held after the event.

•         Officers were keen for the toolkit to be promoted and used internally within the City of London Corporation and externally with organisations seeking to retrofit buildings.

•         The development of a community of practice where people could share knowledge, information and experiences was being considered and case studies would continue to be collected.

A Member commented that the toolkit lacked detail and was more of a concept study. An Officer stated that the document was to help those working with historical buildings and provide inspiration. It sat within a suite

Report of the Interim Executive Director, Environment.

The Committee considered a report of the Interim Executive Director, Environment in respect of the ‘Refurbishing the City – Insights from Current Best Practice’ Report, which was one of the actions in the Climate Action Strategy’s Square Mile Project Plan for 2023/24.  The report presented evidence of current policy and practice in the refurbishment and retrofit of commercial buildings in the City, London and beyond.

Officers gave a presentation during which the following points were made:

•         There was an ambition for the square mile to be net zero by 2040.

•         Commercial buildings accounted for 65% of the emissions.

•         There was a shift towards retention of building or building elements in the City, in Central London and beyond, driven by landlords, develops, tenants and investors with their own sustainability goals and also being shaped by policy and regulatory framework.

•         The report pulled together 17 case studies from the City and beyond in different types of major commercial developments.

•         Publishing the report would highlight current policy and best practice and contribute to discussions and knowledge sharing.

•         The recommendations from the report would feed into planning guidance, and in particular the Sustainability SPD which would shortly be out for consultation.

A Member asked for clarification on the chart related to air conditioning. He also asked for the glossary. Officers advised they would circulate a response and the glossary to Members of the Committee.

RESOLVED, that -

1.        The report be approved for publication;

2.        The intention to develop a series of Square Mile Refurbishment Case Studies, drawing on the template set out in the report, be noted; and

3.        The proposal to share and discuss the findings through a dedicated event be noted.

Report of the Interim Executive Director, Environment.

The Committee considered a report of the Interim Executive Director, Environment, in respect of the provision of Transport for London (TfL) Local Implementation Plan (LIP) funding to the City of London Corporation for the year 2024/25.

A Member stated she welcomed the inclusion of Moor Lane.

RESOLVED, that -

1.        The allocations up to the maximum of £514,000, for the 2024/25 financial year 2024/25 be approved;

2.        Authority be delegated to the Interim Executive Director, Environment, in consultation with the Chairs and Deputy Chairs of the Planning & Transportation Committee and of the Streets & Walkways Sub-Committee, to allocate any additional funds which are made available by TfL in the 2024/25 financial year;

3.        Approval be granted to spend any funds awards for Principal Road Renewal, for the year 2024/25; and

4.        Authority be delegated to the Interim Executive Director, Environment to reallocate the TfL grant between the approved LIP schemes, should it become necessary during 2024/25, up to a maximum of £150,000.

Report of the Interim Executive Director, Environment.

The Committee considered a report of the Interim Executive Director, Environment, which presented the Draft High-level Business Plan for the Environment Department for 2024/25.

An Officer stated that this was a top-level strategic plan. It presented an overview of the priority workstreams and how they would be progressed in 2024/25 and measured by key performance indicators. The plan showed how services aligned with and supported the Corporate Plan and other key strategies and policies. During the course of the year, services would align with the new Corporate Plan and with any new strategies and polices that were introduced, as appropriate. The Officer stated that the Committee would receive regular reports on the progress made against the workstreams and performance indicators in the plan.

A Member asked why the utilisation of electric vehicle parking chargers was so low and whether it was worth the investment. An Officer stated that 4.5% utilisation was the figure from 22/23 and this predated the opening of the rapid charging facility at Baynard House Car Park. Contractors had also been changed after concerns about underreporting and about some of the equipment. The 23/24 figures were therefore likely to be higher but there was a need to raise awareness, particularly of the Baynard House facility in relation to servicing vehicles that required a charge top-up.

A Member commented that it would be helpful the business plan to set out the changes in priorities from the previous plan, rather than just the statutory changes section on the first page.

A Member commented on there being 26.3km of Pedestrian Priority Streets and asked what proportion of the total number of streets this was and how the figure compared to previous years. An Officer stated that this was set out in the Transport Strategy and was monitored as a key

Report of the Interim Executive Director, Environment.

The Committee considered a report of the Interim Executive Director, Environment in respect of car parking tariffs for the four car parks within the Environment Department (Baynard House, Minories, Tower Hill and London Wall) and the car park within Markets (Smithfield).  The report sought approval of an emissions-based charging system for visitors, which has operated for on-street Pay & Display parking bays since 2017 and proposed new tariff levels for a three-year period.

An Officer stated that the report set out a three-year strategy which included moving towards the emissions-based charging tariff that had been successfully implemented on-street since 2018. He stated that this aligned with the Transport Strategy. Zero emission vehicles would pay the same tariff as currently and the strategy would ensure costs were covered and the City remained competitive. The Officer informed Members that the tariffs remained lower than the on-street tariffs to encourage parking in car parks rather than on the street.

In response to a question as to whether pricing could be lower on Monday and Fridays to try and encourage more people into offices, the Officer stated that the strategy, which predated the Transport Strategy but was also embedded within it, was to provide facilities for those who serviced the square miles rather than for commuters and those driving in. They were instead encouraged to use public transport.

A Member requested that consultation take place before any changes were made to resident season tickets. She stated that whilst the Barbican, Golden Lane Estate and Middlesex Street Estate had car parks, many other developments did not and it was important that there was reasonable car parking prevision for those who needed a car. The Officer stated that there were discussions taking place with colleagues to understand the nature of parking provision on the major estates

Report of the Interim Executive Director, Environment.

The Committee considered a report of the Interim Executive Director, Environment, in respect of the Government’s two recently launched consultations relating to Strengthening Planning Policy within the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) for brownfield development, and changes to Permitted Development (PD) rights in relation to air source heat pumps, electric vehicle (EV) charging and residential extensions. The report set out the proposed consultation responses, highlighting areas of interest or concern to the City of London Corporation.

A Member stated that whilst he approved of the installations of air source heat pumps, he had concerns about them being installed under permitted development as acoustic shrouds could then not be conditioned. The Officer stated that, in the City of London Corporation’s view, prior approval should be sought for air source heat pumps that were within a metre of a boundary and this would be part of the recommended approach in the consultation response. In addition, there was a noise standard which had recently been consulted on, and this would need to be complied with as part of any permitted development. 

A Member commented that the aim of making the installations of air source heat pumps a permitted development right, was to remove it from planning applications and therefore to put it back in to control noise seemed detrimental. He considered that the Committee should instead state that noise standards should have to be appropriate and enforceable. The Officer stated there was a judgement to be made and the planning system did exist in part to consider issues such as noise and impact. The Officer added that the government wanted to give more certainty to people wanting to install air source heat pumps whilst also having an independent standard that ensured the noise impacts of those would not be detrimental. The Officer stated

Joint report of the City Surveyor & the Interim Executive Director, Environment.

The Committee received a report of the City Surveyor and the Interim Executive Director, Environment in respect of the Considerate Lighting Charter (‘Charter’), which the City Corporation encouraged those involved in lighting in the City; i.e. - owners, managers and occupiers of existing buildings, to commit to.

A Member asked for the outcome of the discussion on the report which was submitted to the Resource Allocation Sub-Committee meeting in January 2024 and raised concern about the timeline. The Officer stated that the discussion largely focused on the works that were required to the City Corporation's own buildings in order to be able to sign up to the Charter. The Officer advised that the report also went to the Communications and Corporate Affairs Sub-Committee on the 28 February where it received broad support. The Officer stated that in terms of the timeline and next steps, work was being undertaken by the City Surveyors in relation to the nature of the works required to the City of London Corporation's own buildings in order to give assurance to the appropriate committee to be able to sign up to the Charter and be the first signatory on the Charter. Alongside this work, the Planning team were bringing together a round table in April 2024 of building managers, occupiers, and businesses, to understand the appetite for signing up to the Charter and any barriers that might be in place. Information would then be provided to colleagues in the Communications team so they could consider whether there was a role for a communications campaign to promote the Charter.

A Member asked if a pilot could be considered and the Officer confirmed this would be considered as recommendations were made to Communications colleagues. The Officer added that with the round table, consideration would be given to using

Report of The Remembrancer.

The Committee received a report of the Remembrancer in respect of the planning aspects of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023.

RESOLVED, that the report be noted.

Report of the Interim Executive Director, Environment.

The Committee received a report of the Interim Executive Director, Environment in respect of Micromobility; i.e. - transportation using lightweight, low speed vehicles such as bicycles or scooters, especially electric ones, which may be borrowed as part of a self-service scheme in which people hire vehicles for short-term use.

A Member suggested that the report, if it had not already been, could be shared with the City of London Police and suggested that they could add insight and possibly support for the action plan. An Officer stated that there was regular discussion with the City of London Police and dockless bikes were discussed. It was important not to add extra burden to a stretched police force in terms of helping to manage the bikes and the parking of the bikes. He added that issues around behaviours were discussed and there were campaigns about work that was being undertaken jointly. The Member stated that it was important for the police to have knowledge of the legal framework they were operating within and stated that the Police Authority Board could be interested in the report. The Officer stated that he would ensure the police were aware of the legal framework around the parking of dockless bikes. He would also offer the report as a for information report to the Police Authority Board. A Member stated that it should be emphasised that there was no expectation for the police to take action in relation to dockless bikes.

RESOLVED, that the report be noted.

Report of the Interim Executive Director, Environment.

The Committee received a report of the Interim Executive Director, Environment which provided an update on progress made during Period 2: 2023/24 (August-November) towards delivery of the Environment Department’s High-level Business Plan (2023/24) for the service areas which fall within the remit of the Planning and Transportation Committee.

RESOLVED, that the report be noted.

Report of the Interim Executive Director, Environment.

The Committee received a report of the Interim Executive Director, Environment which sought to provide assurance that risk management procedures in the Environment Department are satisfactory and meet the requirements of the Corporate Risk Management Framework.

RESOLVED, that the report be noted.

Report of the City Surveyor.

The Committee received a report of the City Surveyor, which set out the availability and performance of publicly accessible lifts and escalators, monitored and maintained by the City Surveyor, in the reporting period 24 November 2023 to 16 February 2024.

RESOLVED, that the report be noted.

RESOLVED, that the minutes of the Planning Applications Sub Committee of 24 January 2024 be noted.

RESOLVED, that the draft minutes of the Streets and Walkway Sub Committee of 30 January 2024 be noted.

A Member queried which provision of the Scheme of Delegations had been relied upon in granting planning permission for a new application for the redevelopment of 81 Newgate Street, which she considered was of broad interest. She asked why this application was not brought to committee, as happened with a previous one for the same redevelopment four years ago.

An Officer stated that the Court of Common Council approved the scheme of delegation in 2021. It set out the parameters in which delegated decisions could be taken. The Officer stated that in terms of the 81 Newgate Street application, it was granted under the scheme of delegation by delegated authority in September 2023 as it was compliance with planning policy and there were no broad interests considered. He advised that the scheme was a full application which comprised amendments to a scheme that was previously consented by the committee in 2021, which had been approved unanimously by 23 votes, with no abstentions.

The Officer stated that only three objections and two letters of support were received. The Officer stated that 9 objections were required for an application to be considered by the Planning Applications Sub-Committee. The Officer had discussed the matter in detail with the Chairman of the Planning and Transportation Committee who concurred that there was no broader interest and this application should be considered under delegated. authority, which it was.

In relation to concern raised by the Member that she was not aware of the application or decision until after it had been granted, the Officer stated he would look into this as the lists of consents issued and applications received were included within the agenda packs sent to Members.

A Member asked for clarification on whether the Chief Planning Officer accepted direction from the Policy Chairman. The

1. Digital Planning

The Chairman updated the Committee as follows:

·       The City of London Corporation had been successful with both of their applications to the Digital Planning Programme Funding rounds and were one of only 11 local planning authorities to put in successful bids for both funds – the Digital Planning Improvement Fund and the PropTech Innovation Fund.  

·       The former was a fund designed to support the City Corporation planning team with their advancements in digital maturity and would see the team undertake a Digital Maturity Assessment and form an action plan to further their technological improvements.  

·       In a joint bid with Southampton City Council, the Innovation Fund would focus around developing a pioneering public facing 3D webmap, which would help explain complex policies to the public, enhancing their understanding and engagement in the planning process. As part of the funding bid the City Corporation would be measuring the impact of these exciting interventions, to continue to improve how planning information was shared with external stakeholders.  

·       The work that would be undertaken as part of these two successful funding bids was part of a wider programme of Digital Planning work spanning the next 12 months.  

2. M&S Decision

The Chairman stated that at the Planning Applications Sub-Committee meeting on 21 July 2023, a Member asked a question about the M&S, Oxford Street being refused permission to demolish the building and rebuild it as a retail and office development. The application had been approved by Westminster City Council; had not been overturned by the Mayor of London; and had been recommended for approval by the Planning Inspector following a public enquiry.

The Chairman stated that on 1 March 2024, the Planning Court (part of the High Court) quashed the Secretary of States’s decision. An Officer stated that

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 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part I of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

RESOLVED, that the draft non-public minutes of the Streets and Walkways Sub-Committee of 30 January 2024 be noted.

There were no non-public questions.

There was no urgent business to be considered in the non-public session.