Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Rooms, 2nd Floor, West Wing, Guildhall

Contact: Joseph Anstee
tel. no.: 020 7332 1480  Email: Joseph.Anstee@cityoflondon.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for absence

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Deputy Kevin Everett, Alderman Alison Gowman and Alderman Gregory Jones.

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

2.

Members' Declarations under the Code of Conduct in Respect of Items on the Agenda

Minutes:

Graham Packham declared a pecuniary interest in item 10.

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

3.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 95 KB

To agree the public minutes and summary of the meeting held on 23 October 2018.

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

Minutes:

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the meeting held on 23 October 2018 be agreed as a correct record.

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

4.

Outstanding References pdf icon PDF 72 KB

Report of the Town Clerk

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

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee received a list of outstanding references.

 

Swan Pier

The Chairman expressed his disappointment that an officer from the City Surveyor’s Department was not present at the meeting to give an update on the project and advised the Sub-Committee that he would follow this up outside the meeting.

 

22 Bishopsgate

The Director of the Built Environment advised the Sub-Committee that there had been some delay as the developer had shifted their programme, slowing negotiations, but the details of the agreement were in place and a meeting would be taking place that week.

 

Dockless Bikes

The Director of the Built Environment advised the Sub-Committee that more general work on reviewing the Street Obstructions Policy had begun, and this would be brought back to Members in Spring 2019.

 

Beech Street

The Director of the Built Environment and the Chairman advised Members that there had been positive meetings in the last month with London Borough of Islington at Member and Officer level, and there was political agreement to push together to complete all relevant projects at the highest possible standard.

 

The Sub-Committee noted that Blackfriars Bridge Underpass should be added to the outstanding references for the Sub-Committee, having been taken off the Grand Committee’s outstanding references. A Member stated that there were repairs and maintenance that still needed to be carried out.

 

A Member asked if officers could provide any details on accelerations to the Beech Street project. The Director of the Built Environment responded that the aim was to put an interim scheme in place within the next 18 months, which had been communicated to TfL and Islington, and officers were awaiting feedback. It was hoped that officers would have firmer idea of wider timescales for the project by March 2019.

 

A Member asked that the timescales charted on the outstanding

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

5.

Frederick's Place Environmental Enhancements pdf icon PDF 128 KB

Report of the Director of the Built Environment

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

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee considered a report of the Director of the Built Environment seeking Combined Gateway 3, 4 and 5 approval for environmental enhancements at Frederick’s Place. The Director of the Built Environment introduced the report and gave Members an overview of the scheme alongside a short presentation. Members noted a tabled letter from the Mercer’s Company requesting a change to the granite sett design, and were advised that the change, if approved, would not have cost implications or create conservation concerns. Members agreed the Mercers’ Company’s proposed design change.

 

Following assessment, it was proposed to raise the carriageway to footway level and repave it to improve accessibility. The Mercers’ Company had agreed to provide funding for materials in advance and wanted to tie the project in with their own development of several buildings that faced onto Frederick’s Place, due for completion in Summer 2019.

 

The Chairman reported that there had been recent public nuisance issues reported in the space, particularly relating to on-street drinkers, and that as a result the Mercers’ Company had proposed that they take ownership of the space so that it could be gated-off. A Member added that this would be cause for a licensing review if the problems persisted, as there was also the public health issue of broken glass on the street. A Member suggested that whilst this had been an ongoing problem for some time, the completion of both the Mercers’ Company development and the project under consideration may help.

 

A Member suggested making the space more pedestrianised by making it access-only for vehicles. The Director of the Built Environment responded that the Mercers’ Company had requested access for vehicles to make drop-offs.

 

A Member reminded officers to be mindful of consulting heritage and filming teams when devising projects, particularly when they relate to

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

6.

80 Fenchurch Street pdf icon PDF 711 KB

Report of the Director of the Built Environment

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

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee considered a report of the Director of the Built Environment seeking approval to commence work on the 80 Fenchurch Street development.

 

A Member asked whether servicing vehicles for the scheme using Northumberland Alley would also be using Crutched Friars, as there had been recent capacity issues on Crutched Friars, particularly with regard to parking bays. The Member asked that Crutched Friars be taken into consideration when undertaking consultation, as noisy deliveries had also been an issue, and it was vital to keep stakeholders on Carlisle Avenue and Northumberland Alley informed and engaged during the consultation process. The Director of the Built Environment responded that consultation would be undertaken before starting work on the scheme, which was still in the design phase.

 

RESOLVED – That the Streets & Walkways Sub-Committee agree:

 

i)          Approval to commence the project;

 

ii)         Approval to recover existing shadow code staff costs from the received £40,000 design and evaluation sum;

 

iii)        Delegation of authority to the Director of the Built Environment to approve the start of work (Gateway 5); and

 

iv)       Delegation of authority to the Director of the Built Environment to approve budget adjustments within the approved total project budget amount.

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

7.

55 Moorgate Section 278 Public Realm and Highway Improvements pdf icon PDF 472 KB

Report of the Director of the Built Environment

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

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee considered a report of the Director of the Built Environment seeking approval to initiate a project to make public realm and highway improvements at 55 Moorgate. The Director of the Built Environment advised the Sub-Committee that the scheme would lead to the creation of a helpful new pedestrian connection between Moorgate and Coleman Street.

 

RESOLVED – That the Streets & Walkways Sub-Committee approve the initiation of the project.

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

8.

Queenhithe and Vintry Public Realm Improvements Programme Report pdf icon PDF 6 MB

Report of the Director of the Built Environment

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

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee considered a report of the Director of the Built Environment updating the Sub-Committee on a number of live and forthcoming public realm improvement projects and developments in the Queenhithe and Vintry area, and proposing to manage these projects using a programming approach in order to coordinate reporting and updates and ensure that dependencies and risks are managed. Members noted a tabled document detailing amendment to the finance tables as set out in Appendix 5 and the consequent revised recommendation to the report.

 

The Director of the Built Environment introduced the report and gave Members an overview of each scheme within the programme alongside a short presentation. The projects involved were Mansion House Station environs public realm enhancements, the Queensbridge House Hotel S278, and Globe View Walkway.

 

With regard to the Mansion House Station environs scheme, a Member asked who would be responsible for maintenance, and associated costs, of the pergola if that option was approved. The acoustic wall proposed in the other option would be valuable as Upper Thames Street was a noisy and busy road, and the Member suggested looking at a way to combine the two options as they both had merits. A Member added that officers should ensure measures were taken to discourage skateboarding in the area.

 

The Director of the Built Environment responded that maintenance of the pergola was not expected to be burdensome. The plants would take around a year to mature, although faster-growing plants could be used. An irrigation system could also be installed. Officers could look into a solution which combined the acoustic wall with a ‘green screen’, although this might have cost implications, and could take measures against skateboarding.

 

A Member asked what material would be used for the structure of the pergola as this would have implications, and the

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

9.

Lane Rental pdf icon PDF 76 KB

Report of the Director of the Built Environment

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

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee considered a report of the Director of the Built Environment concerning Lane Rental schemes. The Director of the Built Environment introduced the report which covered the background of lane rental schemes and outlined the advantages and disadvantages of introducing them in the City of London.

 

The schemes had an intuitively attractive feel but carried notable disbenefits. Guidance from central government had made it clear that lane rental fees would also apply equally to local authority works and works by utilities companies, thus affecting Corporation investment decisions. The Department for Transport (DfT) had limited the extent of the road network covered by Lane Rental to 5%, except for TfL who were considered a special case.

 

Having engaged with colleagues at other authorities, officers felt there was no great demand to progress the introduction of the schemes, as the significant disbenefits meant the overall benefit was not significant. For example, the schemes incentivised a shift to night-time work which, in turn, created conflicts with residents and incurred costs in managing the complaints process. However, officers would continue to assess the benefits and challenges of Lane Rental, internally and in conjunction with officers at other authorities.

 

Members were supportive of keeping the matter under review, particularly in conjunction with the aims and objectives of the forthcoming Transport Strategy, and asked for more detail on where payments from local authorities would be directed, what feasibility work had been done, and what percentage of the City of London’s streets the schemes would likely apply to. Members noted that whilst the schemes might result in shorter disruptions to the network, when highway works had been undertaken, reinstatement work needed to be done well, and lane rental schemes risked this work being rushed in order to avoid Lane Rental costs.

 

In response to queries from

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

10.

Review of Projects Within the Built Environment Directorate pdf icon PDF 267 KB

Report of the Director of the Built Environment

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

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Director of the Built Environment proposing a review and prioritisation of transportation and public realm projects within the Department of the Built Environment in order to best utilise available funds to deliver corporate priorities and enable continued development to support economic growth.

 

The Director of the Built Environment advised the Sub-Committee of the need to consider the context of developing against the Corporation’s strategies and the wider economic context. A number of projects requiring significant investment were on the horizon which necessitated a review of the whole portfolio to ensure projects undertaken were cost-effective and supported the Corporation’s aims. A two-stage process was proposed, with the results of the first stage brought back to committees in 2019.

 

Officers recommended that projects fully funded by S278 agreement monies, projects previously approved at Gateway 5 and fully funded, and Highways Structures fully funded by the Bridge House Estates should fall outside the scope of the review, along with eleven projects that could be fully funded with unallocated Section 106 funding. Forty-three pre-project proposals were recommended for archiving in the Project Vision system. The proposed approach and methodology for the review and prioritisation of projects was set out in the report. A ten-year plan for the second stage of the process would be drafted.

 

The Chairman advised the Sub-Committee that this was a complicated but significant report. The process was necessary given the Corporation potentially faced a new spending environment and less funding for projects was a possibility. Members were supportive of the review and commended officers on the work that had been done so far. Members recognised the importance of being pragmatic and strategy-led, with cross-departmental co-operation, and the benefit of having a process to identify priorities with the courage to cancel outliers. A Member

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

11.

Major Highway Activities 2018 & 2019 pdf icon PDF 605 KB

Report of the Director of the Built Environment

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

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee received an annual report of the Director of the Built Environment, reflecting on major highway activities in 2018 and 2019. The Director of the Built Environment introduced the report and advised the Sub-Committee of the key points.

 

Work volumes from developers and utilities in particular were expected to remain high in 2019. There had been deregulation with regards to independent connection partners which had increased flexibility for developers. Major works across the width of Leadenhall Street were planned for the first quarter of 2019, and around 150 days of disruption had been saved through combining and managing projects. It was important going forward to motivate utilities developers to complete their work quickly without compromising the quality of their work.

 

In response to queries from Members, the Director of the Built Environment advised that gas works in Fenchurch Street could not continue during the winter due to the impact on the gas network, creating a window to co-ordinate works in Leadenhall Street. A Member advised that this be made clear in communications about the work, otherwise residents might find it odd. The deregulation of the utility industry was an underlying concern for officers, although the Corporation could charge more for permits where it was deemed necessary.

 

Regarding the structural investigations under Lindsey Street, the Director of the Built Environment advised that it was not clear if structural weakness had been caused by Crossrail or by general deterioration, but it was unlikely that Crossrail would fund any repair work. Any surface level work would be done sensitively bearing in mind the upcoming Christmas period around the Market.

 

In response to a query from a Member, the Director of the Built Environment advised that the Corporation did not have to accept applications for filming-related road closures. A review of the process

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

12.

Annual On-Street Parking Accounts 2017/18 and Related Funding of Highway Improvements and Schemes pdf icon PDF 90 KB

Report of the Chamberlain

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

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Chamberlain, updating Members on action taken in respect of any deficit or surplus in its On-Street Parking Account for the financial year.

 

RESOLVED - That the contents of the report be noted for information, before submission to the Mayor for London.

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

13.

Questions on matters relating to the work of the Sub Committee

Minutes:

There were no questions.

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

14.

Any other business that the Chairman considers urgent

Minutes:

There was no other business.

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

15.

Exclusion of the public

MOTION – 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 Part I of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act as follows:-

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

Minutes:

RESOLVED – That under Section 100(A) 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 Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

 

Item No.                                              Exempt Paragraphs

16                                                                    3

17 – 18                                                            -

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

16.

Non-public minutes

To agree the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 23 October 2018.

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

Minutes:

RESOLVED – That the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 23 October 2018 be agreed as a correct record.

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

17.

Non-public questions on matters relating to the work of the Sub Committee

Minutes:

There were no questions.

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

18.

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

Minutes:

There was one item of other business.

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