Agenda item

61-65 HOLBORN VIADUCT LONDON EC1A 2FD

Report of the Interim Chief Planning Officer and Development Director.

Minutes:

Members considered a report of the Interim Chief Planning Officer and Development Director in respect of 61-65 Holborn Viaduct, London, EC1A 2FD. At the Planning and Transportation Committee on 28th January 2020 it was resolved that the application be approved, subject to Planning obligations and other agreements being entered into under section 106 of the Town & Country Planning Act 1990 and Section 278 of the Highways Act 1980, and the decision notice not being issued until the Section 106 obligations had been executed.  

 

The Chair stressed that the Committee would normally expect to receive the consultation response from the GLA well in advance of bringing any application before the Planning and Transportation Committee, thereby incorporating their comments into the report. However, in this rare instance, Officers had only just received the response from the GLA and therefore considered it appropriate to report this back to Members, to ensure that they could be taken into account, and to confirm that the Officer’s recommendation to grant permission remained the same.  Members were asked to note that Officers were in constructive liaison with the GLA to ensure there would not be a repeat in delays in receiving their Stage 1 letters on other schemes.

 

A Member noted that the GLA had requested that affordable workspace be secured as part of Section 106 and questioned why, procedurally, the City did not intend to do this already and whether it was normally something that would be done as a mater of course. Officers responded that this point was picked up when the application was originally considered and was set out in the Committee report of January 2020. Some form of affordable workspace would be sought, space for SMEs would be at a discounted rate or for a free period at the outset.

 

RESOLVED -  That:

 

That planning permission be granted for the above proposal in accordance

with the details set out in the attached schedule, subject to:

 

(a)  the Mayor of London being given 14 days to decide whether to allow the

Corporation to grant planning permission as recommended, or to direct

      refusal, or to determine the application himself in accordance with Article

      5(1)(a) of the Town & Country Planning (Mayor of London) Order 2008;

 

(b)  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 this report and the

original Committee Report dated 28 January 2020, the decision notice not to

be issued until the Section 106 obligations have been executed.

Supporting documents: