Agenda item

Joint report of the Executive Director Environment and the District Surveyor and Environmental Resilience Director.

The Committee considered a joint report of the Executive Director, Environment and the District Surveyor and Environmental Resilience Director seeking Member approval for adoption of the City of London Riverside Strategy 2021.

Officers introduced the report by stating that it was actually a refined version of a report which originally went to Committee this Summer as a draft for public consultation. This consultation had now concluded and had attracted approximately 70 responses from all major stakeholders. In general, the responses were supportive of the Strategy which was very reassuring. That being said, there had been some suggestions for changes, particularly around the need for greater emphasis on protecting biodiversity during any changes to the river frontage and the foreshore as well as the need for better integrated designs to ensure that access was maintained along the riverside walk as well as to and from the river during the changes to the river defenses that would be necessary as a consequence of this strategy.

Members were informed that this was a pioneering report and it was recognised that this would need to change and evolve over the course of the next few decades to come. Nevertheless it was felt that this was a good starting point and would put the City Corporation in a good position to address these serious issues not least in the aftermath of the recent COP26 conference, at a time when climate action was at the forefront of people’s minds.

The Chair spoke of the importance and excellence of the report.

RESOLVED – That Members of Planning and Transportation Committee recommend for onwards approval to the Policy and Resources Committee, the text of the draft Riverside Strategy for adoption.