Agenda item

The Chairman updated the Committee as follows:

1. Awards

a) The City’s Planning Team was the Winner of the Planning Authority of the Year category at the RTPI London Awards for Planning Excellence.

The Awards judges commented that the City’s small Planning team were disproportionally pivotal in delivering the challenging floorspace growth required to maintain the City of London’s position as the world’s business centre, the engine of London’s and the UK’s economy, through exceptionally challenging economic times. The Planning team delivered an unprecedented million sqm of floorspace in 2021 including 6 new towers, all with substantial wider, inclusive public benefits. These schemes and ground-breaking initiatives were transforming the City as a 7-day destination, culturally resurgent, providing a resilient economic base to flourish as an inclusive, gentler, welcoming City for all communities, crucially, benefitting all in the UK.

b) The City was the Winner of Best Borough led Project at the Building London Planning Awards for our initiative :  Putting the public on top: A view for All?—?Elevated Public Realm in the City of London

The Awards judges commented that the City of London Corporation had consented 13 free to visit elevated public roof gardens, terraces and viewing galleries in major developments since 2018 borne out of radical new polices to deliver elevated views to all, delivering an inclusive, welcoming City.

c) Pearl Figueira was the winner of Young Planner of the Year at the RTPI London Awards for Planning Excellence

The Awards judges commented that Pearl was an enthusiastic and dedicated planner, working across the development management and policy teams in the City of London. Her most outstanding achievement to date had been leading on the production of the draft City of London Lighting SPD. Working with industry experts she had produced clear, legible technical guidance for developments to follow. She had transformed the way that lighting was considered in developments, and she had drawn attention to the importance of securing well designed lighting from an environmental and amenity perspective at an early stage in the development process.

d) The Carbon Options Guidance was shortlisted for two awards as well as the Suicide Prevention Guidance but were not successful. They were still a recognition of the ground breaking work of both initiatives.

2. Peter Shadbolt

Peter would be leaving the City Corporation at the end of the month, after 14 and a half years leading the team managing the Corporation’s Local Plan work as well as monitoring, land charges, and street naming and numbering. He had played a key role in developing the new City Plan, the adopted Local Plan and earlier development plan documents, as well as many SPDs. He had been a steadfast, thoughtful and extremely knowledgeable member of the planning team, was highly respected across the profession, and greatly valued by members of the Planning & Transportation Committee.

3. First Geothermal Borehole Completed on Salisbury Square Development

This was the first Square Mile scheme to use a standalone borehole cooling and heating system.