Agenda item

Report of the City Surveyor.

The Committee considered a report of the City Surveyor which sought approval to declare a volume of City Fund owned airspace measuring 118.83 square feet, situated at Watling House, 33 Cannon St, London, EC4M 5SB, to be surplus to highway requirements to allow its disposal in conjunction with the permitted development.

An Officer introduced the report stating that planning consent was obtained on 17 December 2020, and this had been approved in principle by the City Engineering Team. The canopy, measuring a total of 133.58 square feet, would encroach on City Corporation airspace. A canopy already existed at the entrance door at Watling House. The proposed replacement canopy did not change the massing of the building, and although the proposed canopy was larger than the previous, it would be situated higher on the building which made it less obstructive to the public highway. The proposed canopy would clear the highway by 5.7 metres in Cannon Street and 5.5 metres on Bread Street, but this was due to the existing slope on the street. The proposed surplus declaration did not extend to the highway stratum, which would remain as public highway and vested in the City Corporation as the highway authority. The airspace in question was not considered necessary for the use of highway and the exercise of the highway and was therefore proposed that subject to the Committee’s agreement, to declare the area of City Fund airspace around at Watling House, 33 Cannon Street, to be surplus to highway requirements. This would enable the City Corporation to dispose of a suitable interest in the airspace, upon terms to be approved by the delegated authority of the City Surveyor.

A Member commented that there was a bollard which would stop a collision but asked for confirmation that highways tracking had taken place to ensure that, if for example, a crane was being moved, it would not hit the canopy. An Officer explained that the two crash prevention bollards would remain in situ after the installation of the new canopy. Members were informed that the new canopy would be higher up than the current one, and that in terms of safety and impact on the public highway this had been approved in principle by the engineering team and also had planning consent.

A Member asked for clarification on the units used by the Corporation to ascertain if they used metric units, as the report referred to feet. An Officer explained that square feet had been used as the premium value was calculated in square feet. However, this could be changed into metres in future reports.

RESOLVED – That Members resolve to declare a volume of City Fund owned airspace totalling 118.83 sq ft (held for highway purposes), situated around Watling House, 33 Cannon St, London, EC4M 5SB, to be surplus to highway requirements to enable its disposal upon terms to be approved under the delegated authority of the City Surveyor subject to the City Surveyor and Deputy Director of Transportation and Public Realm first determining the relevant ordnance datum levels to suitably restrict the vertical extent of the leasehold airspace demise.