City of London Corporation Planning and Transportation Committee 14 July 2020

Today the City of London Corporation’s Planning and Transportation committee met to discuss a number of issues including planning applications and updates to the City Cluster delivery plans and Business Plan.

 

Millennium Bridge House and 1 Paul’s Walk Planning Application

The first application was for a refurbishment and extension to Millennium Bridge House at Lambeth Hill. The proposed changes includes the introduction of new façades to all elevations and extensions to the building at all levels to provide:

  • 27,275sqm of refurbished office floorspace (Class B1)
  • 1,776sqm of flexible office/retail floorspace (Class B1/A1/A3/A4)
  • 2,432sqm of retail floorspace (Class A1/A3/A4)
  • 375sqm of publicly accessible roof terrace at the fifth and sixth floor.
    • The sixth floor extension would provide a roof top pavilion space providing public lobbies, a restaurant/bar, office space and access to a free public viewing terrace.

A separate but connected planning application included associated public realm enhancements to Paul’s Walk, Trig Lane and Peter’s Hill. The proposed replacement of the Corporation’s inclinator with a new vertical, enclosed public lift was particularly welcomed. Other proposed public realm works included the removal and relocation of the HSBC gates from Peter’s Hill to improve pedestrian flows.

Officers noted that the proposals had an appropriate mix of uses and an attractive design that would ‘result in the optimisation of the building to enhance the office offering and to provide flexible retail uses that would activate the Thames Path and Millennium Bridge.’

Despite this objections to the applications had been received from neighbouring residents (in the City and Southwark) mainly relating to overlooking, daylight and sunlight, and noise and visual impacts from the proposed roof terrace and restaurant.

During residents from neighbouring Norfolk House were given the opportunity to express these concerns particularly relating to ‘direct overlooking’ and subsequent loss of privacy, disruption from construction, restricted access from public realm proposals around Trig Lane and a detrimental impact on disabled residents due to the introduction of  a steep slope and steps.

Some members shared these concerns but ultimately disagreed. After a lengthy debate they admitted it was disappointing that better community consultation had not solved this issue but welcomed the public realm benefits being brought forward (including the removal of the inclinator); the introduction of active retail space to complement City Corporation ambitions; and confirmed from the applicant that they were not changing access to Trig Lane (which was not a public highway). The proposals were also backed by Deputy Brain Mooney the Ward Councillor for Queenhithe, the ward where the proposed development sits.

Ultimately members approved the Millennium Bridge House application (25 votes in favour, two against and one abstention) and the associated public realm application (24 in favour, two against and one in abstention.

CITY CLUSTER AREA- UPDATED DELIVERY PLAN

The Committee discussed the updated delivery plan 2020 – 2023 for the City Cluster which centred around three programmes to enable a set of high priority projects to be developed and implemented. These three programmes were:

Programme 1 Pedestrian Priority and Traffic Reduction: Ensure streets can safely accommodate the projected increases in pedestrians and cyclists by rebalancing the street capacity.

 

Programme 2 Well-being and Climate Change Resilience: The improvement of public spaces and introduction of greenery to deliver an enhanced environment, in line with objectives of the City’s Climate Action Strategy

 

Programme 3 Activation and Engagement: Deliver public places that are welcoming and inclusive, encouraging public participation and social engagement.

 

 

These programmes have an estimated cost between £2.4 – £2.9m for the delivery of the initial three years of work (2020-2023) and would be funded from existing Section 106 contributions and the TfL Liveable Neighbourhood grant.

The committee had no further questions and approved the report and its recommendations.

The full updated delivery plan can be found here.

CITY OF LONDON CORPORATION PARTICIPATION IN E-SCOOTER TRIALS

The City Corporation does not officially have a formal position on e-scooter use despite the Government announcing a fast-tracked legal processes to allow 12-month trials of rental e-scooter schemes to take place as soon as possible.

Officers comments that the introduction of e-scooters would help relieve pressure on public transport and help create an alternative, safe mode of transport which is needed in light of COVID-19.

The committee had some safety concerns but agreed that the City of London Corporation should participate in a rental escooter trial and so approved the report to enable this to happen.

The full E-Scooter report can be read here.

CONSULTATION ON DRAFT S106 PLANNING OBLIGATIONS SUPPLEMENTARY

The committee discussed updates to the Planning Obligations Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) which was adopted in 2014. The SPD needed to be updated to reflect changes in national legislation, national planning guidance, revised policies in the Intend to Publish London Plan and draft policies in the emerging City Plan 2036. In particular, there is a need to update provisions in relation to affordable housing and carbon offsetting.

The key changes to the SPD are:

  • Updated explanation of the legislative basis for Planning Obligations and the Community Infrastructure Levy and changes to the Mayoral Community Infrastructure Levy.
  • Providing further guidance on development viability testing, emphasising that land value should take into account the full cost of meeting Development Plan policies. The price paid for a site will not be accepted as a justification for not meeting Local Plan requirements. Any viability information submitted by a developer should be publicly available.
  • Changes to the requirements for contributions towards affordable housing, seeking increased requirements from commercial development; emphasising that affordable housing should be provided on-site on residential development; and, where commuted sums are agreed, requiring that there is no financial benefit to the developer in not providing the affordable units onsite.
  • Updated provisions for contributions towards local skills, training and employment and local procurement, which are essential to put in place mechanisms to support the City’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
  • A new contribution from developments within and close to the City Cluster to contribute towards the design and implementation of area-wide security measures.
  • An update to the cost of carbon used to calculate carbon offsetting contributions, reflecting London Plan guidance and the direction in the emerging City of London Climate Action Strategy.
  • Other provisions to ensure that development meets the policy requirements in the draft Local Plan, including for transportation, for urban greening, for the provision of cultural plans and public art and for site specific mitigation.

The committee approved the application. It will now be subject to public consultation for a period of 6 weeks in September and October, at the same time as the presubmission (Regulation 19) consultation on the draft Local Plan.

Comments and any proposed changes to the SPD would then be brought back to the Committee for consideration and for formal adoption.

The full draft SPD can be read here.

2019/20 BUSINESS PLAN UPDATE Q4 / CITY STREETS: TRANSPORTATION RESPONSE TO SUPPORT COVID-19 RECOVERY

The committee also received both these reports and approved without any further comments.

The 2019/20 Business Plan Update Q4 can be read here.

The City Streets report can be read here.

REOPENING THE HOSPITALITY SECTOR

The new proposed Business and Planning Bill 2020 introduces significant changes designed to help food and alcohol
licensed premises begin trading and start to recover from lockdown now that the Government has introduced proposes to ease restrictions. The Business and Planning Bill introduces a fast track procedure for the introduction of a Pavement Licence (permits businesses to place tables and chairs, on the highway for their customers) with a decision made within 14 days of receipt of an application.  The new Pavement License will cost £100 and for a last for 3 months at a time.

The committee approved the report and its recommendations. The full report can be read here.

VALID PLANNING APPLICATIONS RECEIVED BY DEPARTMENT OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

The committee also noted valid planning applications received by the Department of the Built Environment. The major applications from this report have been noted below but the full report can be read here.

88 Wood Street, London, EC2V 7DA

Applicant: Star Winner Enterprises Limited

Change of use of part of ground floor from Class B1 to Class A1 (shop), change of use of part of ground floor from Class B1 to flexible either Class D2 (gym) or Class B1 (office), change of use of part of ground floor from 13/03/2020 Star Winner Enterprises Limited Class A1 to flexible either Class B1 (office) or Class A1 (shop), creation of new ground floor entrance from Wood Street, installation of additional cycle parking, and associated external alterations and landscaping (705sq.m).

 

81 Newgate Street, London, EC1A 7AJ

Applicant: NG Devco Limited

Part refurbishment and part demolition, excavation and redevelopment involving the erection of an additional four storeys to provide a ground plus 13 storey building with publicly accessible route through the site, incorporating gym and swimming pool (Use Class D2) at basement levels, gym and flexible floor area 01/04/2020 NG Devco Limited uses (Use Classes A1-A5, B1, D2) at basement level, retail (A1-A5) at ground floor level with access to offices and rooftop restaurant and public viewing gallery, office accommodation (Use Class B1a) from levels 1-13, roof top restaurant (Use Class A3) and publicly and privately accessible roof terraces, landscaping and other associated works

 

101 Moorgate, London, EC2M 6SL

Applicant: Aviva Life and Pensions

Erection of a new building for office (Class B1) and retail/cafe (Class A1/A3) uses comprising part basement, ground, mezzanine and eight upper floors plus rooftop plant enclosure and roof terrace. Creation of new public thoroughfare. (The total proposed floor area of the building is 10,162sq.m GEA, comprising 9,867sq.m of office floorspace and 295sq.m of retail (Class A1) floorspace.) This application is accompanied by an Environmental Impact Assessment 08/04/2020 Aviva Life and Pensions which is available for inspection with the planning application. Copies of the Update to the EIA may be obtained from Savills, 33 Margaret Street, London W1G 0JD at a cost of 120GBP.

 

150 Aldersgate Street, 3-4 Bartholomew Place, London, EC1A

Client: Arindel Properties Limited

(i) Demolition of roof top plant enclosure, rear service ramp and removal of cladding to facilitate the refurbishment, 01/05/2020 Arindel Properties Limited recladding and extension of the existing Office (Class B1(a)) building at 150 Aldersgate Street to create a basement, ground plus nine storey building, including rear and roof top extensions, infill extensions to the rear courtyard (ground plus two storeys) to link with 3-4 Bartholomew Place; (ii) a part change of use at ground floor from Office (Class B1) to Cafe (Class A1) (41sq.m GIA); (iii) erection of a new building Office (Class B1(a)) at 3-4 Bartholomew Place comprised of basement, ground plus three storeys; (iv) the amalgamation of the two buildings; (v) the creation of new accessible and inaccessible terraces, green roofs, hard and soft landscaping, and creation of external courtyards; (vi) upgrade works to Braidwood Passage, including new lighting; and (vii) reconfiguration of the loading bay and associated works.