To receive declarations by members and officers of the existence and nature of any personal or prejudicial interests in matters on this agenda.
Minutes:
2.1 Councillor Robert Davis declared that any Members of the Majority Party who had or would make representations on the applications on the agenda were his friends. He also advised that in his capacity as Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Planning it was inevitable and part of his role that he got to know, meet and talk to leading members of the planning and property industry including landowners and developers and their professional teams including architects, surveyors, planning consultants, lawyers and public affairs advisers as well as residents, residents associations and amenity groups. It was his practice to make such declarations. He stated that it did not mean that they were his personal friends or that he had a pecuniary interest, but that he had worked with them in his capacity as Cabinet Member for Planning.
2.2 Councillor Davis explained that all four Members of the Committee were provided a week before the meeting with a full set of papers including a detailed officer’s report on each application together with bundles of every single letter or e-mail received in respect of every application including all letters and e-mails containing objections or giving support. Members of the Committee read through everything in detail prior to the meeting. Accordingly, if an issue or comment made by a correspondent was not generally or specifically mentioned at the meeting in the officers presentation or by Members of the Committee, because of the need to get through a long agenda, it did not mean that Members had ignored the issue as they would have read about the issue and comments made by correspondents in the papers read prior to the meeting.
2.3 Councillor Davis also declared that in his capacity as the Cabinet Member for the Built Environment with specific responsibility for planning, he regularly met with developers as part of the City Council’s pre-application engagement with applicants. This was wholly in accordance with normal protocols and the terms set out in the Localism Act 2011 as amplified in the Communities and Local Government Act Guidance document “A Plain English Guide to the Localism Act”. Councillor Davis added that the meetings held with applicants, and in some case objectors too, were without prejudice and all parties were advised that a final formal decision was only taken when all the facts were before him and his Committee through the normal planning application process.
2.4 Councillor Davis wished to declare that in his capacity as Cabinet Member he knew a number of the directors of planning consultancy companies in Westminster. The planning consultancy companies were representing the applicants on a number of items on the current agenda, including Four Communications, Belgrave, DP9, Gerald Eve, Montagu Evans and Turley.
2.5 Councillor Davis then made the following further declarations as they related to the specific applications on the agenda:
Item 1: That he had met with the applicants concerning this application, and knew the Directors of London and Regional Properties. He also knew the Directors and the General Manager of Hilton Hotels, and the Directors of DP9.
Item 2: That he had met with the applicants and knew the applicants’ agent Laurence Brooker, who was a former Council Officer. He also knew Mike Stiff the architect, and Turley’s who were the applicant’s representatives.
Item 3: The application had been to this Committee on a previous occasion, and he had met with the applicants prior to the first time it came to Committee and subsequent to the last meeting. He also knew their representatives Belgrave, and the architects Make.
Item 4: That he had sat on the Committee that had considered the principal application on a previous occasion, and that he also knew the Directors of the Howard de Walden Estate.
Item 5: That he had sat on the Committee that had considered the principal application on a previous occasion, and that he also knew the Directors of the Howard de Walden Estate.
Item 6: That he knew the Directors of Grosvenor and the Directors of Gerald Eve who were representing them, and had met with the applicants concerning this application.
Item 7: That he had met with the applicants and knew the Directors of Capital & Counties Properties (Capco), and their representative Gerald Eve and Paul Collins who represented them. He also knew the Vicar of St. Paul’s who occupied the adjoining Church.
Item 8: That he had met with the applicants, and knew their representatives DP9.
Item 9: He knew the Chief Executive and other Directors of the Royal Parks Agency, and also knew the senior officers of TfL. Other parts of the Cycle Superhighway had been to this Committee on previous occasions.
Item 10: That he had sat on the Committee that had considered the application on a previous occasion. He had met with the applicants, and knew their agents, and also knew Lee Simmons who was the designer of the proposed art installation.
Item 11: He had met with the applicants and knew their representatives DP9.
Item 12: The application had been to the Committee on previous occasions. He had also met the applicants and the principle objectors. He also knew members of the Bourne family who were part of the applicants, and the applicants’ agents Montagu Evans. The application site was also in his Ward.
2.6 Councillor Tim Mitchell declared that any Members of the Majority Party who had or would make representations in respect of the applications on the agenda were his friends. He also advised that in his capacity as a Councillor for St James’s Ward, and as Cabinet Member for Finance responsible for the City Council’s corporate property portfolio, he regularly met with members of the planning and property industry as well as residents’ associations and amenity groups. He also knew planning consultancy companies that were representing the applicants on a number of items on the current agenda, including Four Communications, Belgrave, DP9, Montagu Evans and Turley’s.
2.7 Councillor Mitchell then made the following further declarations as they related to the specific applications on the agenda:
Items 3, 4, 5, 10 and 12: That he had sat on the Committee that had considered the previous applications.
Item 6: That he knew the Directors of Grosvenor.
Item 7: The application site was located in his Ward. He also knew the applicant Capital & Counties Properties (Capco), and knew a number of people who had made representations.
Item 9: He knew members of staff of the Royal Parks Agency, together with a Board Member. Other parts of the Cycle Superhighway had been to this Committee on previous occasions.
2.8 Councillor Susie Burbridge declared that any Members of the Majority Party who had or would make representations on the applications on the agenda were her friends. She advised that she was Deputy Cabinet Member for Housing, Business and Economic Development.
2.9 Councillor Burbridge made the following further declarations as they related to the specific applications on the agenda:
Items 3, 4, 5, 10 and 12: That he had sat on the Committee that had considered the previous applications.
Item 9: That she knew members of staff of the Royal Parks Agency of the Royal Parks Agency. Other parts of the Cycle Superhighway had been to this Committee on previous occasions.
Item 12: The application site was located in her Ward.
2.10 Councillor Tim Roca made no declarations.