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 Richard Beddoe explained that a week before the meeting, all four Members of the Committee were provided 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 specifically mentioned at this meeting in the officers’ presentation or by Members of the Committee, it did not mean that the issue had been ignored. Members will have read about the issue and comments made by correspondents in the papers read prior to the meeting.
2.2 Councillor Beddoe also declared that in his capacity as Chairman of Planning, he knew a number of property developers and planning consultants, although he did not consider them his friends. He added that any Members of the Majority Party who had or would make representations in respect of the applications on the agenda were his friends.
2.3 Councillor Beddoe, in respect of the specific items on the agenda, declared that Items 5, 6, 7 & 8 were in his ward. He had attended a site visit relating to Item 4 with all other members of the Sub-Committee.
2.4 Councillor Gotz Mohindra declared in respect of Item 1 he worked close to the site. In respect of Item 3 his company leases a property in Welbeck Street but this was not impacted by the application. In respect of Item 4 he lived in Hamilton Terrace but not close to the site. In respect of Item 10 he was Deputy Chairman of the Westminster Faith Exchange and the Church Commissioners sponsored an event.
2.5 Councillor Susie Burbridge declared that she had attended the site visit relating to Item 4 and that Item 2 was in her ward.
2.6 Councillor David Boothroyd declared that he is Head of Research and Psephology for Thorncliffe, whose clients are companies applying for planning permission from various local authorities. No current schemes are in Westminster; if there were he would be precluded from working on them under the company’s code of conduct.
2.7 Some Thorncliffe clients have engaged planning consultants who are also representing applicants tonight: Savills on items 1 and 5, and DP9 on item 3. However he does not deal directly with clients or other members of project teams, and planning consultants are not themselves clients.
2.8 On item 1, he was a member of the committee last June which considered the application at 100 Piccadilly.
2.9 On item 4, he was a member of the committee in March which considered the first application, and he also attended the site visit last week. He knows some of the objectors who have written in about this application.
On item 5, he was a member of the committee in March 2016 which considered the main application.
2.10 On item 10, the applicants Criterion Capital were clients of Thorncliffe from July 2015 to January 2016, in respect of a development in Camden. He also declared that he lives on Park West Place to the south-east of the site, but not close enough to be affected by the operation of the hotel, so he does not consider that interest to be prejudicial.
2.11 On item 11, he was a member of the committee in October 2015 which considered the previous application.