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 Angela Harvey 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 Harvey stated that a number of the applications include environmental matters. She declared that she is married to Councillor David Harvey who is the Cabinet Member for Environment, Sport and Community and has responsibility for environmental issues. She advised that she had not discussed any of the applications with him. In respect of item 3, she declared that in the presence of a council officer she had met Cynthia Grant and Paul Dimond who are members of the Bond Street and Regent Street Regeneration Board. She further declared that Paul Dimond is a neighbour but that she has only discussed the application with him in the aforementioned meeting. With respect to item 5, she declared that she is a cyclist. She also declared in relation to item 8 that a number of the committee members know Alastair Moss who was formerly a Westminster councillor and had objected to the application. She also declared that she knows Mike Fairmaner who was formerly a Westminster officer and who had submitted a representation on behalf of Marble Arch.
2.3 Councillor Iain Bott declared in respect of item 2 that he would step down from the committee in order to make a ward member representation. In respect of item 7 he declared a prejudicial interest in that he lived directly above the site. He advised that he would withdraw from the meeting during the consideration of this application. With regard to items 2 & 8, he declared that he knows a number of the objectors to the applications.
2.4 Councillor Glanz declared in respect of item 3 that in the presence of a council officer he had met members of the Bond Street and Regent Street Regeneration Board. In respect of item 8 he declared that he knows Alastair Moss and who had objected to the application and who was formerly a Westminster councillor. He also declared that he knows Mike Fairmaner who was formerly a Westminster officer and who had submitted a representation on behalf of Marble Arch.
2.5 Councillor Williams declared in respect of item 5 that he had had meetings with Westminster Cycling as the Labour Party spokesperson on city transport matters which includes cycling but that he had not discussed the specific application with them.