Issue - meetings

To receive declarations by members and officers of the existence and nature of any personal or prejudicial interests in matters on this agenda.

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 gets to know a number of property developers and planning consultants, although he does 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 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 in his previous role as the Cabinet Member for Finance, Property and Corporate Services responsible for the City Council’s property portfolio, he regularly met with members of the planning and property industry as well as residents’ associations and amenity groups and that he may continue to meet such groups in his new role as the Cabinet Member for Environment and City Management.

2.4      Councillor Mitchell also declared that in respect of item 7, he was familiar with the building and a former client of his had made a representation, however he did not regard these as prejudicial interests.

2.5       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.

2.6       Councillor Burbridge then made the following further declarations as they related to the specific applications on the agenda:

            Item 4: That she had attended a Cabinet Member for Housing meeting where this site had been discussed in her previous capacity as Deputy Cabinet Member for Housing.

            Item 8: That the application site is in her Ward.

To receive declarations by members and officers of the existence and nature of any personal or prejudicial interests in matters on this agenda.

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 declared that in respect of item 2 she had been a member of the Planning Sub-Committee, which had considered a previous application at the site.

2.3       Councillor Bott declared that item 3 was located within his ward and as such he would therefore withdraw from the Sub-Committee and retire from the room during the consideration of this item.

2.4       Councillor Glanz declared that item 2 was located within his ward and as such he would therefore withdraw from the Sub-Committee and retire from the room during the consideration of this item.

2.5       Councillor Bush declared that she was a trustee of the Westminster Tree Trust.