Agenda and minutes

To note any changes to the membership.

1.1      There were no apologies for absence.  The Members of the Committee were all present at the meeting.

To receive declarations of interest by Members and Officers of any personal or prejudicial interests.

2.1      There were no declarations of interest.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on Monday 18 January 2016.

3.1       A post-meeting note had been included in the minutes of the meeting held on Monday 18 January that the Council had received nominations from the Pimlico Toy Library to list St. George’s Square Gardens and Pimlico Gardens as Assets of Community Value.  The applications were validated by the Council on 13th January.  The Committee asked whether a decision had yet been taken on whether to list them or not.  Barry Smith, Head of City Policy & Strategy, advised that he had corresponded with the Westminster Boating Base about whether they wished to be included in the existing application or submit their own application.  It was likely that a decision would be taken in the next ten days or so.

3.2       RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on Monday 18 January 2016 be signed by the Chairman as a correct record of proceedings.

Written updates from the Cabinet Member for the Built Environment (to follow), the Cabinet Member for City Management and Customer Services (to follow) and the Cabinet Member for Sustainability and Parking (Appendix 3).

Question and Answer session at the meeting with the Cabinet Member for City Management and Customer Services and the Cabinet Member for Sustainability and Parking.

4.1       The Committee received written updates from the Cabinet Member for the Built Environment, the Cabinet Member for City Management and Customer Services and the Cabinet Member for Sustainability and Parking on significant matters within their portfolios.  

4.2       The Chairman welcomed Councillor Heather Acton and Councillor Melvyn Caplan to the meeting.  The Committee firstly put questions to and received responses from Councillor Acton on a number of matters that were relevant to the Sustainability and Parking portfolio.  These included the following topics:

·           Councillor Acton was asked about discussions with Transport for London (‘TfL) which had followed residents’ concerns about 24 hours a day use of the underground trains at Covent Garden on Friday and Saturday evenings.  Residents were worried about potential problems caused by noisy people on the streets throughout the night and had queried whether its use could be avoided then due to the area being quiet late at night (in contrast to Leicester Square).  The Cabinet Member replied that TfL had not agreed to either not using or closing Covent Garden station earlier but they had agreed to monitor very carefully for a period of six months what the impact was of the use of Covent Garden Station at weekends.  She added that this was a matter which cut across Cabinet Member portfolios, in particular those of Councillor Aiken and Councillor Caplan.  It was queried whether the Station could be managed so that users of the ‘tube’ could only enter it and not exit from it.  This would prevent those travelling dispersing into the Covent Garden area late at night and entering the cumulative impact area.  Mr Smith stated that he would seek an answer on this point from TfL at a meeting that he was due to attend later that week.

·           The Sustainability and Parking Cabinet Member Update had stated that ‘any suggestions from the Committee on ideas that could be implemented to improve air quality in Marylebone would be invaluable at this stage’.  It was suggested to the Cabinet Member at the meeting that the taxis which were not able to park in Marylebone Station should be kept in a holding area in Rossmore Road.   Potentially then a signal could be given to taxis when they were able to proceed to the Station from Rossmore Road.  The point was made that currently a large number of taxis queued over the Bridge and pollution was experienced by residents of Blandford Estate.  Councillor Acton responded that she would discuss this idea with TfL as the taxi ranking and some of the roads in the area were their responsibility.  She informed Members that she had brought to the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association’s (‘LTDA’) attention that taxis should not be keeping their engines idling and she had been advised that the Association would be encouraging drivers to turn off their engines whilst waiting.  All new taxis would be electric vehicles (‘EV’) by 2018 which would limit emission levels.  Councillor Acton clarified that the specific Low Emission Neighbourhood bid  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

Report of Director of Policy, Performance and Communications

5.1      Rebecca Cloke, Manager of Public Realm Design, Growth, Housing & Planning Department, introduced the item.  She stated that the Strategy was being updated, amalgamating it with the Biodiversity Action Plan and incorporating recommendations for green infrastructure.  It was important that the information on open spaces was robust and up-to-date to support planning policy and decision making (the previous Open Space Strategy had been published in 2007).  A study had been undertaken which included landscape and ecology audits of all open spaces in the borough, both private and public and were in the final stages of analysing the information received.  This would assist in informing the Strategy.  It was anticipated that the draft Strategy would go out to public consultation in late spring / early summer in order to be adopted in autumn 2016.  The Committee was being invited to comment at an early stage. 

5.2       The Committee asked a number of questions to officers and Councillor Acton and raised a number of points, including the following:

·           What would ensure that the document would not merely be an aspirational document?  Councillor Acton and Mr Smith replied that there were statutory requirements, particularly in respect of planning.  It formed a framework that planning officers would be able to take account of during the application process.  A clear framework would demonstrate its robustness when bidding for external funding.

·           Was there an emphasis in policy terms on planting that would encourage insects such as butterflies or small garden birds and other wildlife?  Ms Cloke replied that priority habitats were reflected in the Biodiversity Action Plan.  Plant choices were likely to be included in management plans.

·           Was consideration being given to close certain roads at certain times in order to enable children who live in the urban environment to appreciate open spaces and the natural environment?  Councillor Acton replied that this was happening in certain areas and it was proposed that this was implemented in more areas in the Walking Strategy and the LEN.

·           The point was made that as part of the Royal Parks’ expertise in respect of habitats, grassland was not mown in some areas of Regent’s Park.  It was asked whether this could be introduced in other open spaces such as the manicured squares.  Ms Cloke advised that the audits of open spaces had been undertaken by a landscape architect and they were required to provide recommendations for improving biodiversity.  The information received from the audits was about to be sent out to the owners of the sites with the recommendations.  Councillor Acton added that CityWest Homes were very aware of the need to increase biodiversity in their green spaces and were working with the Council on this.

·           Had consideration been given to turning a few more streets into linear parks as in the case of the ‘Green Spine’ project in Church Street, potentially removing street parking to do so?  Councillor Acton stated that this was being looked at in the LEN.  One of the proposals in the LEN was to create  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

Report of the Executive Director: Growth, Planning & Housing.

6.1      The Chairman referred to the fact that in January 2015 the Committee had considered the position regarding fixed line broadband coverage in Westminster and the need for improvement in terms of connectivity and the increased take-up of superfast broadband.  A number of actions had resulted at the Committee meeting and it had been agreed that this topic would be revisited in 2016.  Members at the current meeting received a report setting out the progress made since January 2015.

6.2      The report was introduced at the meeting by Steve Carr, Deputy Director, West End Partnership and David Wilkins, Business and Enterprise Support Officer.  Mr Carr stated that at the time of the previous meeting in January 2015, OFCOM data from 2014 had showed that only 47% of premises in Westminster had access to superfast broadband.  OfCOM had not updated this figure but various surveys suggested that this figure had gone up.  A recent Think Broadband survey had suggested 71.1%.  A report from Grant Shapps MP had ranked parliamentary constituencies for superfast broadband coverage and had put the availability for Westminster North and Cities of London and Westminster constituencies as being 79% and 78% respectively, which was at a low level nationally.

6.3      Mr Carr advised the Committee on the progress made since the meeting, including that officers had ran a broadband campaign in summer 2015.  This had established that there was a huge appetite and demand for superfast broadband.  Discussions with BT Openreach had led to an agreement that they would deploy 142 additional street cabinets in Westminster by the end of 2017.  Five trial cabinets were agreed and it was believed that they had now been installed.  Virgin had agreed to update their legacy analogue cabinets, bringing additional connectivity to Pimlico and areas of Paddington in the next year.  Mr Carr added that he believed there was a lack of clarity from the main providers regarding when residents in specific streets would be receiving superfast broadband.  A ‘Wired Westminster Group’ had been established, chaired by Councillor Jonathan Glanz, in order to tackle some of the challenges regarding connectivity to premises and involves property firms, advisors and broadband operators. The DCMS Broadband Connection Voucher Scheme for small and medium sized firms had been promoted.  Westminster had topped the rankings for take up using the voucher scheme (Venus Communications who provide fibre to the premises had been successful in providing this service to Soho businesses) but the scheme had since been withdrawn by the Government.  Officers were, as part of their recommendations in the report, proposing a London or Westminster wide voucher scheme.  Mr Carr was working with the West End Partnership who had identified broadband connectivity as a major priority in their investment programme.

6.4      Mr Carr took Members through possible options for the future.  These included provision by the Council of ducts and infrastructure, potentially running a connection voucher scheme through the West End Partnership, continuing lobbying activities particularly with national government and continue dialogue with BT Openreach and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

The Committee to consider whether it wishes to issue any press releases in relation to its work.

7.1      The Chairman stated that he was minded to publish a press release in respect of the Broadband Coverage item. It was intended that he would consult Ms Dindjer, Policy and Scrutiny Manager and the relevant press officer and it would be circulated to Members of the Committee.

Report of the Policy and Scrutiny Manager.

8.1      The Committee noted that the three items listed on the Annual Work Programme for the 18 April 2016 meeting were neighbourhood planning, air quality and the waste disposal contract re-let.  Ms Dindjer made the point that following discussions with Mr Smith it was clear that the air quality report would take the form of a status update.  The Committee decided that the status update would be provided at the April meeting due to the high profile nature of this topic and requested that Mr Smith set out a timetable then for when the Committee would examine some broader issues in this area.  The neighbourhood planning and waste disposal contract re-let items would be retained on the agenda for 18 April.

8.2      Ms Dindjer asked Members of the Committee whether they wished to take forward a joint task group on air quality later in the year with the Adults, Health and Public Protection Policy and Scrutiny Committee.  The Committee supported this idea as Members considered that the environmental and health impact of poor air quality is a particularly concerning issue.

8.3      A draft 2016/17 Work Programme was considered.  It was agreed that the document would take into account the Committee’s pledge at the 18 January 2016 meeting that the Nine Elms Bridge would be a topic to be scrutinised by Members should there be any significant news in relation to this matter. It was agreed that an updated Work Programme document for 2016/17 would be circulated to the Committee following consultation with the Chairman.  Members were invited to propose items to be scrutinised for the scheduled six meetings from 8 June 2016 to 15 March 2017.

8.4       RESOLVED:

1.    That the neighbourhood planning, air quality and waste disposal contract re-let items included in the 2015/16 Work Programme be considered at the 18 April meeting.

2.    That the Committee support a joint task group on air quality taking place later in the year with the Adults, Health and Public Protection Policy and Scrutiny Committee.

3.    That an updated Work Programme document for 2016/17 be circulated to the Committee following consultation with the Chairman.  Members of the Committee are invited to propose items for the Work Programme.

9.1      There was no additional business for the Committee to consider.

2015/16 Municipal Year: 18 April 2016

2016/17 Muncipal Year: 8 June 2016, 14 September 2016, 16 November 2016, 30 January 2017, 15 March 2017

10.1    The Committee noted that the future meeting dates of the Committee are 18 April 2016, 8 June 2016, 14 September 2016, 16 November 2016, 30 January 2017 and 15 March 2017.