Agenda item

To report any changes to the membership.

Minutes of a meeting of the Cabinet CIL Committee held on 21 January 2020 Room 18.12, 18rd Floor, 64 Victoria Street, London, SW1E 6QP.

1                Membership

1.1       There were no changes to the membership of the committee.

2                Declarations of Interests

2.1       There were no declarations of interests.

3                Minutes

3.1       RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 9 October 2019 be   approved for signature by the Chairman as a true and correct record of          proceedings.

4                Westminster Community infrastructure levy- Project Allocations (Q4)

4.1       Councillor Mitchell welcomed the Rochester Row/Greycoat Place Junction Improvements project, he advised the committee that the project was closer to a public realm project than a road scheme project.  Councillor Barnes pointed out that the timing of the Oxford Street District: Ramillies Street Public Realm project was very important, as the area will be developed imminently and did not want to disturb the area again with this project.  Councillor Barnes advised that council officers should work closely with the Oxford Street Development to ensure that the impact to residents is minimalised. 

4.2       Councillor Mitchell advised the Committee that the Sayers Croft project, provided the council with the opportunity to plant more trees and reach its target.  Councillor Mitchell advised that with regard to the Community Water fountains, he was unclear regarding the on-going costs for maintaining the project.  Ezra Wallace advised the Committee that a Public Health programme would be covering the maintenance costs of the project. The members of the Cabinet CIL Committee agreed all three education projects, Julia Corkey advised that the education projects were part of the need analysis conducted by the council.

4.3       Councillor Barnes advised the Committee that the Harrow Road Community Business School was part of the economic development work of the council, and was the next stage, following on from the pop-up business school.  Councillor Barnes advised that the project would involve taking the successful elements of the project and developing them into permanent activities.  The members of the Cabinet CIL Committee agreed all fourteen projects submitted for approval.

4.4       Councillor Barnes commented on the Neighbourhood proportion of CIL, advising that he has received comments from the Neighbourhood Forums in his Ward.   Councillor Barnes noted that the agreed timetable for applications gave limited time for Neighbourhood Forums to prepare, and which often meant that they were only able to hold one meeting between the time when the announcement was made and when the applications were due.  He advised that the forums did contact officers and request an extension; however, this was declined with no explanation.  Councillor Barnes was also concerned that the forums were not consulted with regards to the timetable and felt that the timetable adopted is suited to the council. 

4.5       In response to Councillor Barnes’s comments, Julie Corkey advised the Committee that the council will be reviewing its processes and currently has Planning Advisory Service (PAS) looking into improvements.  Ms Corkey noted that the Council will be looking at reviewing the complete Neighbourhood element of CIL, as certain aspects of the process are not effective enough, particularly where there are large pots of money to be spent.  Ms Corkey advised the Committee that the emerging findings revealed that the Council’s systems are in line with legislative and technical requirements, however she felt that there should be more awareness of the Neighbourhood Forums’ needs and they should have a system that also works well for them. Ms Corkey advised the Committee that she and Mr Wallace would be inviting the Neighbourhood forms in to discuss improvements.

4.6       RESOLVED:

Westminster Community Infrastructure Levy – Project Allocations (Q4)

The Committee approved the expenditure of £7.856m from Westminster’s City CIL strategic portion including the allocation of funding for specific projects.

(i)         Burlington Gardens Public Realm

(ii)        Westbourne Terrace Bridge Road

(iii)       Westminster Schools Travel Plan Programme 2019-20

(iv)       Rochester Road/ Greycoat Place Junction Improvements

(v)        Oxford Street District: Ramillies Street Public Realm

(vi)       Sayers Croft: Loxwood Hall Refurbishment

(vii)      Community Water Fountains

(viii)     Paddington Recreation Ground Sports Facilities

(ix)       King Solomon Academy Accessibility Improvements

(x)        St Luke’s CE School Infrastructure Improvements

(xi)       Queen’s Park Primary School SEN Learning Space

(xii)      Harrow Road Community Business School

(xiii)     Living Pillar Trial

(xiv)     CCTV Libraries and Leisure

The Committee noted the neighbourhood portion of CIL received to date.

5                Any Other Business

5.1       There was no other business discussed.

The meeting ended at 6.05 pm