Agenda item

4.1       The Committee received a report which provided an update on general policy and looked ahead to the 2025 Full City Plan Review.

4.2       Members held a discussion and noted the following: -

4.2.1    The Committee were advised that all sectors in the West End were interlinked and supported each other. A strong office economy is essential to the function of the Westminster, London and UK economy. The office economy is rapidly changing with less office space required but higher quality of offices needed. The new retrofit policy in the City Plan Partial Review supports the retrofitting of existing buildings including office space for sustainability reasons, and in response to the council’s Climate Emergency declaration. Policy wording, which includes requirements for Carbon Assessments, will be published in the New Year.

4.2.2    The Committee noted that the Carbon Assessments could only be accurate when based on the use and longevity of the building. The aim of setting the targets on embodied carbon specifically is to bring a consistency on new buildings to meet specific targets at design stage. It will also allow for applicants to know in advance what will be accepted, while still maintaining some room for judgement. Public benefit tests will continue to allow some flexibility. Many applications that come before the Sub-Committees are not able to be retrofitted to Grade A level offices so demolition may be necessary, as long it meets the tests in the policy. Work is being done to challenge the market to consider the Climate Emergency and carbon costs when upgrading office space.

4.2.3    The Committee were advised that the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act has a range of measures within it including on how affordable housing will be prescribed in the future, approach to neighbourhood plans and national development policies. There is still no detail, and it is expected that more information will be given when the secondary legislation is introduced. The Committee noted that Westminster City Council is unique with high levels of conservation but in the last few years measures that have come through on permitted development have had provisions excluding conservation areas.

4.2.4    The Committee noted that clarity is needed for the industry, members, and residents on retrofit policies including for heritage buildings. The Committee were advised that in the new policy under ‘Unlocking and Promoting Retrofitting’ wording on Heritage and Townscape concerns will allow the benefits of unlocking the retrofit to be considered against it and allow officers to make that judgement. Officers advised that they are working with Historic England who are generally supportive of allowing more clarity around how owners of heritage buildings can responsibly retrofit. Bath and North Somerset Council have extensive guidance on heritage retrofitting and other London authorities are also starting to explore retrofitting in heritage buildings, but they do not have as ambitious targets as Westminster City Council.

4.2.5    The Committee were advised that the Council will be using the Greater London Authorities (GLA) wording and approach for whole life carbon to make it easier for applicants.

4.2.6    The Committee noted that the Environment Supplementary Planning Document (ESPD) work is currently being revised but some additions cannot be included without a change to higher level policy in the City Plan to hang from. The ESPD will therefore need to be updated again once the new Full City Plan Policy is in place. While the government’s proposals for implementing Biodiversity Net Gain Plan (BNG) has been delayed to January 2024, it is the council’s intention to uses the ESPD to indicate such requirements are a minimum in the interests of supporting sustainable growth and responding to the Ecological Emergency.

4.2.7    The Committee were advised that the Retrofit Taskforce are involved in drafting and scrutinising the new City Plan Policy and have given their feedback on how to promote retrofitting and how the policy can be developed further for more effectiveness.

4.2.8    The Committee were advised that the government have an existing policy on gas boilers in new builds and the new City Plan Policy won’t change this drastically. There will be some opportunity to work through the alignment of building control and planning policy position including when they are traditionally controlled better through building control.

4.2.9    The Committee noted that the policy team are collating evidence on build costs of applications and how these may be impacted by meeting the embodied carbon budgets. They are working with consultants and advising them to go for the lowest carbon option. They wish to see simple and good adaptions that can reduce body carbon budgets and secure the longevity of the buildings including for climate change adaptations.

4.2.10 The Committee were advised that evidence base modelling on whether retrofitting will allow WCC to keep up with office space demand is being

undertaken. The Committee noted that the presumption in Planning legislation is in favour of granting an application unless there is a good reason not to.

4.2.11 The Committee noted that the GLA London Plan supports going further than WCC’s approach when applying whole life carbon. The officers foresee no major compliance issues with the GLA London Plan.

RESOLVED

That Members considered the contents of the report and noted the progress of the Partial City Plan Review.