Agenda item

To receive, consider and debate, if chosen, the following reports which contain a recommendation to the Council for decision:

Cabinet/Committee                    Date of Meeting

Cabinet                                       6 June

General Purposes Committee      6 July (To Follow)

10.1    The meeting debated the second item chosen for debate by the Majority Party the report of the Cabinet Member for Built Environment.  The Basement Revisions and Mixed Use Revisions to the City Plan.  The Lord Mayor referred to the note which had been included on the Order Paper which stated the urgency involved.

          The Inspector’s report was only provided to the Council on 28^th June following which Council officers had to consider the report and the modifications to the policies proposed by the Inspector before making a recommendation to the Cabinet Member.

          The Cabinet Member had to approve the proposed policies to be recommended to Council to adopt.

          This meant that the report could not be despatched by the despatch deadline date.

          The report was then published as soon as practicable to the public and Members, as required, at the same time.

          It is important that the policies are adopted as soon as possible to give them full statutory weight as local plan policies and therefore to provide certainty for planning decisions.

          The adoption of the basement policy will enable the new Code of Construction Practice regime to be implemented to minimise the disruption that can be caused by basement developments and the adoption of the policy on mixed use is required to stop the loss of offices from our internationally important commercial areas.

          Following debate, the Lord Mayor put the recommendations in the report to the vote and on a show of hands declared the recommendation Adopted:

          RESOLVED:

(i)              That the Draft Basement Revision to Westminster’s City Plan and the Draft Mixed Use Revision to Westminster’s City Plan, together with the changes requested by the Inspector be adopted as “Westminster’s City Plan, July 2016” and be used henceforth for development management purposes.

(ii)             That the Director, Policy, Performance and Communications, be authorised to undertake all necessary procedural steps in relation to the adoption of the Basement Revision and Mixed Use Revision to Westminster’s City Plan, including the following:

(a)       to take the steps required by Regulation 26 of the Town and           Country Planning (Local Development) (England) Regulations           2012, including issuing an adoption statement and making it         available on the Council’s website.

(b)            To send the adoption statement to the Secretary of State as required by Regulation 26 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) Regulations 2012 together with the adopted “Westminster’s City Plan, July 2016” and send the adoption statement to all relevant persons.