City Matters Edition 057

CITYMATTERS.LONDON 15 - 21 November 2017 | Page 3
News Matters
Developers in
love with City
CITY planners are a
developers best friend
according to a report
highlighting the success
rate of major applications
in the Square Mile.
A study from
commercial finance
brokers Pure
Commercial Finance
revealed that in the year
a whole, rather than specific buildings, and
ending March 2017 there
currently fall under sections 69 and 70 of the
were 18 destinations
Planning Act.
across England
Of particular contention is the area between
where 100% of major
the two estates around Fann Street and
development bids were
Bridgewater Square, earmarked in an officers’
given the green light, the
report presented to the planning committee
City included.
The report also
as ‘Zone 2’.
highlighted the
Planners said it did not meet the criteria for
City’s willingness to
a conservation area, arguing that its inclusion
consultation: Golden Lane is in line for rubberstamp bids of
could weaken the overall importance of
more protection Photo by Steve Cadman varying sizes, with
conservation areas, which currently cover
98.53% of minor
35.8% of the Square Mile as 26 different zones.
applications also signed
off last year.
Square Mile
scores poorly in
homelessness
league table
THE City of London
has ranked among the
worst 50 boroughs for
homelessness.
Charity Shelter
reports that one in 125
of the Square Mile’s
population are homeless,
with around 75 sleeping
rough.
The City came in
at 32nd in the study
and suffered due to its
comparatively small
number of residents.
In Newham, the worst
performing borough in
the standings, the ratio is
close to one in 25.
Shelter puts the total
number of homeless
people in Britain at
300,000.
In July the City
Corporation signed
off on a £430,000 fund
to finance a service
development package to
combat rough sleeping.
But looking further
afield London Assembly
Member for the City,
Unmesh Desai, said that
more needs to be done
at the top level to help
prevent people falling
through the gaps, and
assist those who have to
get back on their feet.
“Recently the National
Audit Office warned
that government welfare
policies are directly
contributing to the
homelessness crisis.
“These appalling
figures show that
the government has
wilfully turned its back
on those who’ve had
the misfortune to find
themselves homeless.”
66,000 new homes
are needed each year for
the Capital to address its
housing crises.
Mr Desai said that the
government “cannot miss
the opportunity” at this
year’s budget to hand
Sadiq Khan the funding
to make this a reality.
“Right now we’ve got
a Prime Minister who
has prioritised pumping
£10billion into Help
to Buy, inflating house
prices in the process,
rather than committing
the funding to build
hundreds of thousands
of much needed social
houses,” he said.
“The need to pave the
way for longer tenancies
doesn’t even appear to
be on the government’s
radar and they chose
capping benefits over
capping rent increases.
“We know so much
about the causes of
homelessness, but if we
don’t start applying the
solutions this picture in
places like City of London
is only going to become
more bleak.”
CONSERVATION BID REACHES PUBLIC CONSULTATION
GLERA backlash
is on the cards
THE Square Mile’s two largest residential
estates could be placed under tighter
planning controls if two new conservation
zones get the green light, but locals say the
plans still don’t go far enough to protect the
area.
The City Corporation’s planning committee
voted to recommend two separate conservation
areas for the Barbican and Golden Lane
estates yesterday, adding an additional layer
of protection for the Grade II-listed sites.
The proposals will now go out for public
consultation, but are likely to be met with
strong opposition from the Golden Lane
Estate Residents’ Association (GLERA), which
wants the streets surrounding both estates
included as one large conservation area.
GLERA chair Tim Godsmark, who
spearheaded the campaign and collected
almost 780 signatures in support from local
residents, says the redrawn zones have
“emasculated the proposal”.
“The aim of the conservation area was
to include the land between the estates
and to the south of the Barbican so that
more consideration could be given to the
surroundings of the listed buildings,” he
said.
Conservation areas were introduced in
1967 as a way to protect the quality and
special interest of a neighbourhood or area as
Councillor lands in hot water
From Front Page
has arisen due to my lack of experience as an elected member: my
election on 23 March 2017, seven months ago, was the first time I was
elected to public office.
“Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the Corporation’s induction
training on the members’ code of conduct for new members: I sincerely
regret that.”
In a separate letter to new Lord Mayor Charles Bowman, Mr Goyal
said his apology was “sincere and unreserved”.
He added: “I also undertake to the court that I will not at any time
in the future use Corporation resources, including but not limited to,
communication and printing facilities, meeting rooms, and hospitality
and other privileges extended to me by the Corporation by virtue of my
office for inappropriate purposes.”
The committee decided that in light of Mr Goyal’s compliance it
would not proceed with an investigation, but he was ordered to attend
training and refund expenditure for the leaflets.
A Corporation spokesperson said: “This matter has been dealt [with]
and reported under our normal procedures and in a fully transparent
matter.”
Force joins
gun amnesty
CITY Police has appealed for
people to hand over their illegal
or unwanted guns during a
fortnight-long amnesty of
firearms and ammunition.
The national surrender
initiative is being co-ordinated
by the National Ballistics
Intelligence Service and will run
until 26 November.
During the two-week period,
those handing over firearms will
not face prosecution for illegal
possession, and can remain
anonymous.
Commander Jane Gyford said
Evidence
The report said: “It is an area with historical
associations from the 18th century; however
the evidence that survives in the plan form
is not of sufficiently high quality and defined
character.”
But Mr Godsmark said that the Fann Street/
Bridgewater Square area, which includes the
Bernard Morgan House site, currently the
subject of a controversial redevelopment into
99 luxury flats, is integral for the ongoing
protection of the two estates.
“Although planning policy says that the
setting of listed buildings should be carefully
controlled, developments around the Golden
Lane Estate and the Barbican simply seem to
ignore this,” he said. “Developments have been
the force takes a zero-tolerance
approach to gun crime, as well as
to those in possession of firearms
even if they don’t intend to use
them.
“I would encourage anyone
who knows about, or owns, an
illegal firearm, to surrender it
at one of the designated police
stations across the UK,” she
said.
“This can help keep dangerous
weapons out of the wrong
hands.”
The previous surrender in
2014 resulted in more than 6,000
items being handed into police
stations across the UK.
Bishopsgate police station is
the designated drop-off for the
Square Mile.
Old Street
Barbican
Goswell Rd
Long Lane
BARBICAN DENTAL CENTRE
BARBICAN
DENTAL
CENTRE
Fann St
Old Street
Golden Lane
and are being built which overshadow and
overlook people’s flats and, to make matters
worse, the City seems very lax in applying the
rules concerning provision of social housing
and payments in lieu.”
Several members of the planning committee
spoke out in favour of making Zone 2 part
of the council’s recommended conservation
area, with Mark Bostock calling the decision
to leave “a hole” in the middle of the two
protected estates “totally irrational”.
Thomas Anderson proposed an amendment
to include Fann Street and surrounds in the
proposal for public consultation, but it was
ultimately thrown out with 11 committee
members voting in favour and 14 against.
Residents will be able to have their say on
the proposals once the public consultation is
launched in the coming months.
Fortune St
Beech St
General Dentistry
Cosmetic Treatment
Orthodontics
Dental Implants
Sedation
Tooth Whitening
Hygienist Service
Providing NHS and Private Dental Care in the City
Call to make an appointment
0207 253 3232
16 – 18 Goswell Road, London, EC1M 7AA
www.barbicandentalcentre.com
info@barbicandentalcentre.com
Bishopsgate
vote verdict to
be announced
VOTERS in the
Bishopsgate Ward were
going to the polls as City
Matters went to press
this week.
Patrick Streeter,
Benjamin Murphy
and Timothy Becker
were all in the running
on Tuesday. Head to
citymatters.london for
the results and reaction.