Committee: Date: Planning and Transportation 18 September 2012 Subject: Public Discontinuance of City Walkway: Bassishaw Highwalk (Part) Report of: For Decision the Director of the Built Environment Ward: Bassishaw Summary The city walkway that forms that part of Bassishaw Highwalk to the south of the city walkway bridge over London Wall needs to be discontinued in order to allow works to take place to City Place House and City Tower, in accordance with the planning permission for these works. Pedestrian access to city walkways may only be restricted or prohibited for a maximum of three months. The works to City Place House and City Tower will take substantially longer than this, with works scheduled to continue until July 2013, and therefore to allow the works to take place safely, without public rights of access through a building site, it is necessary to discontinue the city walkway. Once the façade remodelling and public realm improvement works are complete the City will declare a replacement city walkway. The City has a written undertaking from the leaseholder and developer that that company will facilitate the City’s declaration of the replacement city walkway once the works are complete. Recommendation I RECOMMEND THAT the city walkway forming the southern part of Bassishaw Highwalk be discontinued with immediate effect; and that, in order to effect this, your Committee resolves as follows:— WHEREAS the Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London acting by the Planning and Transportation Committee pursuant to the delegation to that Committee by the Court of Common Council on 19 July 2001 (hereinafter called “the City”) are authorized by section 6(5) of the City of London (Various Powers) Act 1967 (hereinafter called “the Act”) BY RESOLUTION TO RESCIND any resolution declaring a city walkway; AND WHEREAS it appears to the City that the resolution made by the Court of Common Council on 18 February 1993 (hereinafter called “the 1993 Resolution”) should be rescinded to discontinue the city walkway shown on the drawing attached hereto and labelled A1.C.W.D.P.-1-93; NOW THEREFORE the City in pursuance of section 6(5) of the Act by resolution HEREBY RESCINDS the 1993 Resolution so as to discontinue the city walkway on and after this eighteenth day of September 2012. Main Report Background 1. Bassishaw Highwalk comprises a city walkway, south of London Wall, and a city walkway bridge over London Wall. The city walkway to the south of London Wall runs between City Place House and City Tower; to the north of both of these buildings, linking in the west via a staircase to Brewers’ Hall Garden; and to the south over a city walkway bridge over Basinghall Street to the Guildhall Justice Room buildings. It is shown on plan A1.C.W.D.P.-1-93 attached as Appendix 1 to this report. 2. The city walkway was declared by the Court on 18 February 1993. 3. On 12 January 2012 the City Planning Officer, acting under delegated authority, granted planning permission 11/00630/FULL at City Place House and City Tower, being 40 and 55 Basinghall Street, EC2V. This permission is for: Change of use of part of former library to use class A3 and D1. Re- modelling of City Place House and City Tower facades, refurbishment and re-modelling of existing reception areas to City Place House and City Tower, public realm improvements at ground and podium level, changes to vehicle servicing and associated works. Current Position 4. The façade remodelling works are in progress and parts of the city walkway have been closed to the public by the City under section 11A(1) of the City of London (Various Powers) Act 1967 (“the Act”) in order to facilitate these works. However, a protected route through from the Guildhall to the city walkway bridge over London Wall remains accessible to pedestrians. Proposal 5. Pedestrian access to city walkways may only be restricted or prohibited for a maximum of three months (section 11A(3) of the Act). The works to City Place House and City Tower will take substantially longer than this, with works scheduled to continue until July 2013, and therefore to allow the works to take place safely, without public rights of access through a building site, it is now necessary to discontinue the city walkway. 6. Your Committee will be asked (via a subsequent report) to declare a replacement city walkway once the façade remodelling and public realm improvement works are complete. This will ensure that public access as of right around City Place House and City Tower is resumed as soon as is safely practicable. The City has a written undertaking dated 30 August 2012 from a Director of the Great Star Partnership Limited that that company (the leaseholder and developer) will facilitate the City’s declaration of the replacement city walkway once the refurbishment and landscaping works are complete. Corporate and Strategic Implications 7. The proposal to discontinue the existing city walkway will allow the permitted improvements to City Place House and City Tower and their environs to take place. Improvements to the office accommodation and public realm of the City are in full accordance with the City’s aspirations and planning policies, including The City Together Strategy: The Heart of a World Class City 2008–2014, the City of London Corporate Plan 2010–2014, the City of London Local Development Framework and the City of London Local Implementation Plan 2011. Implications 8. There will be some staffing and advertising costs associated with the discontinuance of the city walkway. These costs are not recoverable from the developer as there is no provision in the Act for cost recovery. They will therefore need to be met from the Director of the Built Environment’s local risk. 9. These costs are estimated at less than £5,000 and can be contained within existing local risk resources. Conclusion 10. To facilitate the permitted improvements to City Place House and City Tower and their environs it is necessary to discontinue the city walkway between and around these buildings. A proposal for a replacement city walkway will be put to your Committee via a subsequent report once the façade remodelling and public realm improvement works are complete. Background Papers: Delegated Decisions of the City Planning Officer and the Planning Services and Development Director (report to the Planning and Transportation Committee of 31 January 2012) Appendices Appendix 1: plan A1.C.W.D.P.-1-93 Contact: Craig Stansfield Team Leader, Transportation Strategy and Programmes Department of the Built Environment 020 7332 1702 [email protected] .