Major recent matters on which the Association has been consulted:
- Brompton Road night time economy - encouraging the coordinating of efforts by WCC, RBKC and the Police to crack down on the recurring problems of pedicabs, shisha smoking, supercars and license breaches.
- Neighbourhood Forums - as part of the Localism Bill, the government is calling on amenity societies like the KA to reorganise themselves into officially mandated Neighbourhood Forums.
- Knightsbridge Barracks re-development - this potential mega-project is at a very early stage, with any purchaser needing to provide alternate accomodation for the Household Cavalry as a precondition of a transaction.
- Basements - in conjunction with other neighbourhood groups, we have been actively campaigning for conditions on permitted subterranean development. We are cheered by RBKC's recently announced guidelines on limiting the extent of so-called "iceberg houses".
- South Kensington Tube Station - a succession of different plans with respect to this historic station continue to be submitted and discussed.
- Albertopolis - plans are moving forward to integrate better the Albert Memorial with the area originally known as Albertopolis, the cultural hub centred on the Albert Hall.
Previous Consultations
On-going Consultations
From: Councillor Robert Davis DL
Deputy Leader of Westminster City Council
and Cabinet Member for the Built Environment
Westminster City Hall, Victoria Street, London SW1E 6QP
020 7641 8574
Date: 10 October 2013
Dear Sir/ Madam,
Consultation: Westminster’s City Plan (City Management Plan Revision)
Booklet 1: Basements, and Interim Guidance Note on Basements
Westminster City Council is currently consulting on two draft planning documents on basement development: a draft Policy Booklet and an Interim Guidance Note. We are inviting your comments on these consultation drafts.
What is the draft Basements Policy Booklet?
A new planning policy on basements is being developed as part of Westminster’s emerging Local Plan. We previously consulted on a draft policy as part of the City Management Plan (CMP) published November 2011. We have made a number of changes to the previous draft and are now consulting on our proposed policy development through a series of topic-based booklets, exploring the issues and suggesting what we consider to be the most appropriate policy response. These will then be merged with the strategic policies set out in Westminster’s City Plan to create a single local plan for Westminster. Basements is the first policy booklet to be published. It is available to download here.
What is the Interim Guidance Note on Basements?
A guidance note has also been produced to provide further advice on how we currently determine planning applications for basement development and set out relevant adopted policies. This guidance will not introduce new planning policy in relation to basements but will help to ensure adequate detail is presented with planning applications and that all existing restrictions are complied with, until the formal policy set out in the topic paper can be adopted.
The draft interim guidance note can be viewed here.
How do I comment?
You can respond to the consultation by email or letter. If possible, we would be grateful for an electronic copy of your comments. All comments should be received by Friday 29 November 2013. Please note that details of all representations received will be published on the Westminster website.
The documents can be downloaded using the links provided above or can also be inspected on request at City Hall, 64 Victoria Street (full address below). To request a hard copy of the document, please use the contact details below.
Contact details for responses are as follows:
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Address: City Planning Delivery Unit
Westminster City Council
11th Floor East, Westminster City Hall
64 Victoria Street
London, SW1E 6QP
Telephone: 020 7641 2503
What happens next?
Following consultation, all comments received will then be considered and the documents revised. National legislation means we have to go through a defined statutory process before we can use the draft policies set out in the booklets. This process takes some months and means that the new policies will not be in place until early 2015. For this reason we have produced the Interim Guidance which will be published following consultation and can then be a material consideration which is used to help determine planning applications until the policy can be adopted.
If you have any queries arising from this letter, please contact the Local Development Framework Team on the above number.
Yours faithfully
Councillor Robert Davis DL
Deputy Leader of Westminster City Council
Cabinet Member for Built Environment
Old Football Pitches Hyde Park Consultation
The consultation for the booking and charging system at the Old Football Pitches in Hyde Park begins on Monday September 30, 2013 and ends on Thursday October 31, 2013.
The Old Football Pitches in Hyde Park are regularly used and enjoyed by a number of different user groups for organised sporting activity ranging from football to softball.
The Football Pitches are a 12 acre area located off South Carriage Drive in Hyde Park and over the past three years have grown in popularity with clubs, schools and sports groups all using the site.
Earlier this year a booking and charging system was brought in to manage demand more effectively and to promote fair usage amongst all users. The booking and charging system ensured that enough space was available for users when needed and that pitches were marked out for the booked activity.
At the time The Royal Parks consulted with a number of groups about the system, as well as placing information around the site and in park notice boards. However, following the initial consultation and points raised by some regular users, The Royal Parks decided to suspend charging on September 6, 2013 in order to undertake a wider consultation.
The wider consultation is designed to gather people's views of the booking and charging system.
Users or interested parties wishing to take part in the consultation can do so in a number of ways:
* Download the survey
* Public open day – Saturday October 12 from 11.00am – 3.00pm at The Old Football Pitches, Hyde Park,
W2 2UH. Anyone wishing to come along will have the opportunity to speak to a member of The Royal Parks Management Team and fill in the survey. (map)
* Will to Win - Paper copies of the survey will be available from Sports Pavillion at Will to Win, South Carriage Drive, Hyde Park, W2 2UH.
The consultation will run from September 30, 2013 until October 31, 2013. Decisions and outcomes will be ratified by the Park Management team on November 27, 2013 and will be communicated to all consultees and the wider public before the end of the calendar year.
