Agenda and minutes

1.1      RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 26 October 2015 be agreed as an accurate record of the meeting.

2.1       The following non-prejudicial declarations of interest were declared:

·           Councillors John and Jacq Paschoud - Family member in receipt of a package of adult social care

·           Councillor John Muldoon - Lead Governor of South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and Chair of the London Scrutiny Network

·           Councillor Alan Hall - Governor at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

·           Councillor Paul Bell - Member of the King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

·           Councillor Susan Wise - Member of the King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

·           Councillor Pauline Morrison - Borough Member of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority.

3.1       RESOLVED: That the response be noted.

4.1       RESOLVED: That the response be noted.

5.1       It was noted that a recent motion agreed by Full Council on 20 January 2016 asked the Mayor to respond formally to the current London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority budget consultation, which was proposing the permanent removal of 13 fire appliances across London, including one from Forest Hill fire station.  The Mayor was asked to support ‘Option A’ which includes retaining the 13 appliances. The Committee agreed to formally endorse this motion.

5.2       RESOLVED: That the response be noted and the Mayor be asked to respond formally to the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority budget consultation, supporting Option A.

-       Including a presentation from BNP Paribas

6.1       Mike Kiely, Interim Head of Planning introduced the report providing information on the Housing and Planning Bill, viability, starter homes, custom and self-build options, local plans and the local register. In terms of viability, Mike provided information on a number of recent legal cases pertaining to viability assessments that had helped shape Lewisham’s approach. The approach being taken by the Council was to require developers to submit confidential viability information to the Council’s independent consultants who will then produce an open report. In terms of the new Housing and Planning Bill, it was clear that until the regulations were published and the detail behind the various proposals known, local authorities could only speculate at the impact of the Bill would have locally.

6.2       In response to questions from Members of the Committee the following points were noted:

·           The process for making compulsory purchase orders was open and transparent and very different to the process for negotiating viability assessments.

·           Local authorities are required to keep a register of people seeking to acquire land to build or commission their own home and the new Bill proposes that councils will now also be required to grant sufficient suitable development permission of serviced plots of land to meet the demand based on this register, as part of an overall drive to reduce planning impediments. In Lewisham most land has easy access to services but in rural areas this requirement might be more problematic.

·           Whilst the Bill indicates that the, as yet unpublished, regulations will enable local authorities to charge fees in relation to their duty to provide sufficient suitable development permissions, the regulations could also specify where no fee is payable. Furthermore the fees might not be set at a level that will cover the actual costs incurred.

·           More information on the Bill would be provided to Members at a briefing scheduled for 28 January 2016.

·           It was noted that Members would keep the viability issue, and Lewisham’s approach to it, under review.

6.3      Anthony Lee, Senior Director, BNP Paribas Real Estate, gave a presentation on viability appraisals and planning decisions, the key points of which were:

·           Appraisals were not an exact science and needed to be scrutinised very closely.

·           The relevant guidance prioritised the interests of land owners with the ground rules being set by the industry body for surveyors.

·           Securing land - generally land owners will only sell their buildings to release the land if they get the market rate or above. If high percentages of affordable housing are enforced this will affect the offer developers can make to land owners, as their profits will be reduced and may result in the land not being released.

·           Affordable housing targets – developers must demonstrate on a case by case basis why affordable housing targets cannot be met and it is worth remembering that small tweaks to key figures within viability assessments can have a significant impact. For this reason it is worth rigorously scrutinising estimated sales values and estimated build costs.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

7.1       Referrals were made in relation to items 5 and 6 on the agenda.