Why planning laws must not damage the City
IT is easy to forget that between the tall buildings and the state of the art office blocks and in amongst the fashionable bars and high-end restaurants, substantial parts of the Square Mile are hundreds of years old.
But while the City of London Corporation is rightly proud of the City’s heritage and goes to great lengths to protect it, the Square Mile is – and always has been – first and foremost a place of business.
It is not just the City’s ancient buildings and walkways that are protected; English Heritage last week recommended that Broadgate – a development that is barely 30 years old – be listed.
And while the City has made clear its determination to retain the quality and sequence of the open spaces that are the cornerstone of Broadgate’s long-standing appeal, we must also be responsive to the business needs of current and potential future occupiers of the Square Mile.
As the local planning authority for the Square Mile, the City of London is subject to the same legislation and legal precedent that other councils have to adhere to. Unfortunately, general principles such as these often do not take account of the City’s unique purpose as a business district.
The Communities and Local Government Department’s consultation on whether to relax planning rules for change of use from commercial to residential is a case in point.
While the government’s ambition of supporting economic growth and driving an increase in the supply of land for housing is laudable and entirely appropriate in certain areas, such changes to planning law could dilute the concentration of offices and the agglomeration of firms that make the Square Mile a world-class place to do business.
The quality and quantity of office space available in the Square Mile is carefully planned many years in advance, taking into account not only prevailing market conditions but also the long-term business needs of current and future occupiers.
If developers were to turn offices into residential blocks when times were tough, the City’s ability to attract new firms when the market picked up would be reduced.
Clearly such changes could pose a significant threat to the City of London’s international competitiveness. That is why, when I go to see the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles in the coming weeks, this issue will be at the top of my agenda.
Stuart Fraser is the Policy Chairman of the City of London Corporation