Minutes:
The Leader of the Council, Councillor Stephen Carr, attended the meeting to update the Committee on his work and answer questions. He began by emphasising that, despite the 2014/15 budget having been agreed and the forthcoming elections, much work was currently going on to address the future shape of the authority as it moved towards a slimmer, commissioning model, including taking independent advice and consulting with other authorities on shared services. Numerous baseline reviews had now been carried out and the results would be coming to Members after the election period. There had been recent success in investing in property, and the move to local pay and conditions for staff had been successfully managed. The Council was working closely with local housing associations on benefit reforms and Council tax collection continued to be good. Generating additional income would be particularly important in the future, both through the new homes bonus and business rate growth. The Leader remained optimistic about the Crystal Palace development, which would bring much needed jobs, investment and business rates, although the Council was aware of the traffic/transport issues that needed to be overcome.
The Leader was asked for an update on Site G in Bromley town centre. The future of the proposed development by Muse had been complicated by Crest starting work on their scheme, but the Leader felt that there could still be a viable scheme to redevelop Site G. There would probably need to be a further tender exercise to find a new partner for the site. He confirmed that the doctor’s surgery in Ravensbourne Road was not part of the Muse scheme.
The Leader was asked about the impact of the revised London Plan, and the difficulty of providing the infrastructure to support increased housing, especially where new health and education facilities could not be provided on-site and Section 106 contributions were collected instead. In particular, there appeared to be more emphasis on higher density housing in outer London without putting in place the transport infrastructure needed to get workers into central London. He agreed that, following the massive investment in Crossrail and the Olympic Park, south east London (not just Bromley) was due some further transport investment, and he was meeting regularly with the Mayor’s transport advisor to press this case. A Member suggested that extending the London Overground from New Cross via Grove Park to Bromley North might represent a cheaper and more realistic alternative to the £800m extension of the DLR from Lewisham – the Leader confirmed that the DLR was still the Council’s priority, but that the Overground option might be more deliverable.
Councillor Nicholas Bennett reminded the Leader about the Council question he had submitted on the financial burdens of new legislation, to which he was still awaiting a reply. Officers confirmed that a response had been drafted, and would be circulated to all Members shortly, subject to final clearance.
Asked about progress with the Crystal Palace Park development, the Leader stated that he was frustrated at the delays in obtaining details of the scheme.
He also urged that people should keep an open mind on issues such as transport and accessibility, remembering that there were many entrances to the Park which could absorb visitors, and that unless all the issues could be resolved the development would not proceed. He reminded Members that the Council was not disposing of the land, but granting a lease that would enable it to retain control of the site. He explained that in China it was normal to conclude a land deal and then put together a business case, whereas in the UK the two had to go together. The Council had responded robustly to the developer’s initial proposals and negotiations were now under way - it was hoped that they would conclude by the end of April.
The Chairman thanked the Leader for updating the Committee.