Over 30 leading organisations have committed to the fight against climate change and decarbonising their building stock by signing the Sustainable City Charter. The WPA and Westminster City Council’s business-led climate action pledge for organisations, contains eight commitments for reducing carbon emissions from non-domestic buildings.
The list of signatories comprises some of Westminster’s leading businesses, cultural and academic institutions, healthcare providers and property companies which collectively own, manage and occupy buildings with a floor area spanning 15.5 million sq ft. Signatories include the Royal Opera House, Landsec, Grosvenor, Whitbread, Derwent London and London School of Economics among others.
Speaking about the recent signatories, WPA Chair Marcus Geddes (Managing Director, Workplace, Landsec) said:
“The Sustainable City Charter has a crucial role to play in driving the partnership and innovation needed…it’s fantastic to see leading businesses, academic and cultural institutions and property companies commit to work together to achieve this goal.”
WPA Chair Marcus Geddes, Managing Director, Workplace, Landsec
Proposals for the below mentioned Gillingham House scheme
Gillingham House plans approved
The City Council's Planning (Major Applications) Sub-committee met last night to discuss an application for part demolition, remodelling and extension of Gillingham House to create an eight-storey building plus basement providing modern office space.
Despite some concern over the loss of light for neighbours, the scheme was commended for its attempts to be highly sustainable and to compensate for the loss of residential through a financial contribution of over £500,000 to the Affordable Housing Fund.
Following discussions the proposals were approved unanimously.
This Committee report was produced for the WPA by our colleagues at Concilio
New Cabinet position
Cllr Cara Sanquest has been appointed to the newly created post of Cabinet Member for Resident Participation, Consultation Reform and Leisure. Cllr Sanquestwill be responsible for engaging with Westminster’s communities, resident groups and local forums and making sure they have a say in how the City Council is run.
The City Council would like to speak to users of Westminster's 'planning portal' to understand people’s perspective of the site's layout. Businesses and planning consultants in particular are encouraged to have their say.
Community schemes across Westminster have been awarded £1.7m in funding provided from CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy) collected from development. Cllr Geoff Barraclough, Cabinet Member for Planning and Economic Development, said: “It is fantastic to see the positive changes that CIL funding is supporting in our Westminster communities" .
Members are invited to join forces with the WPA and our charity partner this year, the Young Westminster Foundation (YWF), to help attract more local people into the property industry.
YWF works across Westminster’s deprived wards to support young people who face multiple barriers to entering the world of work. The borough has some of the highest levels of deprivation and youth unemployment in the country, despite the wealth of the West End.
Supporters are being asked to commit between £5,000-£15,000 (depending on the level of your engagement) to participate in WPA’s partnership with YWF aimed at helping our members tap into a diverse pool of local talent currently excluded from opportunities in the sector. Find out more here or email rosie.day@cwpa.org.uk
Westminster City Council updates
Fairer Economy Strategy launched
Westminster City Council has put investment in its high streets, job training for local people and support for small businesses to go green at the heart of its new Fairer Economy strategy launched last month. Read more here.
Call for free repairs from firms
Westminster City Council’s Responsible Economy team is seeking contractors to provide pro-bono maintenance and repairs to help support the work of local charities and voluntary groups. For further info, contact socialvalue@westminster.gov.uk
Westminster in brief
Plans to convert a former Park Lane car showroom into a 66-bed hotel have been approved by Westminster City Council. Read more here.
Innovate UK KTN has awarded £300k to Westminster City Council’s retrofit taskforce team. Find out more about the taskforce here.
The City Council is consulting on the future of Paddington and Bayswater's high streets as part of the launch of the Westminster High Street Programme. The consultation closes on Friday 18 August. Read more here
Business owners, volunteers and workers in Westminster are being encouraged to fill out a survey to help improve the safety of women as part of Westminster’s Night Safety Programme. Complete the surveyhere.
Events
Tickets for our 2023 WPA Annual Lunch are selling fast - don’t miss out!
Our flagship annual lunch is one of the largest gatherings of real estate professionals in the UK. Last year alone we welcomed more than 1,300 members and guests to the Grosvenor House Hotel .
There is strong demand this year, so we recommend booking as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
Date: Thursday 16 November
Time: 12noon - 3.00pm
Venue: Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London, W1K 7TN
Ticket Price: £275.00 per person plus VAT (includes 1/2 bottle of wine and water)
Join an exclusive preview of our forthcoming report, The Crossrail Effect: How the Elizabeth line has transformed the capital, featuring new data and insights in partnership with Knight Frank and TfL.
Following a keynote speech from Howard Smith (Chief Operating Officer, London Rail – Transport for London), our esteemed panel will discuss how the Elizabeth line has transformed key London districts, sparked world leading development and shaped central London's commercial property market, drawing on case studies from British Land, Derwent London, GPE, Helical, Landsec and Shaftesbury Capital.
This event is kindly hosted by Arax Properties at the Johnson Building located on the doorstep of Farringdon’s Elizabeth line station.
Date: Thursday 6 July
Time: 8.00am – 10.00am
Location: The Johnson Building, 77 Hatton Garden, Holborn, EC1N 8JS
Members and stakeholders are invited to a breakfast seminar exploring how the modernisation of the planning system is influencing development and investment in central London.
Featuring a presentation from Peter Kemp (Head of Change and Delivery, Planning, Greater London Authority) an expert panel comprised from national government (DLUHC), City of London Corporation, Landsec, Gerald Eve and DP9 will discuss how the latest technology is transforming the way the public and private sector work.
This seminar has been led by CPA NextGen, whose work is sponsored by Gardiner & Theobald. The event is kindly hosted by AECOM.
Signatories of the WCC and WPA's Sustainable City Charter (SCC) are invited to a series of events showcasing innovative development and best practice, with the first taking place at The Forge (SE1).
The building has a few firsts of its own. It is Landsec’s first net zero carbon office development and its first to be constructed and operated in line with the UK Green Building Council’s framework definition of net zero carbon buildings
There are limited places available and your company must be a Sustainable City Charter signatory to attend. Find out if your organisation is a member here. Contact alice.dale@cwpa.org.uk. for more information or to register your place.
To become a Sustainable City Charter signatory visit the Westminster City Council website here.
Date: Wednesday 26 July
Time: 9.00am - 11.30am
Location: The Forge, 105 Sumner Street, London SE1 9HZ
Congratulations to Brian Bickell (Chair, Young Westminster Foundation) and former deputy Vice Chair of the WPA Board for winning the Property Week Awards, Property Personality of the year. Read more here.
Partner Events
Tour de Landaid
LandAid is hosting a summer cycling challenge, inspired by the Tour de France Femme, in an effort to raise money to end youth homelessness. You can take on the weeklong challenge on your own or in a team of any size with the goal of racing as many miles as you can.
Supported by NLA’s year-round programme of content, the London Real Estate Forum will bring together leaders from the industry, public sector, government, investment and business communities in order to drive sustainable development in cities.
As a key partner to LREF we are able to offer WPA members £30 off ticket prices using the code: LPALREF23
Date: 27-28 September
Location: Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS
Both WPA and CPA members have access to our comprehensive database of all major decisions from central London's major planning committees. These can be viewed on our Planning News page.
For more details on all of the property news stories in the central London boroughs over the last seven days please visit the news section of the London Planning website.
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