The documents provide updated guidance on affordable housing and employment & skills contributions, with the most significantchanges involving the provision of affordable workspace and an almost ten-fold increase in the carbon offset price per tonne, from £95/t to £880/t. This is far higher than the £300/t proposed in the first consultation last year.
WPA is actively working on responses to these consultations, and in the interim has issued a statement on the carbon offset fee proposals which we believe are “deeply flawed”. Read WPA’s press statement here. Read a React article on the issue here. (£)
The consultations close on Friday 29 September and canbe accessed here. If you would like to share any comments with us please do get in touch at team@cwpa.org.uk.
Westminster City Council updates
New Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) adopted
After extensive consultation, the City Council has adopted a revised SCI. The statutory document sets out how the Council carries out consultation and engages with its communities. You can read our response to the draft SCI here. Read more on the new SCI here.
First Westminster High Street Programme consultation extended
The Paddington and Bayswater High Streets consultation has been extended to Monday11 September. The plans form part of the Westminster High Street Programme. Read more here.
Local Flood Risk Management Strategy consultation
Following heavy flooding in 2021, the City Council is updating its strategy to reduce the risk of flooding and minimise the impact. The consultation will close on Sunday10 September. Read more here.
WPA responds to Oxford Street Programme proposals
In a letter to the City Council, WPA welcomed plans to improve the pedestrian experience and deliver public realm enhancements. Read in full here.
Sustainable City Charter update
Call on Westminster firms to fill out sustainability survey
Businesses are being urged to complete a quick survey on the support they need to help reduce carbon emissions from their buildings. The findings will form the basis of a toolkit offered to signatories of WPA and Westminster City Council’s Sustainable City Charter. Please take the 5-minute survey here by Monday 25 September.
Duke Street Property, Soho Theatre and The Crown Estate are among the latest signatories to the Sustainable City Charter. There are now over 40 signatories and more than 100 expressions of interest. Find out more here.
Events
We have a busy programme in the pipeline, details and registration links for which are detailed further below, including our landmark WPA Annual Lunch (16 Nov). Prior to that we have two London Property Alliance (CPA/WPA) events: Evening reception with Lee Rowley MP - Minister for Local Government and Building Safety (12 Sep); Breakfast seminar - Regenerating Tottenham Court Road (26 Sep).
Don’t miss the co-founder of Fora and now CEO at The Office Group, Enrico Sanna, who will be speaking to WPA members at our Future of Work evening reception (11 Oct). We are also actively involved in several excellent partner events to which WPA members are eligible for discounted tickets, including a Movers & Shakers’ property breakfast (19 Sep); London Real Estate Forum (19-21 Sep) delivered by our friends at NLA, and Bisnow’s seminal annual Women in Real Estate conference (18 Oct).
Time is running out to secure your place at the most keenly anticipated property event of the year.
This year’s keynote speaker is world class journalist, broadcaster, political aide and author Alastair Campbell. Alastair is best known for his time as Tony Blair’s chief spokesman and as a key architect of New Labour. After the lunch Alastair will be signing copies of his latest book ‘But What Can I Do? Why Politics Has Gone Wrong, and How You Can Help Fix It’.
Final remaining tables of 10, half tables and individual spaces available.
Date: Thursday 16 November
Time: 12noon - 3.30pm
Location: Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, W1K 7TN
Members and stakeholders are invited to an early evening reception with Lee Rowley MP, Minister for Local Government and Building Safety, in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC).
Hear from the Minister on the Government’s priorities for improving the safety of tall buildings in central London and the principles behind the Building Safety Act. He will discuss how commercial buildings can contribute to the UK’s Net Zero goals - including the role of retrofitting and sustainable redevelopment - and how DLUHC is working with the industry to deliver safe and sustainable buildings of the future.
Date: Tuesday 12 September
Time: 5.00pm - 7.00pm (Speeches start at 5.40pm)
Venue: Hill Dickinson LLP, The Broadgate Tower, 20 Primrose Street, London, EC2A 2EW
Members and stakeholders are invited to our breakfast seminar exploring how investment, world-class development and improved connectivity have transformed Tottenham Court Road, creating an exciting new destination for central London.
Hosted at Derwent London’s @SohoPlace – the West End’s first newly built theatre in 50 years – the seminar will feature insights from those that have played a key role in its regeneration. Guests will hear from the London Borough of Camden, Westminster City Council and experts from the built environment on the vision for the area, future plans and lessons learnt from Tottenham Court Road’s remarkable renaissance.
This event has been organised by the WPA NextGen Committee with support from our NextGen champion Gardiner & Theobald.
Members and stakeholders are invited to an evening drinks reception at Duke Street Property’s newly refurbished Parcels Building located on Westminster’s iconic Oxford Street in partnership with Fora / Tog.
The high specification building has been developed in line with BREEAM certified Excellent standards and includes events and meeting spaces, a bespoke auditorium and an alfresco dining terrace.
At the reception, Enrico Sanna (CEO, The Office Group) will give a keynote speech discussing the growth of the serviced office sector, the future of work and the changing needs of occupiers.
Hosted in partnership with Westminster City Council, we will be holding a public panel discussion on the fringe of the Labour conference in Liverpool on how London's commercial centres can deliver the Labour vision for green, sustainable growth. Speakers include WPA Chair Marcus Geddes (Managing Director, Workspace - Landsec), and Cllr Geoff Barraclough (Cabinet Member for Planning & Economic Development - Westminster City Council).
Email rosie.day@cwpa.org.uk to RSVP for our Labour fringe panel, find out more about our wider conference programme and how you can get involved.
Partner events
Movers & Shakers: London real estate – re-shaping the landscape
This networking and insight breakfast explores the real estate landscape for both London's West End and the City. Senior policymakers, investors and developers will discuss how these key markets are responding to challenges and opportunities from economic, social and environmental changes.
WPA and CPA Board Members - Kristy Lansdown (Head of Development, The Crown Estate) and Michelle McGrath (Executive Director, Shaftesbury Capital PLC) and David Ainsworth (Executive Chairman, CO-RE London) will be speaking alongside senior policy makers driving change including Stella Abani MBE (Director of Economy and Skills, Westminster City Council) and Gwyn Richards (Planning and Development Director, City of London Corporation).
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. Notable sessions include State of the Market featuring Alexander Jan (Chief Economic advisor, London Property Alliance), Infrastructure and Partnership chaired by London Property Alliance Director Rosie Day, and UK cities - challenge to opportunity featuring Rob McNicol (Assistant Director - Policy and Strategy, City of London Corporation) and Debbie Jackson (Executive Director - Growth Planning and Housing, Westminster City Council).
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
We are once again supporting Bisnow’s Women Leading Real Estate event, which returns for a sixth time to celebrate and enhance the success of women in the industry and promote greater diversity in all forms across the sector. WPA members can get a 20% discount for this event by using the code LPA23.
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 Planningwebsite.
Westminster Property Association, Bloomsbury Building, 10 Bloomsbury Way, Holborn, London SE15 3ED, United Kingdom
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