Agenda and minutes

The report before Members detailed the call-in of a Non-Key Executive Decision relating to the Council’s response to the Mayor’s Draft Transport Strategy.

A requisition signed by Councillors Ray Morgon and Graham Williamson had called-in the Non-Key Executive Decision (68/17) dated 26 October 2017.

The reasons for the requisition were as follows:

“This was due to a failure to specifically highlight and raise concern at the Mayor's proposed car-free and lite (new) developments for all of London, including suburban boroughs such as Havering and a call for the Mayor to push forward with work on the suggested Belvedere-Rainham crossing which would fatally undermine the well-being of the new Beam Park Development.”

During the debate Members asked for and received several points of clarification which were provided by the Leader of the Council, the Council’s Director of Neighbourhoods and the Council’s Transport Planning Team Leader.

Firstly Members looked at the Mayor’s proposed car-free and lite new developments for all of London.

The general feeling from Members was that as an outer London borough Havering did not benefit from the higher levels of infrastructure that inner London boroughs did and had concerns regarding the proposals that future development in the borough would be considered with reduced or no parking provision.

Members advised that the parking provisions that had been included in Havering’s Local Plan were being maintained in the London Plan and that the information in the Mayor’s Draft Transport Strategy appeared to contradict this.

The Leader of the Council/Director of Neighbourhoods commented that Havering's response should focus on those matters that are of most relevanceIconcern to Havering. The recommended response reflected this approach.

The key point was that whilst the draft Mayor’s Transport Strategy (MTS) highlighted the importance of transport in the section 'New Homes and Jobs', this was not adequately reflected in the document as far as Havering was involved. As drafted, it was a major concern that the MTS did not include Mayoral commitments to the provision of strategic transport infrastructure to support the growth envisaged in Havering during the next 15 years as set out in the Council's 'Vision' and its strategies especially the Havering Local Plan.

Members were aware that Havering's new Local Plan was clear that timely and appropriate infrastructure provision should underpin the development identified over the plan period. The section of the Local Plan dealing with 'Connections' identified a number of key strategic transport interventions which would support the delivery of the homes and jobs in the Plan. These include improved north-south connections, remodelling Gallows Corner and looking at scope to make changes to Romford's Ring Road. The MTS would only be consistent with the Mayor's approach to planning for and accommodating 'good growth', if the MTS identified these.

The Council had highlighted these improvements with the Mayor (and his Deputies) already in several discussions and meetings. From the responses, the expectation was that these would be reflected in the MTS. Officers considered that in the Council's response, the Mayor should be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 31.