Planning Revolution - Cllr Nickie Aiken

Nickie Aiken A special update from Cllr Nickie Aiken, Leader of Westminster City Council

Planning Revolution

I wanted to share with you news about the biggest changes for Westminster planning in a generation. This is work I began when I became Leader of the Council in January 2017. We are going to reinforce the role of residents at the heart of the planning process. We are going to reinvigorate the planning service to best serve you.

Supporting residents and amenity societies

A traditional planning service will now become focused on place shaping to support your neighbourhood. It will work much more closely and earlier with potential planning applicants and communities to minimise confrontation and achieve agreement and consensus. We will see planning officers becoming far more active, developing as mediators and problem solvers. They will support neighbourhood forums, amenity societies and all residents and businesses to participate in the planning process.

Public speaking rights

We shall introduce public speaking rights for applications which go to planning committee meetings to open up the process, so you can engage directly with committee members.

A new city plan to support your neighbourhood

In November, Westminster will also be launching our new City Plan, led by Councillor Richard Beddoe, Westminster’s Cabinet Member for place making and planning. As he says, “The plan will take a fresh look at what planning policy can do to support Westminster’s neighbourhoods, focusing on what you need and on conservation rather than pure preservation”.

Housing – my top priority

Amid this revolutionary change from pure planning to place making, housing, especially affordable housing, remains my top priority. The housing minister, Kit Malthouse, is a former member of Westminster Council. He will be leading the Prime Minister’s reforms which make it significantly easier to build new homes with billions of pounds of investment across the country. And building new affordable homes is my top priority, we are already committed locally to 2000.

I want Westminster to be a City for All, with a world of opportunity for everyone who lives and works here.

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About our area Hyde Park Ward is bordered by the Bayswater Road, Gloucester Terrace, Marylebone Flyover and Edgware Road. It is home to Paddington Station, the development around Paddington Basin, St.

Knightsbridge & Belgravia

About our area Knightsbridge & Belgravia Ward hosts a number of fundraising events every year. They also hold a number of smaller private events in the homes of key supporters.

Marylebone

About our area Marylebone ward stretches from Marylebone Road to Wigmore Street, north to south, and from Portland Place to Edgware Road, east to west. Sign up for our regular emails, full of interesting local news for people living in and around Marylebone.

St James's

About our area St James's is the largest ward in the constituency, stretching from Vincent Square to Chancery Lane, and from the river to Piccadilly and Shaftesbury Avenue.

Pimlico South

About Pimlico South Pimlico South ward covers the Southern part of Pimlico. The ward stretches from Lupus Street in the north, down to the River Thames.  Sign up for our regular emails, full of interesting local news for people living in Pimlico.

Vincent Square

About our area Vincent Square Ward covers an area of central London that is bordered by the River Thames to the south, the Palace of Westminster and St. James's to the east, Victoria Station to the north and Pimlico to the west.

Pimlico North

About Pimlico North The Ward is diverse and dynamic. It has an active Ward Committee whose key motto is "teamwork" and has the ability to make the most mundane job fun.

The West End

About the West End West End Ward covers the iconic areas of Mayfair, Soho and Fitzrovia. In Oxford Street and Regent Street, it includes some of Britain’s busiest shopping areas, and is famous as the home of the country’s Theatreland.