Agenda and minutes
Environment Committee - Thursday 20 September 2018 2.00 pm

To receive any apologies for absence and any announcements from the Chair.

1.1  Apologies for absence were received from Shaun Bailey AM, David Kurten AM, Jennette Arnold OBE AM for whom Unmesh Desai AM substituted, and Onkar Sahota AM for whom Nicky Gavron AM substituted.

1.2  Navin Shah left at the arrival of Nicky Gavron AM.

Report of the Executive Director of Secretariat

Contact:  Clare Bryant, [email protected], 020 7983 4616

The Committee is recommended to:

(a)  Note the list of offices held by Assembly Members, as set out in the table at Agenda Item 2, as disclosable pecuniary interests;

(b)  Note the declaration by any Member(s) of any disclosable pecuniary interests in specific items listed on the agenda and the necessary action taken by the Member(s) regarding withdrawal following such declaration(s); and

(c)  Note the declaration by any Member(s) of any other interests deemed to be relevant (including any interests arising from gifts and hospitality received which are not at the time of the meeting reflected on the Authority’s register of gifts and hospitality, and noting also the advice from the GLA’s Monitoring Officer set out at Agenda Item 2) and to note any necessary action taken by the Member(s) following such declaration(s).

2.1  The Committee received the report of the Executive Director of Secretariat.

2.2  Resolved:

That the list of offices held by Assembly Members, as set out in the table at Agenda Item 2, be noted as disclosable pecuniary interests.

The Committee is recommended to confirm the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 14 June 2018 to be signed by the Chair as a correct record.

3.1  Resolved:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 14 June 2018 be signed by the Chair as a correct record.

Report of the Executive Director of Secretariat

Contact:  Clare Bryant, [email protected], 020 7983 4616

The Committee is recommended to note the completed and outstanding actions arising from its previous meetings.

4.1  The Committee received the report of the Executive Director of Secretariat.

4.2  Resolved:

That the completed and outstanding actions arising from previous meetings of the Committee be noted.

4.3  In accordance with Standing Order 2.2D, which states that “if the Chair considers it would assist the conduct of business he or she may take items of business in an order different from that set out on the agenda for the meeting” the following agenda items were taken in a different order to that set out on the agenda.

Report of the Executive Director of Secretariat

Contact:  Clare Bryant, [email protected], 020 7983 4616

The Committee is recommended to:

(a)  Note the recent action taken by the Chair under delegated authority, in consultation with party Group Lead Members, namely to agree:

(i)  The Committee’s report, Single-use plastic: unflushables, as attached at Appendix 1 to the report;

(ii)  The scope and terms of reference for the Committee’s investigation into green belt farming, as attached at Appendix 2 to the report;

(iii)  The summary of the Committee’s visit to Forty Hall, Enfield, as attached at Appendix 3; and

(iv)  The Committee’s response to the Mayor’s draft Food Strategy, as attached at Appendix 4 to the report; and

(v)  The Committee’s response to the consultation on the proposed Riverside Energy Park in Belvedere, as attached at Appendix 5 to the report.

(b)  Note the report attached at Appendix 1, the scope and terms of reference for the Committee’s investigation into green belt farming, attached at Appendix 2, the summary of its site visit attached at Appendix 3, and the responses to consultations attached at

Appendices 4 and 5 to the report.

5.1  The Committee received the report of the Executive Director of Secretariat.

5.2  Resolved:

That the recent action taken by the Chair under delegated authority, in consultation with party Group Lead Members, to agree the following, be noted:

  (a)  The Committee’s report, Single-use plastic: unflushables, as attached at Appendix 1 to the report;

  (b)  The scope and terms of reference for the Committee’s investigation into green belt farming, as attached at Appendix 2 to the report;

  (c)  The summary of the Committee’s visit to Forty Hall, Enfield, as attached at Appendix 3 to the report;  

  (d)  The Committee’s response to the Mayor’s draft Food Strategy, as attached at Appendix 4 to the report; and

  (e)  The Committee’s response to the consultation on the proposed Riverside Energy Park in Belvedere, as attached at Appendix 5 yo the report.

Report of the Executive Director of Secretariat

Contact:  Clare Bryant, [email protected], 020 7983 4616

The Committee is recommended to note the response from the Mayor to its report, Wasting London’s Future, as attached at Appendix 1 to the report, together with the review of the impact of the report attached at Appendix 2.

6.1  The Committee received the report of the Executive Director of Secretariat.

6.2  Resolved:

That the response from the Mayor to the Committee’s report, Wasting London’s Future, as attached at Appendix 1 to the report, and the review of the impact of the report as attached at Appendix 2, be noted.

Report of the Executive Director of Secretariat

Contact: Ian Williamson, [email protected]; 020 7983 6541

The Committee is recommended to:

(a)  Note the report as background to putting questions to invited guests on life cycle carbon emissions from buildings, and note the subsequent discussion, and

(b)  Delegate authority to the Chair, in consultation with party Group Lead Members, to agree any output arising from the discussion.

7.1  The Committee received the report of the Executive Director of Secretariat as background to putting questions on embodied carbon to the following invited guests:

·  Simon Sturgis, Founder, Sturgis Carbon Profiling;

·  Jane Wakiwaka, Sustainability Manager, The Crown Estate;

·  Robbie Epsom, Sustainability Consultant, WSP;

·  Julie Godefroy, Head of Sustainability Development, Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers;

·  Rhian Williams, Senior Strategic Planner, Greater London Authority (GLA); and

·  Anne-Marie Robinson, Senior Policy and Programmes Officer, GLA.

7.2  A transcript of the discussion is attached at Appendix 1.

7.3  During the course of the discussion, Members requested additional information from the Senior Strategic Planner, GLA, as to whether a policy would be included in the London Plan to ensure targets and monitoring of energy assessments.

7.4  During the discussion, a member had indicated they needed to leave, the Chair took the remainder of the agenda items, and the Committee went into informal discussion with guests.

7.5  Resolved:

That the report and discussion up to the meeting being inquorate be noted.

Report of the Executive Director of Secretariat

Contact: Ian Williamson, [email protected]; 020 7983 6541

The Committee is recommended to:

(a)  Consider how it will take forward the Assembly’s opposition to the expansion of Heathrow airport and note the letter sent to all London Members of Parliament in June 2018, urging them to vote against expansion in the House of Commons on the grounds of noise and air pollution attached at Appendix 1;

(b)  Agree to use its October 2018 meeting to discuss the environmental impacts of aviation, focusing on the issues of carbon emissions from aviation (in particular from the additional flights implied by Heathrow expansion) and of local impacts of London City Airport operations, principally noise and air pollution, as set out in paragraph 4.4 of the report;

(c)  Agree to use its November and the December 2018 meeting slots to discuss cold and damp homes, as set out in paragraph 4.6 of the report; and

(d)  Note its previously agreed work programme for the 2018/19 Assembly year, as set out in paragraphs 4.2 to 4.3 and 4.6 to 4.10 of the report.

8.1  The Committee received the report of the Executive Director of Secretariat.

8.2  The Chair took opportunity to put on record the Committee’s thanks to the former Assistant Scrutiny Manager, Grace Loseby, for her work over the past two years on a wide range of scrutiny reviews for the Environment Committee.

8.3  Resolved:

(a)  That the letter sent to all London Members of Parliament in June 2018, urging them to vote against the Heathrow airport expansion, as attached at Appendix 1 to the report, be noted.

(b)  That it be agreed that the October 2018 meeting slot be used to discuss the environmental impacts of aviation be agreed.

(c)  That it be agreed that the November and December 2018 meeting slots be used to discuss cold and damp homes.

(d)  That the Committee’s current work programme be noted.

The next meeting of the Committee is scheduled for Thursday 11 October 2018 at 10.00am in the Chamber, City Hall.

9.1  The next meeting of the Committee was scheduled for Thursday, 11 October 2018 at 10.00 am in the Chamber, City Hall.

10.1  There were no items of business that the Chair considered to be urgent.

11.1  The meeting ended at 4.18pm.

11.2  Following the close of the meeting, Caroline Russell AM (Chair) and Leonie Cooper AM (Deputy Chair) continued to discuss embodied carbon in buildings with the guests. The informal discussion is attached at Appendix 2.