City of London Corporation Chair of Planning Committee joins our Retrofit forum

Above: CGI of the radical proposals for King Edward Square, City of London - a new green piazza north of St Paul's Cathedral (from LDA Design), overseen by Shravan Joshi's team at the City of London Corporation

Future Cities Forum is delighted that the Planning and Transportation Committee Chair, Shravan Joshi will join our Retrofit and Renewal discussion event this month.

Shavran was re-elected to his position last May and will continue in his leadership on all planning issues affecting the Square Mile, including leading the discussion and debate on planning permissions for new developments in the City.

His role also covers the City Corporation’s Transport Strategy and its responsibility as highway authority, ensuring that the City and its residents, workers and visitors enjoy safe streets and a world-class public transport system.

High on the agenda of the Committee’s responsibilities will be the reshaping of the City Corporation’s City Plan 2040, with the latest round of public consultation to begin in the coming weeks.

The City Corporation’s ambitious Climate Action Strategy will also continue to take centre stage throughout Shravan Joshi's and Graham Packham’s new term, as both remain committed to ensuring the Square Mile remains a world-leading and sustainable place in which to do business.

The development of the Moorgate area is undergoing significant change, due to the huge increase in footfall from the addition of the Liverpool Street Elizabeth Line. There are a number of large developments nearing completion, including 101 Moorgate, a new retail and commercial building, and 84 Moorgate, the new home of the London Fashion Retail Academy.

The City is also undertaking various improvements across the area to enhance the pedestrian environment and make it more comfortable to walk, wheel, and cycle. These include re-landscaping works to Finsbury Circus and enhanced greening and seating at the Moorgate and London Wall Oval space.

These re-landscaping improvements are due to commence in December and will include the introduction of planters, additional greening and seating to create a green public space. The works will last approximately four months.

Earlier this year, The City of London Corporation launched the Heritage Buildings Retrofit Toolkit, at an event at the Merchant Taylors’ Great Hall. The toolkit seeks to empower owners of heritage buildings to initiate the adaptations necessary to reduce carbon emissions and build climate resilience, a key priority of the City Corporation’s Climate Action Strategy, as it progresses toward a net-zero Square Mile by 2040. 

With more than 600 listed buildings, 28 conservation areas, 48 scheduled ancient monuments and four historic parks and gardens, the Square Mile’s heritage structures pose a significant retrofit challenge, given the diverse range of buildings and their specific planning and conservation considerations.

The open-access toolkit provides a nine-step methodology to enable building owners to start the process of responsible retrofit with confidence, to build a business case and deliver the necessary adaptations, in a way that protects these important community assets.

Whilst this toolkit draws on the historic environment of the Square Mile, referencing structures that are most significant to the City’s unique character, it is equally relevant to towns and cities in the UK and around the world who are exploring how to adapt their historic buildings for a sustainable future.

Below: Shravan Joshi, Chair of the Planning and Transportation Committee, City of London Corporation