The Committee received a presentation from Councillor Rachel Blake (Cabinet Member for Strategic Development & Waste) highlighting a number of key issues in relation to Waste Management and the Local Plan.

The questions and comments from Members on the report may be summarised as follows:

Regarding the collection, transportation, disposal or recycling and monitoring of waste the Committee:

• Asked when LBTH will have new Underground Refuse System [URS] Trucks; access to clear sacks for plastics and improving educational awareness on recycling Food Waste;
• Noted in response that the current 3 URS trucks are too old and maintenance is an issue given their age. However, two new URS Trucks will be purchased in April 2018. Then the 3^rd and oldest URS Truck will be taken out of service leaving 4 operational trucks;
• Commented that it was important to keep landlords informed when any of the fleet of URS trucks are out of service and when LBTH will have to use cadged refuse vehicles instead;
• Noted that clear sacks for plastics are available at major retail outlets and officers are working on options to increase access to such bags so as to help residents recycle;
• Noted that regarding food waste residents need proper education on how to recycle this type of waste and what they can do so as to facilitate the recycling of such waste;
• Indicated that there was more face to face work was needed to improve recycling and garden compositing;
• Noted recycling in June hit 30% instead of the anticipated 27% which whilst a positive improvement it was accepted that LBTH needs to do better;
• Noted that in new local plan LBTH will be looking at how homes in developments can be design from the outset to accommodate storage of dry recycling and food waste and address noise pollution e.g. Education is a good idea as then children to act as a lever to get their parents to recycle;
• Noted that “missed bins” are a significant issue for local residents especially relating to the collection from URS sites and the actual numbers of “missed bins” in LBTH is currently running at under 1%. However, residents have indicated that apparently when the contact the Streetline Team  to arrange for bulky or large waste to be collected it can be very frustrating due to the poor response times;
• Noted that regarding the contamination of re-cycling bins the solution to this can be down to proactivity of the crews. Although the cost of waste recycling is an issue as this can vary significantly.

With regard to the Local Plan it was noted that this is the Council’s most important planning document, guiding development and to help manage future growth across LBTH.  A new Local Plan has therefore been prepared to respond to local requirements and to reflect national and regional policy changes that have emerged in recent years, such as the Borough’s housing target which was substantially increased through the London Plan in 2015.  The Local Plan has been informed by comments received during the two previous rounds of consultation and an up-to-date evidence base the Committee:

• Noted that in terms of air quality residents want LBTH to take a robust stance;
• Noted that LBTH have 90 monitoring sites in total across the Borough that checks air quality;
• Commented that they would like to know what is happening to address air quality around primary schools and what is being done to address pollution from commercial vehicles emissions especially in those areas where there is a large foot fall;
• Commented that residents have raised concerns about general smoke control areas and the use of the waterways (e.g. complaints of the smoke/odour from canal boats using their generators whilst docked which becomes an issue in the Autumn and Winter);
• Indicated that the location of schools should give consideration to not locating in areas of high pollution (e.g. Building of school on London Dock);
• Noted that in new Local Plan all schools need to have air quality impact assessments;
• Noted that an equivalent of 9,400 deaths in London per year can be attributed to air quality related illness. The Metropolis also faced challenging targets to help mitigate the effects of climate change;
• Stated that there needs to be a national intervention on these issues (e.g. pollution from vehicles that have had their engines left idling whilst parked);
• Felt that there was a need to look at impact of the Night Time Economy [NTE] on residents;
• Asked will the Local Plan should address the provision of affordable housing and social and physical infrastructure.  In response it was noted that under the new policies that new developments should have social/living rents;
• Asked how LBTH can address residents’ concerns at changes to an area and the actual/perceive negative impacts upon residents.  In response it was noted that schemes need to be liveable for the local residents and working to address that;
• Noted that the Local Plan is in alignment with the Regional Plans and it is intended also to align it to the London Mayor’s 30 priorities (e.g. GLA has been in consultation with London Boroughs and LBTH have also consulted internally);
• Noted that Whitechapel is in the City Fringe OAPF [Opportunity Area Planning Framework] and not overlooked especially the infrastructure required. However, the Committee wished to see the infrastructure to be in place before any development or alongside. However, it was noted that national guidance is very prescriptive and does not allow LBTH to be that inflexible;
• Noted that LBTH is awaiting for the outcome of the Grenfell enquiry on clear guidance on cladding; building and fire regulations;
• Noted that LBTH aim to be flexible to respond to those outcomes and changes in demand as a consequence of decision to leave the European Union;
• Noted that LBTH needed to look at the population churn and that the communities do need to have a real voice in these developments (e.g. LBTH has established a Self-Builders forum where both self-builders and construction professionals can gather information, ask questions and share the benefit of their knowledge and experience);
• Whilst noting that there seems to be positive progress in LBTH but there remains the consequences of poor regulation which has been referenced in the Plan;
• Noted that the Plan looks to make as much land as possible be accessible to the public e.g. A key proposal in the Plan is to create a continuous walk along banks of Thames;
• Noted the Plan aims to address safety issues around homes in new developments especially safety around kitchen areas and having homes with adequate space for families.