Westminster planning gets another shake-up

Westminster City Council has made further changes to its planning committee with the appointment of councillor Melvyn Caplan as chairman. [caption id="attachment_1000089" align="alignright" width="202"] Melvyn Caplan[/caption] Caplan has been a councillor for the borough for the past 30 years, he is also chairman of the housing and finance scrutiny committee and was previously leader of the council. He replaces Gotz Mohindra, who has been chairman of planning for 18 months. Caplan previously worked for IBM, but is longer employed and dedicates most of his time to council activity. Mohindra is a shareholder in property investor Chromex Group. The role is the most high-profile position in terms of planning, due to the economic value of development in the borough. Council leader Nickie Aiken said: “Gotz has asked to stand down due to the demands on his time as chairman of London Conservatives. We’re sorry to lose him but understand his decision. “Melvyn is a highly experienced member who is very familiar with planning issues. I am confident he will do a superb job overseeing the most complex planning decision-making process in the country.” [caption id="attachment_1000091" align="alignleft" width="202"] Richard Beddoe[/caption] The reshuffle has also seen Richard Beddoe appointed as deputy leader for strategy, also retaining his role as cabinet member for place shaping and planning, leading the development of the City Plan. He joins Tim Mitchell in a joint deputy leader position. Mitchell, who was appointed in May, will focus on the “delivery of the council’s priorities” and his cabinet position for environment and city management. Aiken said: “With the unprecedented scale of work ahead of us, I have decided to strengthen my leadership team to support our efforts to relentlessly focus on our big priorities and our ambition to deliver a ‘city for all’.” Westminster City Council has a priority to increase housing delivery in the borough and will seek to push through its Big City Plan, with an examination in public expected before the end of the year. The restructure follows a planning revamp last year, which saw the departure of director of planning John Walker and additional duties given to Deirdra Armsby, director of place shaping and West End partnership. Walker went on to join political strategist Lynton Crosby’s CTP Local, advising clients on development in the city. The overhaul also saw greater power given to planning officers, residents given the opportunity to speak at planning meetings and stricter rules on hospitality. It came in the wake of the resignation of deputy council leader Robert Davis after an internal investigation found he had received hospitality or gifts 893 times over six years, frequently from property developers seeking planning permission. At the time, council leader Aiken said Westminster had “put planning under the microscope” and promised to deliver greater scrutiny and transparency into decision making. To send feedback, e-mail emma.rosser@egi.co.uk or tweet @EmmaARosser or @estatesgazette