Concerns have been raised regarding the transparency, fairness, and accountability of the City of London Corporation's planning process. These issues were highlighted in resolutions from the Ward of Cripplegate during the Court of Common Council meeting on Thursday, May 21, 2026.
The Ward of Cripplegate proposed that councillors with property interests or professional associations in the property development industry should be barred from serving on the Planning and Transportation Committee and its sub-committee. The ward expressed grave concerns about the transparency, fairness and accountability of the City of London Corporation's current planning process,
and put forward these proposals to avoid conflicts of interest and the perception of bias.
Specifically, the ward called for those councillors who are members of committees responsible for the Corporation's extensive property interests
to be prevented from sitting on the Planning and Transportation Committee and the Planning Applications Sub-Committee. Furthermore, councillors with professional associations within the property development industry
should also be excluded to avoid any perception of bias.
Additionally, the ward called for an independent design review process to ensure high-quality architecture is approved. This independent review would be within the Planning and Development Division of the Environment Department, aiming to ensure that only the highest quality, peer reviewed, architecture is approved by members of the Planning and Transportation Committee and, hence, the Planning Applications Sub-Committee.
The resolutions from the annual wardmotes were considered by the Court of Common Council on Thursday, 21 May 2026. Further details on the meeting proceedings can be found in the Public reports pack.
