Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Alderman Jeffrey Evans, Alderman Ian Luder, Deputy Alex Deane, Sylvia Moys and Barbara Newman.

Mr Ian Seaton made a declaration in a matter relating to the work of the Committee in respect of his membership to the City Bridge Trust. Deputy Catherine McGuiness declared an interest as a trustee of the Epping Forest Centenary Trust.

To agree the public minutes and summary of the previous meeting.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the previous meeting be agreed as an accurate record.

Matters Arising:

Officers informed Members that a report regarding resourcing and costs of City of London Officers who responded to planning issues was considered by the Open Spaces Committee and an additional £25,000 had been approved for 2013/4 by the Policy and Resources Committee.

The Director had, at the request of the Committee, met with the Head of Keep Britain Tidy. She had been able to share concerns regarding the appointment of judges and the accuracy of reports and had been assured that any future concerns would be reviewed and actioned when appropriate.

To receive a report of the Chamberlain and Director of Open Spaces.

The Committee considered the report of the Chamberlain informing the Committee on Epping Forest’s latest approved revenue Budget for 2013/14. The budgets had been prepared within the resources allocated. Overall the provisional Original budget for 2014/15 totals £4,788,000, an increase of £533,000 compared with the latest approved budget for 2013/14. The main reasons for this increase were an increase of £326,000 in Expenditure, the main contributing factor being an increase in the City Surveyor’s Additional Works Programme of £337,000, and a reduction of £164,000 in income, most of which relate to a reduction in Grant income of £177,000 (HLF and CBT).

RESOLVED: That Members:

·       Reviewed the provisional 2014/15 revenue budget to ensure that it reflected the Committee’s objectives and approved the budget for submission to the

Finance Committee;

·       Reviewed and approved the draft Capital Budget; and

·       Authorised the Chamberlain, in consultation with the Director of Open Spaces, to revise these budgets to allow for any further implications arising from Corporate Projects, departmental reorganisations and other reviews, and Changes to the Additional Works Programme.

To receive a report of the Chamberlain and Director of Open Spaces.

The Committee received the report of the Chamberlain informing the Committee on its latest approved revenue budget for 2013/14and. The budgets had been prepared within the resources allocated to the Director and the table below summarises the position.

Overall the provisional Original budget for 2014/15 totals £2,446M, an increase of £263,000 compared with the latest approved budget for 2013/14. The main reason for this increase was an overall increase of £268,000 in Expenditure, the main contributing factor being an increase in the City Surveyor’s Additional Works Programme of £253,000.

RESOLVED: That Members:

·        Reviewed the provisional 2014/15 revenue budget to ensure that it reflected the  Committee’s objectives and, if so, approve the budget for submission to the Finance Committee;

·        Authorised the Chamberlain, in consultation with the Director of Open Spaces, to revise these budgets to allow for any further implications arising from Corporate Projects, departmental reorganisations and other reviews, and Changes to the Additional Works Programme.

To receive a report of the Town Clerk.

The Committee considered the report of the Town Clerk and were informed that as part of the post-implementation review of the changes made to the governance arrangements in 2011 it was agreed that all Committees should review their terms of reference annually. This would enable any proposed changes to be considered in time for the reappointment of Committees by the Court of Common Council.

In response to a query regarding the quorum of the Committee, the Town Clerk agreed to consult the Comptroller and City Solicitor to clarify which Members could form part of a quorum. An updated report would be considered by the Committee at their meeting in January 2014.

The Superintendent of Epping Forest to be heard.

The Committee received a verbal update from the Superintendent of Epping Forest and noted the following:

Staff changes

There had been no staff changes during the September/October period.

St Jude’s Day Storm

62mph gusts were recorded over the Forest with the western fringe and high ground recording the most damage.  Over 200 fallen trees and large branches had been removed from roads; rides and adjacent properties following concerted work by arborist and Forest Keeper teams.  A  Forest-wide survey of damage was still underway, with initial reports suggesting that the loss of veteran trees was low.

Fairmead Road Closure

Essex County Council completed the installation of the barrier gate on 5th September under a Traffic Regulation Order which would be the first stage in returning 1 km of Fairmead Road to the Forest.

Cattle Grids Installation Programme

Grids were working well but there were still some teething problems regarding design detail in relation to bypass gates; bypass surfaces and potential cattle creeps on grid kerbing.  Epping Forest Officers, Essex County Council and their contractors were working hard to address the issues.

Rough Sleepers

Following over 46 Rough Sleeper evictions across the summer, officers from the Police; Redbridge Housing and the East London Migrant Forum supported Forest Keepers in a sweep of Wanstead Flats to secure better outcomes for Rough Sleepers and a reduction in displacement across the Forest.

Great Gregories Out wintering Facility

Epping Forest District Council approved the planning application following extensive amendments to the original plan substituting straw for chip and exchanging the slurry lagoon for a farmyard manure spreading system.  Procurement work was underway, but the project was now running behind schedule and temporary straw bale housing will be used to accommodate cattle during the winter.

Rural Payments Agency Compliance Inspection

Epping Forest had passed with commendation a

To receive a report of the Superintendent of Epping Forest.

The Committee received a report of the Director or Open Spaces which summarised the work completed as part of the access and habitat work programme for Epping Forest from April 2012 to March 2013. Members were informed that the work was completed against the backdrop of highly unusual weather conditions, beginning with drought and followed by one of the wettest spring and summer periods on record.

Amongst the highlights of the work by staff and contractors were:

• the re-surfacing of over 2.5km of surfaced rides;

• the completion of work on 89 Keystone Beech trees in a revised

Branching Out programme, modified due to the weather conditions;

• the pollarding of more than 150 Hornbeams and “haloing” of many other

ancient and veteran pollards in 15 Forest compartments (Appendix 1);

• the completion of 10 years work in restoring the ancient wood-pasture

and Oaks of Lords Bushes;

• the harvesting of over 20 hectares of haylage from the Forest in addition

to the crop taken from the Buffer Lands;

• the start of the new grazing contract with Wildlife & Countryside Services

And the introduction of Redpoll cattle to the Buffer Lands.

In addition, of the two main volunteers’ groups, the Epping Forest Conservation Volunteers (EFCV) and the Epping Forest Centenary Trust, carried out work on over 40 sites During the year, the EFCV agreed to consolidate its volunteering effort on 8 core sites across the Forest. The Scout Project 823 was a success, with the highlight being the construction of the walkway at Connaught Water.

The habitats work programme was supported by significant annual income from the agri-environment grants administered by the Rural Payments Agency and Natural England which this year amounted to £313,741.91 in total. In addition, further income was received from the Heritage Lottery Fund and The

To receive a report of the Superintendent of Epping Forest.

The Committee received a report of the Director of Open Spaces describing the latest monitoring work on grazing and provides the second annual assessment by the Independent Grazing Assessor, Dr Peter Dennis of Aberystwyth University (Committee Member &Secretary of The Royal Society’s UK Biodiversity Science Committee (UK BSC)).

Members were informed that the Assessor was satisfied with the Grazing Strategy’s phased approach although he recognised that it had moved at a slower pace in 2013 than anticipated due to external and infrastructure constraints. He considered the current combination of monitoring methods provides “a suitable and effective monitoring programme”. He inspected the 8 additional transects and regarded their length and location as appropriate but suggests some additional techniques, including Centre-pole Fixed Point Photography as an economical way of garnering extra vegetation data.

The annual costs of continuing the monitoring programme, with some of the

additions covered in this report, would come from local risk budgets and would amount to up to £12,000. In addition the work involved in the assessment is likely to cost between £3,000 - £3,500 in the next financial year.

In response to survey proposals by the Head of Conservation Dr Dennis concluded with some suggestions for future projects and survey work. He outlines the extra resources that might be required for these and suggests a phased timetable for survey work is required to match available resources. He recommended seeking public engagement with monitoring projects where possible.

In response to a query from Members, Officers said that the Red Poll cattle supplied by Wildlife and Countryside Services were grazing complementary sites alongside the Long Horns at Epping Forest. The partnership contract previously approved by your Committee makes provision for grazing by the Grazier’s stock reducing the call on the City’s capital.  The cost of managing the Red Polls

The Superintendent of Burnham Beeches & Stoke Common to be heard.

The Chairman of the Committee thanked the Superintendent for hosting the visit to Dorneywood and tour of Burnham Beeches. The Superintendent of Burnham Beeches and Stoke Common provided the following update to the Committee:

The Cattle at Burnham Beeches continued to graze within the Park Lane invisible fence are until mid-September.  They are now grazing land at Hedgerley and village ‘Lookers’ are carrying out daily checks and reporting issues to the BB Office as they arise. 

The Exmoor Ponies continued to graze on Burnham Beeches following their recent dental and feet checks.  They would move to land owned by the Teikyo School near Slough as food availability dictates.

The cattle at Stoke Common had now been taken from the site having completed 2750 grazing days on the site in 2013.  This was within the agreed range to ensure an appropriate balance between the needs of conservation and farming.

Halo and clearance works had started at Burnham Beeches in preparation for the coming winter’s pollard restoration programme.

Contractors recently cleared 1.25 Ha of secondary woodland at Stoke Common as part of year 6 of the restoration programme.  Staff and volunteers would continue to carry out smaller scale works over the winter months.

Many events had recently been held on the sites including:

• A Rotary Club sponsored event, a week-long Halloween trail, an ‘On location’ walk and 5 ‘Simply Health’ walks.
• 500 students ranging from primary age to MSc students made educational visits to the Beeches and Stoke Common.
• Volunteers contributed 1300 hours to work at the sites in September and October.  A wide range of task was completed and the conservation and administration volunteers in particular are proving to be a growth area. 

Several visits had also taken place at Burnham Beeches over the period including

• a visit by

To receive a report of the Superintendent of Burnham Beeches and Stoke Common.

The Committee received the report of the Director of Open Spaces and noted the results of the final phased trials that took place in July to September.

In response to a query, Officers said they were working closely with the manufacturers to implement a series of recommendations to improve the current system.

RESOLVED: That Members agreed to:

• To delay the final delivery of conservation grazing across Burnham

Beeches by one year to allow:

• Equipment improvements and implications to be assessed.

• Two options to be considered as mechanisms for final delivery.

• That the Superintendent provides a final recommendation report to this   committee in July 2014.

To receive a report of the Superintendent of Burnham Beeches and Stoke Common.

The Committee received the report of the Director of Open Spaces which informed Members of the proposal to introduce Dog Control Orders at Burnham Beeches National Nature Reserve using the recently acquired powers provided under Secondary Authority status.

Officers informed Members that there was a general interest in this topic, and they had been working with local authorities to tackle the issues posed by it. As each site was different it was difficult to implement a blanket policy, and so site assessments were a necessary and useful part of the process. The Director said she would be meeting with the Kennel Club next month to discuss the matter.

In response to a query from Members, Officers agreed to circulate information for dog owners which Members could hand out to offending parties. Officers also informed Members that they used local press to publicise information regarding dog control orders for the public.

To receive a report of the Superintendent of Burnham Beeches and Stoke Common

The Committee received a report of the Director of Open Spaces which provided an update to Members concerning progress with South Bucks District Council’s Development Management Local Plan (DMLP).

The Superintendent of the City Commons to be heard.

The Superintendent of City Commons provided the following update to the Committee:

St Judes Storm

Very clear storm warnings were issued by the Met Office and the Commons Rangers responded very efficiently on the morning of the 28th October 2013 assessing the damage and clearing blocked paths.  There was not much damage across the Coulsdon Commons and West Wickham Commons.  At Ashtead Common some pollards were lost and some veteran trees within the low risk zones sustained damage to large limbs and bows.

Rural Payments Agency

On the 13^th November 2013 the Rural Payments Agency commenced a five day inspection of the City Commons ELS/HLS agreement.  Initial feedback is expected on the 20^th November 2013.

Byelaw Enforcement – Farthing Downs

Working with the Comptroller & City Solicitor a successful prosecution had been brought against a driver who drove his vehicle across Farthing Downs.

Lime Wood Project – Spring Park

The Small-leaved Lime Conservation Project at Spring Park has received £7,513.00 funding from the SITA Trust.

The Project aimed to conserve an area of ancient woodland at Spring Park which contains a regionally important and distinctive population of rare Small-leaved Lime trees.  This species, once favoured as a source of material for rope-making, is now vulnerable due to its poor reproduction.  The Project would promote its survival and regeneration through implementing a Species Management Plan drawn up by the Limewood Working Group, which was part of the Tree Council.

This plan would guide the Project and ensure that appropriate management is used.  Site rangers, working with volunteers and contractors will re-coppice lapsed Small-leaved Lime stools, layer stems to encourage regeneration, coppice and pollard other trees nearby, ‘halo release’ the veteran Limes and remove timber using heavy horses.

Bridleway 38 – Ashtead Common

The Ashtead team had brought forward a surfacing

To note the minutes of the previous Coulsdon Commons Consultative Committee meeting.

RESOLVED: The Committee noted the minutes of the Consultative Committee.

To note the minutes of the previous Ashtead Commons Consultative Committee meeting.

RESOLVED: The Committee noted the minutes of the Consultative Committee, and the Town Clerk agreed to include the minutes of the West Wickham Consultative Committee meeting on the agenda for the next meeting in January.

In response to a query from Members, Officers said they would investigate the commercial potential of allowing ward clubs and livery committees to use the open spaces for events. The Director agreed to discuss this with the Marketing Officer. In response to a query from a Verderer, Officers said the work programme 2014/15 would be circulated before the January Committee meeting. Officers also clarified that the feeding and maintenance costs of livestock not owned by the City were met by the individual owners.

The Committee agreed to confirm a date via email for a meeting of the Epping Forest Land Registration Working Party in February after a visit had taken place.

MOTION: That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act as follows:-

Item No.                                                         Paragraphs in Schedule 12A

MOTION: That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act as follows:-

Items 20 – 24 under Paragraph 3.

To agree the non-public minutes of the previous meeting.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the previous meeting be agreed as an accurate record.

To receive a report from the Superintendent of Epping Forest

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Open Spaces.

To receive the report of the Superintendent of Epping Forest.

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Open Spaces.

There was none.

There was none.