Agenda item

Report of the Superintendent of Hampstead Heath.

Weather­

The Highgate Wood Manager noted that severe weather since November 2013 had caused significant storm damage as well as flooding to areas both within the Wood and on the sports field. He added that flooded areas had now largely dried out and recovered.

Highgate Wood Conservation Management Plan Summary Document

The Highgate Wood Manager noted that a revised Summary Document had been issued following feedback on the version reviewed by the Committee in November 2013. He added that, whilst the format had been revised, issues over poor image quality remained an issue, and that this would be addressed.

Michael Hammerson felt that the section relating to the history and archaeology of the Wood could make greater reference to its wider geographical setting.

Councillor Bob Hare felt that it was difficult to distinguish the compartment areas on the maps within the document – these should be made clearer and their dates included. Moreover it was not clear from the maps which were existing conservation areas and which were proposed. It was also unclear where footpaths were situated. In response to these comments, the Chairman added that this was a summary document only and that it was important to keep diagrams uncongested and easy to interpret.

Councillor Bob Hare and Ann Holmes suggested that black and white maps be produced that could be easily photocopied.

Michael Hammerson noted that there was an error on the timeline.

In response to a query from Councillor Bob Hare, Lucy Roots replied that, unlike the recently flooded area at Onslow Gate, the flood area in Coldfall Wood had plenty of natural light to encourage its biodiversity.

Conservation Management Plan Objectives – Progress

The Highgate Wood Manager noted that the earthwork had been included in a conservation area and would therefore be protected for 10 years, which was also the length of the Conservation Management Plan. There had also been good progress on the Roman Kiln Project with a specialist contractor commissioned to provide an interpretation plan and support with the Heritage Lottery Fund application. The oak decline survey, a key objective in the Natural Environment Section, will be carried out again this summer.

In response to a question from Alison Watson, the Highgate Wood Manager replied that events in the Wood were publicised via the e-newsletter and Twitter. Michael Hammerson added that events could also be listed in the Ham & High. Alison Watson mentioned that the Muswell Hill & Fortis Green Residents’ Association would also be happy to publicise events in their regular newsletter. The Chairman added that events were also listed on the City of London Corporation’s website.

In response to a further question from Alison Watson, the Highgate Wood Manager replied that efforts had been made to encourage a Friends of Highgate Wood Group to mirror the Friends of Queen’s Wood, but without much success. Therefore efforts were being focused more on encouraging the growing involvement of Heath Hands in the Wood.

Jan Brooker requested that adverts of upcoming events be clearly dated – she noted an example of a recent Saturday event where the advert was undated and therefore it was difficult for interested members of the public to know whether the event had already taken place.

In response to a comment from Michael Hammerson that recent local redevelopments had seen the loss of some veteran trees, the Highgate Wood Manager took the opportunity to comment on tree management more widely, noting that he had provided a presentation on Ancient Woodland Management to the London Tree Officers Association in January 2014. He added that he was hoping to meet with the London Borough of Haringey to provide them with a similar presentation.

In response to a suggestion from Councillor Bob Hare that a mock-up of the earthwork be created immediately adjacent to the site to give visitors an idea of its original appearance, Michael Hammerson replied that this would be difficult given that it was unclear what the original purpose of the earthwork had been – whether it had been as a boundary marker or defensive.

The Highgate Wood Manager reported that community and recreation objectives were being met, with an increased number of volunteer hours spent in the Wood in 2013/14, and an increase in the number of persons attending walks and talks, from 599 people in 2012/13 to 940 people in 2013/14.

Highgate Wood Staff Restructure

The Highgate Wood Manager noted that City Bridge Trust grant funding arrangements had concluded in March 2014 and the staff restructure was now fully implemented. He added that the summer period would be particularly challenging under the new staffing arrangements and therefore casual staff would be drafted in to help meet operational demand. He further noted that Hampstead Heath Constabulary had been particularly helpful in providing a presence in the Wood, but that they would face operational pressures of their own during the summer due to the popularity of Hampstead Heath. He concluded by noting that the staff roster would be fully signed off in July 2014.

Budget

The Superintendent of Hampstead Heath outlined the overall budgetary position facing the City of London Corporation, noting that reductions in government grants would lead to a £13m shortfall from 2017/18 onwards. As part of the organisational drive to improve efficiency and reduce costs, the Highgate Wood Management Team were focusing on identifying areas where income could be generated and expenditure reduced, and staff had been asked to put forward suggestions to assist with this task.

A member of the committee noted that the majority of costs at the Wood - £314,000 out of £366,000 – arose from staffing. She added that, given staffing at the Wood had been reduced to the bare minimum, she hoped that the case had been made to those conducting Service Based Reviews that the Wood should not be considered for any further reductions in expenditure.

As an example of efficiency savings identified within the Wood, the Highgate Wood Manager used the example of the forthcoming replacement of the woodchip surface in the playground with a rubberised surface. This would reduce the need for regular maintenance and save £8,000 a year.

In response to a query from Michael Hammerson, the Chairman noted that the overriding aim of the drive for a reduction in expenditure was to ensure the City of London Corporation balanced its books and ran a sustainable service.

The Highgate Wood Manager noted that sports booking fees would be reviewed as well as the potential for more activities to be licensed in the Wood. The potential to introduce weekly bookings for the pitches would potentially be offset by the need for additional maintenance and so any move to additional bookings would have to be done with best practice in mind.

Another area which saw high public demand and required a lot of staff time to cater for was the wide range of community and education activities, and therefore the potential for income generation of these activities would be looked at.

Sustainability

The Highgate Wood Manager noted the waste management contract with Amey and the ongoing issue regarding the proper separation of dog waste from general waste. He added that the Hampstead Heath Constabulary would be focusing on dog control in the coming year and it was hoped that owners would continue to pick up after their dogs and dispose of the waste appropriately.

            He added that since the weather had improved in recent months, the photovoltaic cells had increased their output and the annual target of 6,400 kW hours looked achievable. He committed to updating the committee in November 2014.

            The Highgate Wood Manager went on to note that further savings had been made through reduction in small fuel use. The Highgate Wood Team were now using an electric strimmer, hedge trimmer and leaf blower, which could all be charged off the solar panels. Moreover, delivery had been taken of 2 new battery powered chainsaws which, with an average battery life of one hour, were quieter, lighter and had little vibration, which had obvious health and safety benefits also. The only issue was that they took a considerable time to recharge.

Tree Management

The Highgate Wood Manager noted that one consequence of the recent wet weather was that staff had been afforded time to focus exclusively on dealing with storm damage arising from the St Jude’s Day Storm in October 2013 and over Christmas 2013 and New Year 2014. Tree inspection had increased dramatically, particularly after each storm event, and the Highgate Wood Team was following the example of the Hampstead Heath Team in prioritising inspection based on areas of risk to the public.

Woodland Management in Queen’s Wood and Coldfall Wood

The Highgate Wood Manager noted that coppicing had been carried out in both woods during January and February 2014 and that traditional horse extraction of the timber arising had been conducted. He noted that he was keen to introduce horse extraction to Highgate Wood when the next conservation area was created in 2017, and that this would have great educational benefit.

Play Area and Recreation

The Highgate Wood Manager reiterated the proposal to replace the wood chipping surface of the play area with a rubberised surface, to save on maintenance costs.  He added that it was hoped to carry out these works in time for the summer holidays but that this was dependent on the City of London Procurement Service.

            He added that wet weather and flooding had forced a break in the football season, and that the western edge of the field had been severely flooded causing damage to the edge of the western football pitch. He noted that recent warm and mild weather had allowed the surface to recover.

            He noted that analysis of footfall within the Wood suggested that the annual number of visitors was likely closer to 900,000 rather than 600,000 as previously assumed, which had obvious implications on the level of compaction of popular areas within the Wood. In response to a question from Lucy Roots, he replied that footfall was measured using electronic sensors placed at the entrances to the Wood and the entrance to the play area.

Community and Events

The Highgate Wood Manager noted that the amount of staff time given over to community and education-based activities in 2013/14 was 1,993 hours, which was a decline on 2012/13. He noted that this was largely due to inclement weather in January and February 2014.

            It was noted that the Round Pond in Queen’s Wood was actually properly known as the Frog Pool.

            The Highgate Wood Manager noted that the Hampstead Heath Conservation Team had carried out some Japanese Knotweed control along the Parkland Walk Local Nature Reserve during summer 2013, and that there were indications its spread along the walk was being prevented.

            The Committee noted that knotweed was in fact edible and resembled asparagus in taste, and furthermore it was considered to have medicinal properties.

Proposed Changes at Pavilion Café

The Highgate Wood Manager outlined proposed changes to the Pavilion Cafe including reconfiguration of outdoor seating, installation of a standalone kiosk for takeaway service, and a separate outdoor seating area for dog owners. He added that the City of London Corporation considered the changes to be conducive to efficient running of the café and sympathetic to its setting. Furthermore, it was likely that it would increase income generation for the operator of the café.

            In response to a question from Councillor Bob Hare, the Highgate Wood Manager confirmed the new structure would be of timber cladding on a steel frame. The Superintendent of Hampstead Heath noted that the planning permission for the changes, if granted, would be temporary.

The Committee went on to discuss other matters not contained within the written update. In response to a question from Councillor Bob Hare, the Highgate Wood Manager confirmed bees would be reintroduced into the Wood following the failure of the previous hive during the winter.

            In response to a question from Alison Watson regarding Oak Processionary Moth (OPM), the Highgate Wood Manager outlined the steps taken to combat OPM during 2013, including spraying of over 150 at-risk sites across London. As a result it appeared to be the case that OPM spread was slowing down and was moving in a south westerly direction away from the capital. Another round of spraying would commence in May / June 2014. Both spraying programmes were jointly funded by the Forestry Commission and central government and were focused on known outbreaks and buffer zones. He noted that particularly effective spraying had been done in Pangbourne in Kent using helicopters. He added that Highgate Wood was fortunate in being located a fair distance from the nearest outbreak in Brent.

            In response to a question, the Highgate Wood Manager replied that the spray consisted of a powdered toxin extracted from bacteria which was then added to water and sprayed as a mist into the tree canopy. He added that it remained active for 4 days and, admittedly, harmed other caterpillars as well as OPM.