Agenda item

Report of the Superintendent of The Commons.

Members considered a report of the Superintendent of The Commons regarding Proposed National Nature Reserve (NNR) status for the Coulsdon Commons and Happy Valley and the following points were made.

·         The Director of Open Spaces noted that this was a once in a generation opportunity to establish a new NNR, and the work undertaken to date was a good example of joint working between the City, Croydon and other local partners.

·         In response to a question from a Member, the Director of Open Spaces confirmed that talks continued between all relevant parties to finalise the bid including the proposed name of the potential NNR.

·         In response to a question from a Member regarding the long-term commitment of Croydon to the NNR proposal in light of funding pressures facing local government, the Director of Open Spaces replied that Croydon had undergone a process to review all of its landholdings and had based its support on the proposal to date on evidence of strong local passion for the NNR area.

·         In response to a question from a Member, the Director of Open Spaces confirmed that Croydon was dedicating an appropriate level of resource to the maintenance of Happy Valley.

RESOLVED, that Members,

·         Authorise Officers to progress the National Nature Reserve proposal for Coulsdon Commons and Happy Valley with Natural England and the London Borough of Croydon so that a formal proposal can be developed and reported to Committee by May 2019.