Agenda item

The Committee are invited to elect a Chairman in accordance with Standing Order 29.

The Committee proceeded to elect a Chairman in accordance with Standing Order No. 29.  The Town Clerk read a list of Members eligible to stand and Graeme Smith being the only Member expressing their willingness to serve was duly elected Chairman for the ensuing year and took the Chair.

RESOLVED – That Graeme Smith be elected for the ensuing year.

The Chairman thanked the Committee for their support and welcomed new Members, Alderman Robert Howard and Alderman Robert Hughes-Penney to the Committee. The Committee expressed their thanks to the outgoing Chairman Deputy Phillip Woodhouse.

VOTE OF THANKS

Proposed by Gregory Lawrence;

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY:

That the Members of the Epping Forest and Commons Committee wish to place on record their sincere appreciation to 

Deputy Phillip Woodhouse

Their very great and sincere thanks and appreciation for the distinguished manner, in which he has served as Chairman since 9th May 2016.

MUCH has been achieved during Philip’s Chairmanship in what has been a challenging financial and political period.  He has combined sage counsel, an eye for detail and forward-thinking with enthusiasm and good humour throughout the Committee’s proceedings, alongside a wide range of sub-Committees, liaison groups and panels.

Philip oversaw the passage of the City of London Corporation (Open Spaces) Act 2018 from its October 2016 Third Reading in the House of Commons, to the gaining of Royal Assent on 15 March 2018.

He has played a decisive role in improving the governance of Epping Forest, through the introduction of a dedicated Consultative Committee, and the addition of an Epping Forest District Council and Essex County Council Liaison Group in November 2016.  Philip also oversaw the successful appointment of two new Verderers during 2018.

Epping Forest also celebrated the Forest’s inclusion in the Queens Commonwealth Canopy with a Royal Visit by Prince Harry and hosted the signing of the Ancient Tree Forum Concordat during the celebrations of the 800^th year of the Forest Charter, which included a sponsored float in the Lord Mayor’s Show.

Philip has provided considerable support to officers involved in the need to protect the Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) through the Local Plan development process. At Burnham Beeches, SAC protection was included in South Bucks District Council’s ‘Draft Local Plan’ public consultation document, that is expected to be presented to the Secretary of State later this year. Philip has also played a very active role during the Epping Forest District Local Plan Regulation 18 & 19 depositions and subsequent Examination in Public, also successfully laying the foundations for the fifteen-year SAC Mitigation Strategy.

The introduction of Public Space Protection Orders at Burnham Beeches also came under Philip’s Chairmanship continuing to ensure that all visitors can appropriately share and enjoy the open space.

Both the Commons and Epping Forest’s ten-year Countryside Stewardship Schemes, have been completed during Philip’s term, ensuring the restoration of hundreds of acres of wood-pasture habitats, and the successful move to in-house management of the Epping Forest conservation grazing scheme. Philip also guided the successful Countryside Stewardship Applications at both Stoke Common and Burnham Beeches.

During what was a challenging time for the protection of Epping Forest from Invasive Non-Native Species and pathogens, Phillip has provided steady leadership which resulted in the successful control of an outbreak of Ramorum Disease in September 2016; the close monitoring of the arrival of the Oak Processionary Moth in Autumn 2016 and the successful eradication of Floating Pennywort at Wanstead Park.

Pursuing his interest in formal sport, Philip has championed the return of Chingford Golf Course management into full City Corporation control resulting in increases in play and profitability and has taken a close interest in the progress of Wanstead Flats to Stage Two of the Football Foundation’s ‘Parklife’ programme.

Philip has played a pivotal role in the delivery of the Kenley Revival Project, supporting this project through its 3-year delivery phase.  Notable achievements have included the completion of the visitor activities programme including community archaeology and extensive school engagement events, and planning consent for the new site signage.

The retention of 9 Green Flag and 4 Green Heritage Scheme Awards for each of his three years of Chairmanship are a testimony to Philip’s interest in the quality of the visitor offer across Epping Forest and the City Commons.

FINALLY, the Committee wishes to place on record its recognition of Philip’s distinguished contribution to the work of the Committee and in thanking him for his generous hospitality, his colleagues convey to him their good wishes for the future, with happy memories of a substantial body of achievement over the past three years.