Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Deputy Stanley Ginsburg and Virginia Rounding.

There were no declarations.

To agree the public minutes and summary of the meeting held on 25 November 2013.

RESOLVED – that the public minutes and summary of the meeting held on Monday 25 November 2013 be approved as a correct record, subject to ‘October 2013’ being amended to ‘October 2012’ on page 5, item 7.

Matters Arising

The Value of Green Spaces to London and Londoners

The Director of Open Spaces noted that she had been in discussions with the Director of the Royal Geographical Society, who had agreed to assist in helping identify suitable candidate universities in London who could host a PhD candidate interested in exploring the value of green spaces to London and Londoners. Moreover the Director of Open Spaces noted that the City of London’s report had been referenced as being of considerable benefit to a research student based at Kew Gardens.

Planning Commitments for Open Spaces

In response to a question from a member, the Director of Open Spaces confirmed that a report on how the £25,000 allocated to the Open Spaces Department to pay for formal planning advice had been spent would be submitted to the Committee in June 2015.

St Andrew’s Holborn

In response to a question from a member, it was confirmed that planning permission had been granted for the proposed redesign and landscaping works and that works were now expected to commence in March 2014.

To receive a list of outstanding actions.  

The Committee received a list of outstanding actions.

Further to the query over whether observers to the Committee could be included within the Committee’s terms of reference, the Chairman noted that there were no plans to incorporate the Committee Observers into the Terms of Reference given that this was not standard practice. 

RECEIVED

Report of the Town Clerk.

The Committee considered a report of the Town Clerk on the City of London Corporation’s Scheme of Delegations.

RESOLVED –

·         That the delegations relating to the Director of Open Spaces set out in the Scheme of Delegations be approved, subject to the approval of the Policy and Resources Committee;

·         That the proposed amendment to Standing Orders relating to the declaration of operational property assets which are surplus to requirements be noted.

Report of the Chamberlain and the Director of Open Spaces.

The Committee considered a report of the Chamberlain and Director of Open Spaces regarding the Consolidated Revenue and Capital budgets for 2013/14 and 2014/15.

The Group Accountant noted that the provisional figures regarding the Additional Works Programme had since been approved by the Resource Allocation Sub (Policy and Resources) Committee.

RECEIVED

Report of the Director of Open Spaces.

The Committee considered a quarterly update report of the Director of Open Spaces regarding the Open Spaces Department’s Business Plan.

In response to a question from a member, the Director of Open Spaces noted that a reservoir related Emergency Plan had been completed and rehearsed for Hampstead Heath, and that a similar Plan had been prepared for Epping Forest and would be completed shortly. She went on to confirm that the plans would be rehearsed to ensure they were effective and fit for purpose.

In response to a question from a member, the Director confirmed that it was anticipated that under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill, the City of London would retain the power to make orders relating to dog control and would have a new and wider remit to make orders relating to other types of anti-social behaviour across its Open Spaces. The Director confirmed that a report would be coming to the Committee on this matter once the details were finalised.

In response to a question from a member, the Director confirmed that it remained a departmental objective to include a presentation on a strategic issue at each meeting of the Committee, but that their inclusion at each meeting was subject to wider priorities. The Chairman reminded the Committee that three strategic reports had been considered at the last meeting.

RECEIVED

Report of the Director of Open Spaces.

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Open Spaces on the department’s Health & Safety Audit 2013.

The Technical Manager noted that whilst there had been a reduction in the number of accidents resulting in injuries during the year – from 55 to 46 – the nature of the work carried out by Open Spaces staff meant that it was difficult to eliminate the risk of accidents entirely. He added that effort had been put into improving reporting processes to ensure the data collected for audit purposes was as accurate as possible. He concluded by noting that a new Technical officer, appointed at Epping Forest, was supporting improvements in Health and Safety.

In response to a comment from a member, the Chairman requested that officers provide a short report at a subsequent Committee meeting, detailing across an annual quarter, the nature of reported accidents. The report would provide more detail than was available in the current report and outline any lessons arising. He commented that he was pleased to hear that the reporting process was considered robust.

In response to comments from members querying the reason for some issues marked as completed following the 2011 Audit reverting to ‘work in progress’ following the 2013 Audit, the Technical Manager responded that each Audit inevitably revealed new areas for improvement. Items such as Fire Assessments required renewal when they reached their term of expiry – thus explaining incidences such Fire Safety reverting to work in progress.

RECEIVED

The Superintendent of Parks & Gardens to be heard.

The Superintendent of Parks & Gardens updated the Committee on the effect of the inclement weather during the night of 14/15 February on the City of London’s Open Spaces:

Open Spaces - Initial Assessment of Damage – 14/15 February Storm

·         Coulsdon Common – 3 trees down and 7 trees damaged.

·         City of London Cemetery – 3 trees down.

·         North London Open Spaces – 10 trees down on Hampstead Heath, and a 28m section of the Hampstead Heath Lido perimeter wall blown over by high winds.

·         West Ham Park – a eucalyptus tree down and damage to tennis court perimeter fencing.

·         Burnham Beeches – the site’s worst storm event of the winter thus far, with many public highways and paths blocked. Highways had been cleared and reopened over the weekend.

·         City Gardens – a fallen tree had blocked Cloth Fair to traffic at around 0100 on Saturday morning but the road had been reopened by 0220 thanks to the efforts of the City of London’s new contractor.

·         Epping Forest – the size of the site had made a detailed inspection difficult, but it was clear there had been damage to the Hunting Lodge and flooding at Jubilee Ponds.

The City Gardens Manager then provided the Committee with current issues affecting the City Gardens.

Finance

·         The City Gardens’ budget was in line with agreed budget profiles.

Gardens

·         A replacement project support officer had been recruited and would be in-post by the end of March 2014.

·         The annual RSPB bird watch had taken place at the end of January, with around 25 residents and volunteers taking part.

·         16,000 naturalised bulbs had been planted by volunteers throughout autumn 2013.

·         Buckingham Palace had once again gifted the City of London 80 tonnes of free mulch.

Projects

·         Officers had met with representatives from Crossrail to begin planning

Report of the Town Clerk.

The Committee considered a report of the Town Clerk on the Annual Schedule of Visits for 2014.

A member noted that Open Spaces and City Gardens Committee members were incorrectly listed as being eligible to attend the Lord Mayor’s Visit to Dorneywood on Monday 9 June 2014.

RESOLVED –

·         That members agree the current position and proposals set out within the report;

·         That members agree the Schedule of Visits 2014 subject to the eligibility for attendance at the Lord Mayor’s Visit to Dorneywood being amended.

Report of the Director of Open Spaces.

The Committee received a report of the Director of Open Spaces on the Procurement of Tree Maintenance Works.

RECEIVED

A presentation regarding the Senator House Garden Project.

Due to time pressure the Committee agreed, at the suggestion of the Chairman, to defer this item until the conclusion of non-public business, so that members of the West Ham Park Committee could be admitted to take part in the presentation.

The Technical Manager gave a presentation to the Committee on outline proposals to reconfigure the Senator House Garden. Members had the following comments on the proposals:

• The Deputy Chairman expressed his congratulations to officers for having the developer commit to reconfiguring the gardens. He added that it would be worth opening up the site more and to make a clear reference between the Senator House Garden and the adjoining Cleary Garden.

• A member suggested that a discreet plaque – perhaps at floor level – be installed to make clear that the Garden was owned and managed by the City of London.

• A member expressed concern over the amount of hard landscaping in the proposals for the new garden.

There were no questions.

There were no urgent items.

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.

RESOLVED - 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.

Item(s)            Paragraph(s) in Schedule 12A

16-19               3

To agree the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 25 November 2013.

RESOLVED – that the non-public minutes of the meeting held on Monday 25 November 2013 be approved as a correct record.

Report of the City Surveyor – to follow.

The Chairman introduced a report of the City Surveyor regarding the request for delegated authority to proceed with transaction terms relating to the City’s Rennie Garden.

There were no questions.

There was no other business.