Venue: Parliament Hill Yard, Highgate Road, London, NW5 1QR
Contact: David Arnold Email: David.Arnold@cityoflondon.gov.uk
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Apologies Minutes: Apologies for absence were received from former Councillor Mary Arnold (London Borough of Brent) and Councillor James Denselow (London Borough of Brent). |
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Declarations by Members of Any Personal and Prejudicial Interests in Respect of Items on This Agenda Minutes: There were none. |
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To agree the public minutes and summary of the meeting held on 7 April 2014 (copy attached). Additional documents: Minutes: RESOLVED – That the minutes of the meeting held on 20 November 2013 be agreed as a correct record.
Matters Arising
Representation on the Joint Consultative Group The Queen’s Park Manager advised that this was under review and an update would be provided at the next meeting.
Queen’s Park Café Lease The Superintendent of Hampstead Heath reported that he had met with the Café owner to discuss an improvement plan. He also advised that the new lease – with a renewal date in October 2015 – would be signed soon. An online comment/suggestion card survey of the Café would be introduced shortly to gather public feedback. In response to a member’s question, the Superintendent advised that internal improvements to the café were the responsibility of the licensee.
A member of the group added that there had been no improvement to the Café in three years, to which the Superintendent advised that he had been meeting with the Café owners on a monthly basis to develop performance indicators as well as an improvement plan.
A member of the group requested that the Café could be put out to tender when the lease renewal is due in October 2015 and the Superintendent confirmed that this was the intention.
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Superintendents' Update on Queen's Park Report of the Superintendent of Hampstead Heath. Minutes: The Queen’s Park Manager provided a verbal update to those present on the following issues:-
Background He advised those present that the park had experienced a very wet winter since the last meeting, which resulted in the main field being deemed unusable for formal sports activities for a period of five weeks due to extreme amounts of rainfall. He further advised that St. Jude’s Storm had not had a severe impact on the park.
Members were advised that there had been 1 million visits to the park in the 2013/14 financial year, compared to 1.2 million visits to West Ham Park over the same period despite Queen’s Park being roughly half the size.
Ecology and Environment Perennial planting had replaced seasonal bedding in the Quiet Garden, which was in a good condition due to the recent mild weather. This had reduced the spend on seasonal planting. Lawn maintenance would be carried out by Hampstead Heath staff; this had been postponed due to the recent wet weather but would start soon.
It was reported that Amey were still the park’s waste collection contractors but the London Borough of Brent also provided a service for green waste collection and recyclables at no cost to the City of London Corporation.
Sports and Recreation It was noted that the tennis courts were cleaned and sprayed to reduce moss during winter. Additional funding for further improvements, particularly to courts five and six, may be available in 2015/16.
Members were advised that pedestrian signage and banners had been placed in the park to promote the tennis coaching sessions. The Queen’s Park manager added that he would provide an update on the tennis coaching sessions at the next meeting.
The Pitch and Putt course remained open during winter whilst maintenance took place. There was an even split |
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Queen's Park Conservation Management Plan Report of the Superintendent of Hampstead Heath (pages 27 -32).
Queens Park Conservation Management Plan Draft Final (pages 33 – 116) Appendix A: Bibliography (pages 117 – 120) Appendix B: A History of Queen’s Park (pages 121 – 184) Appendix C: Members of the Queen’s Park Conservation Management Plan Working Group (pages 185 – 188) Appendix D: Strategic Context (pages 189 – 200) Appendix E: Building Conditions Survey (pages 201 – 226) Appendix F: Phase 1 Habitat Survey (pages 227 – 252) Appendix G: Listed Building Entries (pages 253 – 262)
Additional documents:
Minutes: The Group received a report of the Superintendent of Hampstead Heath regarding the Queen’s Park Conservation Management Plan (CMP).
The Queen’s Park Manager advised the Group that Chris Blandford Associates were appointed in 2012 to prepare a CMP for Queen’s Park. The CMP contained five key objectives that related to: heritage; managing information about heritage; built environment and infrastructure; natural environment; and community and recreation.
During the consultation feedback period, it was reported that the park was loved by regular users but some believed the Pitch and Putt was underused and improvements were required to the Café and toilets. The Superintendent of Hampstead Heath added that customer survey cards would be placed in the Café next week.
Members of the Group agreed with the report and supported the Queen’s Park CMP. It was also agreed that a draft summary document of the CMP would be produced for the next meeting.
RESOLVED – That the Queen’s Park Conservation Management Plan be noted.
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Questions Minutes: In response to a member’s question, the Superintendent advised that it was difficult to charge for football on the field due to the legislation surrounding the licensing of commercial and other activities at Queen’s Park. The Queen’s Park Manager added that they were working with the Comptroller and City Solicitor’s Department to establish whether the legislation allowed them to charge for football at the park. He advised that an update on this matter would be provided at the next meeting.
In response to a further question from a member, the Queen’s Park Manager advised that developments of the CMP would be reported back to the Group but actions that required large-scale funding would be submitted to the Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park Committee for consideration.
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Any Other Business That the Chairman Considers Urgent Minutes: The Group expressed their thanks to Dennis Cotgrove, and former Councillors Michael Adeyeye and Mary Arnold for their contributions to the Queen’s Park Joint Consultative Group.
Michael Adeyeye thanked the Chairman and Deputy Chairman for their support and for the opportunity to serve on the Queen’s Park Joint Consultative Group. He further thanked the Queen’s Park Manager and his staff for the excellent contribution that Queen’s Park continued to make to the local community. |
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Dates of Next Meetings The next meeting of the Queen’s Park Joint Consultative Group will be held on 19 November 2014 in the Committee Rooms, 2nd Floor, West Wing, Guildhall. Minutes: RESOLVED – That the next meeting be held on 19 November 2014 in the Committee Rooms, 2nd Floor, West Wing, Guildhall. |