Venue: Committee Rooms, 2nd Floor, West Wing, Guildhall
Contact: Leanne Murphy Email: leanne.murphy@cityoflondon.gov.uk
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Apologies Minutes: Apologies were received from Mark Bostock, Stuart Fraser, Deputy John Tomlinson, Councillor Melvin Cohen and Graeme Smith. |
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Members Declarations under the Code of Conduct in Respect of Items on This Agenda Minutes: There were no declarations. |
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To agree the public minutes and summary of the meeting held on 5 September 2018. Minutes: The Chairman welcomed Adeline Siew Yin AU to her first Committee meeting as the new representative for the Ramblers’ Association and gave special thanks to Maija Roberts for all of her hard work during her tenure on the Committee.
RESOLVED, that the public minutes of the meeting held on 5 September 2018 were approved as a correct record. |
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Sub Committee Minutes Minutes: |
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HAMPSTEAD HEATH CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE To receive the draft public minutes of the Hampstead Heath Consultative Committee meeting held on 29 October 2018. Minutes: The draft public minutes of the Hampstead Heath Consultative Committee meeting held on 29 October 2018 were received subject to the removal of a typographical error. |
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Highgate Wood Consultative Group To receive the draft public minutes of the Highgate Wood Consultative Group meeting held on 17 October 2018.
Minutes: The draft public minutes of the Highgate Wood Consultative Group meeting held on 17 October 2018 were received.
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Queen's Park Consultative Group To receive the draft public minutes of the Queen’s Park Consultative Group meeting held on 31 October 2018.
Minutes: The draft public minutes of the Queen’s Park Consultative Group meeting held on 31 October 2018 were received.
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Report of the Town Clerk. Minutes: Members noted the various outstanding actions and the update provided thereon.
Regarding Action 1 to identify a representative for people with a physical disability, the Chairman advised that three charities were approached and the decision had been narrowed down to Leonard Cheshire Disability who were honoured by the approach from the Committee and had a number of potential candidates in mind. Members delegated authority for the decision on the representative following receipt of the list of candidates to the Chairman and Deputy Chairman.
With regards to Action 3, the Director of Open Spaces advised that a report detailing the costs and implications of OPM would be first considered at the upcoming Open Spaces and City Gardens Committee meeting in December and come to the HHHWQP Committee in March.
Concerning Actions 5 and 6, the Kenwood House General Manager provided an update on 2017/18 events held at Kenwood House and public consultation involved with upcoming events. He confirmed that a report on 2019 events would come to the March Committee meeting. Members were impressed by the income raised from the 2017/18 events despite some negative comments from public. A Member suggested using text donations which could be advertised at concerts/events.
The Chairman advised that all other actions were complete or covered on the agenda.
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ANNUAL REVIEW OF TERMS OF REFERENCE Report of the Town Clerk. Additional documents: Minutes: The Committee considered a report of the Town Clerk concerning their Terms of Reference.
The Chairman advised that she had previously approached the Lord Mayor for an Alderman to sit on the Committee in the same manner as the Epping Forest & Commons Committee as per their Terms of Reference. Members agreed for a recommendation to be made to the Court that the Committee’s constitution in its Terms of Reference be updated to include the line “1 Aldermen nominated by the Court of Aldermen”.
RESOLVED - That: -
· The Terms of Reference of the Committee were approved for submission to the Court in April 2019 as set out in the appendix;
· Any further changes in the lead up to the Court’s appointment of Committees be delegated to the Town Clerk in consultation with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman.
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Superintendent's Update Report of the Superintendent of Hampstead Heath. Minutes: lMembers considered a report of the Superintendent providing an update on matters concerning Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park. The following points were made:
Planning
· The Water House, Millfield Lane 2017/3692/P. The Superintendent advised that Officers were involved with the working party and continued to engage despite works being behind schedule.
· Parliament Hill William Ellis School 2018/1270/P. The Superintendent noted that Officers had seats on the working group and continued to engage concerning trees.
· South Fairground Site. The appeal has been moved to April 2019. The Superintendent noted that the Team have received ongoing support from the Comptroller & City Solicitor and appointed Counsel for the appeal.
· North Fairground Site 2017/4346/P. An appeal is planned to take place in early February 2019.
· Jack Straws Castle 2017/2064/P. A decision has not yet been determined and Officers await a decision.
· 55 Fitzroy Park. The Superintendent stated that the Team would object to this application as this would be developed on the periphery of the Heath and would have an impact on hydrology. Consultants continue to address the plans which have changed numerous times in order to prepare the objection paperwork.
· The Superintendent advised Members that Camden Council had prepared a draft planning framework for Kentish Town and encouraged Members to send their views to help shape the future of the area.
Golders Hill Park Disabled Car Park
· The Superintendent advised that he had received correspondence from a member of the public concerning the impact of closure of the car park during weekends for disabled users.
· A Member supported the need for the car park to be open during weekends to provide accessibility for disabled people and queried whether third party enforcement could be used to fine against double parking, etc, in the space. The Superintendent advised that |
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Appendix 1 - Divisional Plan Q2 Update Minutes: Members noted the Divisional Plan 2nd Quarter Update.
Members were advised that the plan would be updated in February reflecting a new format with an emphasis on priorities. This updated plan would come back to the HHCC in February and HHHWQPC in March for feedback.
RECEIVED. |
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Appendix 2 - Highgate Wood Events Policy Part 2 Minutes: Members considered and approved the draft Highgate Wood Site Specific Events Policy (Part Two).
The Deputy Chairman advised that Highgate Wood currently hosted only a small number of events due to the nature of the site. Members were advised that the HWCG had already provided feedback which had been reflected in the policy. It was noted that Zone C was added to cover activities in the wider parts of the Woods.
RECEIVED.
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Appendix 3 - Queen's Park Events Policy Part 2 Minutes: Members considered and approved the proposed Events Policy (Part Two) for Queen’s Park.
The Superintendent noted that one change was made to the duration of large events in Table 1 setting out the proposed Event Scale to up to three days as three-day events were not captured under large or major events.
RECEIVED. |
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Appendix 4 - Events Approval Large and Major Events 2019 Minutes: Members considered and approved the proposed Heath events for 2019. The following comments were made:
· Members were advised that a Hampstead Heath Officer Events Group had been set up to review event applications before bringing them to the HHCC for feedback.
· Members discussed three of the major events that had applied for 2019: Race for Life, Affordable Art Fair and Night of the10k Personal Bests.
· In response to a query concerning if business cases considered the costs of hosting the event and whether the Heath made money from hosting, the Superintendent advised that there was a schedule of charges which included a licence or hire fee and the costs incurred by the Heath.
· It was noted that only staff time was charged for the Night of the10k Personal Bests event with the hire waivered as it was considered of importance to health and wellbeing.
· A Member was concerned that the Heath was subsidising costs and was at a loss from hosting events. The Chairman requested that the Committee received more detail showing what was being made versus what costs were incurred.
· A Member noted historic concerns surrounding the arrangement regarding the Affordable Art Fair. He felt that the event earned a lot of money and argued that there was scope for requesting a percentage (5-10%) from the dealers to come to the Heath as they earned significant commission from attending. It was noted that this was a cultural commercial event and not a sporting event and Members agreed that the Fair was not being charged enough. The Chairman advised that the new Open Space Act provided more powers allowing the Corporation to think more commercially.
· The Deputy Chairman noted that 2019 would mark the 30th year of the Corporation’s custodianship of the Heath and recommended that all organisations put |
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Appendix 5 - Open Spaces Organised Sports Licence Application Form Minutes: Members noted the draft Open Spaces Organised Sports Licence Application Procedure.
Members were advised that the Open Spaces Department is currently consulting on a licensing scheme applying to sports activities involving up to 500 participants and spectators with no or limited infrastructure requirements. This scheme will sit alongside the Events Policy for Hampstead Heath. It was noted that the Hampstead Heath Sports Advisory Forum and the HHCC have been consulted and were supportive of the approach. Members were also supportive of the scheme.
RECEIVED. |
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Appendix 6 - Highgate Wood Woodland Management Plan Minutes: Members considered and approved the draft Highgate Wood Woodland Management Plan.
RECEIVED. |
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Brexit update The Director of Open Spaces to be heard. Minutes: The Director of Open Spaces reassured Members that the City of London Corporation were looking at potential issues that could arise from Brexit across all of its Open Spaces noting that the Corporation had submitted information on the Agriculture Bill which would provide protection against any outcomes for Brexit. He advised that land management and farming issues were the main focus and that concerns around grants, the impact on staff and procurement of food sources and vehicles were also being considered.
In response to a query regarding plant health, the Director of Open Spaces advised that all EU legislation would cross over and the Port Health Committee were dealing with border control issues and legislation. |
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Proposed Hampstead Heath Management Strategy 2018-2028 Report of the Superintendent of Hampstead Heath. Additional documents:
Minutes: Members considered a report of the Superintendent of Hampstead Heath concerning the proposed Hampstead Heath Management Strategy 2018-2028 and the following comments were made:
· Members were advised that the strategy had been developed with intense scrutiny including consultation with key stakeholder groups and incorporated the views of the HHCC.
· It was noted that the strategy fully aligned with the Departmental Business Plan and the Corporate Plan.
· The Superintendent advised Members that an online survey had been set up to capture further feedback and 80% of those that completed the survey were happy with the alignment of the vision.
· A Member suggested changing the format to map themes and priorities with the Corporate Plan to reflect the alignment and to add a paragraph stating that the new Corporate Plan in five years would also align with the strategy.
· A Member noted that issues with a conflict of interest, e.g. cyclists and pedestrians, was discussed at the last HHCC meeting and it was agreed that the process to deal with these issues would be that they would be brought to the HHCC and HHHWQPC for discussion and decision over how the conflict is resolved.
· Following a query from a Member regarding how the team would measure success, Members were advised that a baseline to measure outcomes was in development and would come to the Committee next year.
· In response to comments concerning the link to the Corporate Plan, Members were advised that the link was not explicit as the strategy covered 10 years and would require a mid-term review after five years, but that the four themes aligned with the outcomes of the strategy. Members agreed that a golden thread was needed to align the strategy with the Corporate Plan and it was recommended that the mid-term review sentence be extended to |
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Queen's Park Public Toilet Redevelopment Report of the Superintendent of Hampstead Heath. Additional documents:
Minutes: Members considered a report of the Superintendent of Hampstead Heath concerning the Queen’s Park Public Toilet Redevelopment. The following comments were made:
· The Chairman stated that this matter had been ongoing for over a year and Members of the QPCG were keen to progress with the project. There were two options available to Members: Option 1a which set out a proposal for refurbishment of the toilet unit and Option 2a which proposed a new build toilet unit.
· The Chairman advised that the QPCG were strongly in favour of Option 2a as they felt that it would be a better investment long-term.
· Members were very concerned by the cost difference between Options 1a and 2a and questioned the need for a new build. A Member noted that Option 2a incurred an added cost of £168k plus surveys/surveyor’s costs which would mean an additional cost of over £200k.
· It was noted that the number of people using the Park was increasing and the current toilets were not up to standard. It was also highlighted that the new build would allow access from the children’s play area which was not currently available.
· A Member suggested a variation to Option 1a to bring in access from the children’s play area instead of creating a new build. The Chairman explained that the original intention had been to repair and redecorate the toilets; however, discovery of cracks in the structure resulted in Officers having to reassess what was required.
· Members were advised that a Member at QPCG had raised a concern over accessibility for disabled users and it was agreed that a new structure could make improvements making the unit fit for purpose for all.
· Members discussed exploring the potential for Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) money from the London Borough of Brent which would assist with |
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Tender of the Highgate Wood Pavilion Café Report of the Superintendent of Hampstead Heath. Additional documents:
Minutes: Members considered and approved a report of the Superintendent of Hampstead Heath concerning the proposed tender process for the Highgate Wood Pavilion Café.
The Superintendent advised Members that the same process was used recently at Queen’s Park and this process incorporated lessons learned from the previous café tendering experience.
RESOLVED – That Members approve the proposal to retender the Highgate Wood Pavilion Café as set out in paragraphs 6-14. |
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Fees and Charges 2019/20 & 2020/21 Report of the Superintendent of Hampstead Heath. Additional documents: Minutes: Members considered and approved a report of the Superintendent of Hampstead Heath concerning the proposed tender process for the proposed fees and charges for a range of sports facilities and services provided at Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood & Queen’s Park for 2019/20. The report also set out the proposed fees and charges for Weddings and Civil Ceremonies for 2020/21.
Members were advised that new fees relating to Event Hire were included. The Superintendent noted that swimming remained a contentious issue and would be further looked at.
RESOLVED – That:-
· The views of the Hampstead Heath Consultative Committee, Highgate Wood Consultative Group, and Queen’s Park Consultative Group be conveyed to the Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park Committee at their 28 November 2018 meeting;
· The Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park Committee agree the proposed fees and charges for 2019/20 and 2020/21, as set out in Appendix 1 of this report.
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Revenue & Capital Budgets - 2018/19 & 2019/20 Joint report of the Chamberlain and Director of Open Spaces. Additional documents:
Minutes: ---- RESOLVED - With two hours having elapsed since the start of the meeting, in accordance with Standing Order No. 40 the Committee agreed at this point to extend the meeting by up to thirty minutes. ----
Members considered a joint report of theChamberlain and Director of Open Spaces providing an update on the latest approved revenue budget for 2018/19 and sought approval for the provisional revenue budget for 2019/20 prior to submission to the Finance Committee.
*I did not understand a lot of what was being said under this item but I’ve tried to summarise what I took from the conversation*
A Member made a firm point (as a Member of the Finance Committee) that original budgets should not be revised/increased at a later stage in the year highlighting the need for all teams to live within their means. Members were advised that the changes had occurred from a reprioritisation of the CWP and unexpected additional costs incurred during the busy summer period. The Member stated that he would approve the proposed revenue budget for 2019/20 but was not happy to approve the current budget.
The Chairman asked the Committee if they were happy to approve the budgets which had been approved by other Committees. Members (except one) approved the budgets as recommended.
RESOLVED – That Members:-
· Review the provisional 2019/20 revenue budget to ensure that it reflects the Committee’s objectives and, if so, approve the budget for submission to the Finance Committee;
· Authorise the Chamberlain, in consultation with the Director of Open Spaces, to revise these budgets to allow for any further implications arising from Corporate Projects, departmental reorganisations and other reviews, and changes to the Additional Works Programme. Any changes over £50,000 would be reported to Committee;
· To delegate to the Chamberlain any minor budget changes |
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Departmental Business Plan 2018/19 - Six month performance update Report of the Director of Open Spaces. Minutes: Members considered a report of theDirector of Open Spaces providing an update on progress and performance against the 2018/19 Business Plan by the services which report to the various Open Spaces Committees.
RESOLVED – That Members Note the progress made against the 2018/19 Business Plan objectives, projects and performance indicators. |
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Report of the Chamberlain. Additional documents:
Minutes: Members considered two reports of theChamberlain, one concerning the Hampstead Heath Trustee’s Annual report and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2018 (15a) and the other concerning Highgate Wood & Queen’s Park Trustee’s Annual report and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2018 (15b).
RECEIVED.
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Questions on Matters Relating to the Work of the Committee Minutes: There were no questions. |
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Any Other Business That the Chairman Considers Urgent Minutes: The Chairman advised Members that the venue for the Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood & Queen's Park Committee Dinner on 6 February 2019 would now take place at the Old Bailey to mark the 30th anniversary of the Corporation’s custodianship of Hampstead Heath. |
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Exclusion of the Public 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 as follows:-
Item No. Paragraphs in Schedule 12A
Minutes: 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 they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A of the Act. |
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Non-Public Minutes To agree the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 5 September 2018. Minutes: RESOLVED, that the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 5 September 2018 were approved as a correct record.
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Questions on Matters Relating to the Work of the Committee Minutes: There were no questions. |
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Any Other Business That the Chairman Considers Urgent and Which the Committee Agree Should Be Considered Whilst the Public Are Excluded Minutes: There were no urgent items. |
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DATE OF NEXT MEETING The date of the next meeting is 13 March 2019 at 4.00pm.
Minutes: The date of the next meeting on 13 March 2019 at 4.00pm was noted. |