Agenda item

Report of the Director of Open Spaces.

The Open Spaces Departmental Business Manager introduced a report of the Director of Open Spaces on the Open Spaces Department Business Plan 2014-17, noting that it was the business plan for the entire department and was designed to provide a broad yet deep overview of the strategic objectives of the department. She added that there were two West Ham Park-specific objectives in the plan, namely the West Ham Park Nursery Feasibility Study and the West Ham Park Café Redevelopment. Lastly, she noted that the impact of anti-social behaviour such as drug dealing had been included in the departmental risk register at the request of West Ham Park staff.

            The Chairman noted that the Open Spaces and City Gardens Committee had agreed to refer to the West Ham Park Café Redevelopment objective as a Feasibility Study.

            A member commented that she had attended the Open Spaces and City Gardens Committee as an observer when this item had featured, and she had taken the opportunity to comment that she had concerns it represented a ‘top down’ rather than ‘bottom up’ approach. She expressed particular concern over the strategic objective concerning the West Ham Park Café Feasibility Study, querying what would happen to existing office space if it was utilised instead for café facilities, and furthermore what implications there were for the covenant binding the management of the Park in the event of café-related trading activity taking place.

            In response the Superintendent of Parks & Gardens replied that the business plan objectives and those relating to West Ham Park in particular were headline in nature and subject to further investigation, consideration and development. For example the proposed West Ham Park Café Feasibility Study was part of an overall review by the City of London’s City Surveyor’s Department of over 800 operational properties to ensure each were being utilised to best effect. He stressed that a report of the proposed café redevelopment would come to the West Ham Park Committee for its consideration, and that such a report would include advice from the Comptroller and City Solicitor on the effect café trading would have on the park covenant.

RECEIVED