Agenda item

The Superintendent of West Ham Park & City Gardens to be heard.

The Committee received an update from the Superintendent and noted the following:

Finance

The City Garden budget is in line with agreed budget profiles.

Staff

A full complement of staff are in place.

Horticultural supplies tender

City Gardens officers were about to embark on a comprehensive tender for the supply of horticultural goods. The predicted volume of spend will mean that this will be an OJEU tender and the creation of a framework agreement. Once the contract is in place this will benefit Open Spaces, City of London departments and other boroughs with their procurement duties.

Project and work update

The team are nearly at the end of a comprehensive winter works programme due to be completed by the end of March. As follows:

St Andrew’s Holborn

Hard and soft landscaping has been completed, except a hedge which will be planted by the end of March.

The City of London Boy’s School

Soft and hard landscaping has been completed.

St Olave Churchyard

Hard and soft landscaping has been completed except the planting of an herb garden which will be planted in warmer weather.

St Dunstan’s in the East

Soft and hard landscaping improvements were about to take place and to include: tree pruning, realigning landscaped areas to respond to the heavy wear and tear of the garden, relaying turf, comprehensive pruning of the climbers, re design and re planting of flower and shrub borders.

Barbican Estate – Beech Gardens

14 trees and 22,000 plants will be planted at the end of March as part of the Professor Nigel Dunnett scheme. Professor Dunnett will be supervising the layout and leading a resident planting day on the 20^th March.

Events and activities

Friends of City Gardens led on the RSPB bird watch survey which took place at the end of January; a report will be published on the website, 15 people attended.

Customer feedback back

City Gardens undertook 140 face to face feedback surveys during the summer months, 90% of our customers considered the service either ‘good or very good’.

Volunteer Hours

There was a significant increase in the amount of volunteers hours undertaken in City Gardens this calendar year, increasing from 3,207 hours (2013) to 4,264 hours (2014). This increase is most likely due to the establishment of the Friends of City Gardens who are now leading on a number of events and activities within City Gardens including City in Bloom.