Agenda item

The Head Ranger for West Wickham & Coulsdon Commons to be heard.

The Committee received a presentation from the Head Ranger of West Wickham and Coulsdon Commons regarding the upcoming management issues and priorities for West Wickham Commons. Members received updates regarding the following matters:-

Pedestrian Crossing on the A232 at Hartfield Crescent

The principle of dedicating a small part of Commons land to Public Highway alongside Hartfield Crescent and the A232 was approved by the Epping Forest and Commons Committee in March 2015. Transport for London (TfL) proceeded to carry out a formal public consultation on the crossing proposal, which 155 out of 168 respondents were in favour of.

TfL and the contractor were currently consulting with Commons staff to reach an agreement regarding the final detailed design and Commons land dedication, which would be submitted to the next appropriate Epping Forest and Commons Committee meeting for consideration. If approved, it was hoped that construction would be carried out during summer 2016. The Senior Ranger advised that the final design that he was currently consulting on would suit the needs of the Commons. In response to a member’s question, he added that TfL funds for the project were secured beyond March 2016.

Volunteering

Volunteers from the West Wickham and Spring Park Volunteer Group (WWaSPs) had contributed 227 hours of work during 2015. Volunteer days were held approximately twice a month and a Ranger was always present to provide supervision and expertise.

In response to a member’s request, the Superintendent advised that he would ask the Information Ranger to incorporate a six week rolling events programme into the monthly e-newsletter to improve the amount of notice given for certain events. In response to a member’s question, the Head Ranger added that the content of all on-site interpretation boards were currently being reviewed with a view to update during summer 2016.

RECEIVED.