Agenda item

Report of the Superintendent of Epping Forest.

The Committee considered the new Management Plan which was needed to guide the future management of Epping Forest. A large consultation exercise ‘Epping Forest – The Next 10 Years’ was undertaken between June and October, 2015, to seek the views of Epping Forest stakeholders and members of the public on numerous management issues.

Members of the Epping Forest Management Plan Steering Group met on 8^th April 2016 to discuss the consultation document. One Member of the Committee asked Officers to seek to ensure that local meetings did not clash with meetings in Guildhall. A number of comments and changes were made to the document and one Members expressed concern that the minutes of the meeting had not yet been circulated to the Committee. The Superintendent apologised for this and informed Members that the meeting had been clerked locally in Epping; he agreed to circulate the minutes by the end of the week. Members said they were happy to consider the report now, and delegate authority for final sign off to the Director and Town Clerk, in consultation with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman provided that the minutes would be circulated to the Committee by Friday, 13^th May. Members of the Committee were invited to send any further comments they had on the consultation document to Officers by the end of the week.

A Member raised a query regarding the commitment to wood pastures in The Next 10 Years’ Consultation 2015’ report. The Superintendent agreed to amend the wording under this heading to clarify that this commitment remained under debate.

Resolved – that delegated authority be given to the Director and Town Clerk, in consultation with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman to approve the Officers response statements contained in the Draft Summary Report ‘Epping Forest - The Next 10 Years’ Consultation 2015’ for website publication.