This meeting included discussion on updates to the management plans for Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park, as well as discussion of the Committee's terms of reference. The Committee also received the draft annual report and financial statements for the Hampstead Heath and Highgate Wood & Queen’s Park charities.

Update to Hampstead Heath Management Strategy (2018-2028)

The Committee was scheduled to discuss an update to the Hampstead Heath Management Strategy for 2018-2028.

The updated strategy was developed against a background of several City Corporation policies and strategies adopted in recent years, including a new Corporate Plan for 2024-2029, the Climate Action Strategy for 2020-2027, and four Natural Environment Strategies covering:

• Nature Conservation and Resilience
• Access and Recreation
• Community Engagement
• Culture Heritage and Learning

The report pack says the Covid-19 pandemic has also had an effect on Hampstead Heath:

Since the issue of the Strategy in 2018, the Heath has seen two significant milestones; 30 years of the City of London Corporation caring for Hampstead Heath in 2019 and 150 years since the foundation legislation, the Hampstead Heath Act 1871, which protected the Heath as a public open space.

The Covid pandemic has also changed our perception and understanding of the value of parks and open spaces to the health and well being of local people. More and more people now regularly enjoy the benefits of the Heath, which brings with it added pressure and challenges to conserve and enhance its natural fabric.

The report pack notes an assessment undertaken in 2023 demonstrated that, for every £1 spent on maintaining the natural capital at the site there is a £8.4 return in benefits.

The Committee was also scheduled to discuss how the Heath contributes to the emerging Local Nature Recovery Strategy, which is currently being prepared by the Greater London Authority.

Update to Management Plans for Highgate Wood and Queen's Park

The Committee was scheduled to discuss updates to the management plans for Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park.

The report pack says this review is required because, “both plans [are] due for review”. The document also says the review “ensured that both management plans remained aligned with recent strategies that have been developed across the City Corporation in recent years”.

Highgate Wood

The Highgate Wood Management Plan says the Wood is a 28-hectare ancient semi-natural woodland that is designated as a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation and considered to be of London-wide significance for nature conservation. ¹ The management plan lists the species that have been found in the woodland, including:

• Over 900 invertebrate species
• 482 moth species
• Over 300 fungi species
• 70 bird species
• 7 bat species

The plan notes there are concerns about the health of some trees in the woodland, especially the Oak trees, and says that:

The Woodland are under a great deal of pressure and the oak standards in particular are continuing to decline - about 12-13 trees are lost annually, or about 1% of the approximately 1154 oak standards in the Wood (as counted in 2018).

The plan says that bi-annual surveys are conducted to look for signs of Oak Processionary Moth (OPM) and Chronic Oak Decline.

The plan also notes that:

Together with Queen’s Wood, Highgate Wood has been identified as a potential Regionally Important Geological Site (RIGS) by the London Geodiversity Partnership and is highlighted in London’s Foundations: Protecting the Geodiversity of the Capital (London 2012, Mayor of London).

It explains that the geology of the site makes it particularly vulnerable to soil compaction.

The plan goes on to describe the sports and recreation facilities that are in the wood and how the wood is used by the local community, before discussing the management of the site, the volunteer groups that help with this management, and the funding of the site.

The plan lists five themes that will inform the management of the site, including:

• Sustainable Woodland Management
• Culture & Heritage
• Facilities and Access
• Community & Education
• Climate Resilience

Queen’s Park

The Queen’s Park Management Plan describes the Park as a 12-hectare Victorian style urban park in the London Borough of Brent that attracts over 1.1 million visits a year. The plan explains that the park was originally designed by Alexander McKenzie, who is known for designing parks in several London boroughs.

The plan says that the park is a Site of Local Importance for Nature Conservation, and goes on to describe the natural features of the site, as well as its history.

The document explains that the park has a “strong sense of ownership, attachment and connection” amongst local residents.

The plan goes on to discuss the sports and recreation facilities in the park, including the:

• Woodland walk
• Playgrounds
• Sandpit
• Paddling pool
• Bandstand
• Urban farm
• Pitch and Putt course
• Tennis courts
• Table tennis tables
• Trim trail
• Café
• Toilets
• Allotments
• Beehive

The plan says that the paddling pool was reviewed in April 2024, but is currently closed.

The plan also describes the role played by local community groups and volunteer organisations, especially the Queen’s Park Area Residents Association (QPARA). It explains that the farm collection is currently being reviewed and it is hoped that in future, the farm will only have a collection of “UK native and introduced species”. The plan says this will be achieved through:

phasing out non-UK native species through natural wastage and creating a more sustainable collection through a ten-year stock planning programme.

The document notes the plan also seeks to:

identify income generation options to support future plans, for example through adoption schemes, and a facility for card payment for donations.

The plan goes on to discuss the park’s role in mitigating climate change and the management of the site.

It describes four themes for the management of the park:

• Caring
• Excellence
• Inclusion
• Community

Annual Review of Terms of Reference

The Committee was scheduled to discuss a review of its terms of reference.

The terms of reference of a committee describe its areas of responsibility.

The report pack says this review is a consequence of a 2021 Governance Review, which introduced changes to the process by which Committees review their terms of reference. The pack says the intention is to provide more time for committees to consider these changes, allowing them to be considered in time for the annual reappointment of Committees by the Court of Common Council. ²

The report pack explains the constitution of the Committee. It says that the Committee must have at least 18 members. Of these, at least 12 must be elected members of the Court of Common Council. The Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Natural Environment Board are also ex-officio members of the Committee. The remaining six members of the Committee are representatives from the following organisations:

• London Borough of Barnet
• London Borough of Camden
• English Heritage
• Three organisations representing local, ecological, environmental or sporting interests

The document also explains the Committee's terms of reference. It says that the Committee is responsible for:

expressing views or making recommendations to the Natural Environment Board for that Committee’s allocation of grants which relate to Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood & Queen’s Park.

The document lists the Committee's responsibilities for Hampstead Heath. These include:

devising and implementing the City of London Corporation’s policies and programmes of work in relation to Hampstead Heath (registered charity no. 803392) (and, in fulfilling those purposes, to have regard to any representations made to it by the Hampstead Heath Consultative Committee) in accordance with the London Government Re-organisation (Hampstead Heath) Order 1989.

The document lists the Committee's responsibilities for Highgate Wood & Queen’s Park. These include:

devising and implementing the City of London Corporation’s policies and programmes of work in relation to Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park (registered charity no. 232986) ) (and, in fulfilling those purposes, to have regard to any representations made to it by the Highgate Wood Joint Consultative Committee and the Queen’s Park Joint Consultative Group) in accordance with the provisions of the Highgate Wood and Kilburn Open Spaces Act 1886.

The Committee was also scheduled to discuss how frequently it meets.