The Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queen's Park Committee were scheduled to discuss a five-year business plan for Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queen's Park, and a proposal to install a splash pad in Queen's Park. They were also scheduled to discuss risk management and the terms of reference for the Natural Environment Complementary Land Policy and Complementary Land Use Appraisal.

Queen's Park Water Play Feature

The committee was scheduled to consider a report on the feasibility of reopening a water play feature at Queen’s Park.

The report noted that the paddling pool at Queen’s Park had been mostly closed since 2020 due to the Covid pandemic, operational issues and staff shortages. It said that there was a desire from officers, members and the local community to return this space to active recreational use, but that the repairs, operating costs, staff training and supervision needed to comply with relevant legislation made the current paddling pool facility very costly and time-consuming to repair, maintain and operate.

The report presented several options:

• Formally decommission the paddling pool and install a new splash pad water play feature in the same location.
• Invest £92,475 into the paddling pool to reopen it, excluding additional staffing costs.
• Repurpose the paddling pool for uses other than a water play feature.
• Maintain the status quo – an unused, non-functioning feature.

The report recommended the first option, to decommission the paddling pool and install a new splash pad, as it would be safer, more accessible and easier to operate, and would incur lower operating costs.

The report said that a splash pad would cost an estimated £250,000 - £275,000, and that funding would come from the local risk budget (£112,000), the Cyclical Works Programme (£66,000), and external funding to be secured (£72,000-£97,000).

Five-Year Business Plans

The committee was scheduled to review the draft five-year business plans for Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queen's Park.

The report pack stated that the City of London Corporation is developing five-year business plans at its open space charities on a rolling five-year basis. The five-year Business Plan will state the charities’ planned workstreams and will show how and when the various workstreams will be resourced and delivered.

The report noted that business planning for North London Open Spaces is complex due to its multi-site structure and reporting relationships, recent staff reductions, and the practice of workstreams being conceived, funded, and delivered variously by NLOS and other City Corporation departments and initiatives that nevertheless require NLOS resource to deliver.

The report stated that the development of a five-year business plan will support central planning, delivery, and reporting on these numerous workstreams, as well as better time management for officers.

The report also noted that the five-year business plan will be updated annually to reflect changes in priorities and resources.

The five-year Business Plan for Hampstead Heath lists proposed prioritised workstreams to deliver on the charitable obligations and ten priorities of the Hampstead Heath Management Strategy. It also illustrates how these workstreams further relevant goals of the Corporate Plan and Natural Environment Strategies. The plan sets out the specific priorities and activities for the Heath, and progress against them will be reported.

The five-year Business Plan for Highgate Wood lists proposed workstreams to deliver on the charitable obligations and strategic themes of the Highgate Wood Management Plan. It also illustrates how these workstreams further relevant goals of the Corporate Plan and Natural Environment Strategies. The plan sets out the specific priorities and activities for Highgate Wood, and progress against them will be reported.

The five-year Business Plan for Queen's Park lists proposed workstreams to deliver on the charitable obligations and strategic themes of the Queen's Park Management Plan. It also illustrates how these workstreams further relevant goals of the Corporate Plan and Natural Environment Strategies. The plan sets out the specific priorities and activities for Queen's Park, and progress against them will be reported.

Risk Management Update

The committee was scheduled to receive a report to provide assurance that risk management procedures in place within the Environment Department and its Natural Environment Division are satisfactory and meet the requirements of the Corporate Risk Management Framework and the Charities Act 2011¹.

The report noted that the Charity Commission requires trustees to confirm in a charity’s annual report that any major risks to which the charity is exposed have been identified and reviewed and that systems are established to mitigate those risks.

The report included a summary of the risk registers for Hampstead Heath and Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park. For each risk, officers are undertaking a range of actions to mitigate the effects.

The report noted that since the last report to the committee, one new risk has been added to the register of each charity:

Work related stress – Many members of staff are currently experiencing overwork due to insufficient staffing levels, and are working additional, unpaid, hours to meet service delivery demands. This is resulting in increased levels of workplace stress and anxiety. The current risk score has been assessed as Red 16 (likely to occur with a major impact).

The report stated that senior management are actively working to address this risk and are undertaking a range of actions, including refining the business plan process to better prioritise workstreams; reviewing staff rotas; seeking funding for additional staff resource; and liaising with HR and Occupational Health to provide staff with appropriate support.

The report also noted that for both charities, the other two highest risks remain the ‘Decline in condition of assets’ and ‘Impacts of anti-social behaviour on staff and site’, both of which are scored at Red 16 (likely to occur, with a major impact).

Natural Environment Complementary Land Policy and Complementary Land Use Appraisal

The committee was scheduled to discuss the terms of reference for the Natural Environment Complementary Land Policy and Complementary Land Use Appraisal.

The report noted that the City of London Corporation manages a number of greenspaces and buildings in or around London, which are located outside of the Square Mile. Most of these assets are held by the CoLC in its capacity as the sole trustee of the NE charities, but some are held by the CoLC in its corporate capacity with the aim of supporting charity operations and/or funding. These assets are managed in complement to the activities of the NE charities.

The report proposed that land assets which are managed, used and/or occupied by the Natural Environment charities, but which are held by the CoLC in a non-charity trustee capacity, will be referred to henceforth as Complementary Land.

The report stated that the NECR has recommended that updated governance arrangements should be developed for these land parcels and their associated built assets, and that the Buffer Land Policy, which was principally articulated in a series of decisions of the Epping Forest and Open Spaces and Policy and Resources Committees in the 1990s, does not meet current management or governance needs and does not include all Complementary Land assets associated with the NE charities.

The report proposed that in order to better manage these Complementary Land assets, a Complementary Land Policy will be developed as part of the existing NECR programme. The policy development process will review existing policies relating to the acquisition and management of Complementary Land, including the existing Buffer Land Policy for Epping Forest, with a view to replacing and consolidating them as appropriate within the Complementary Land Policy.

The report also set out the proposed Terms of Reference for a Complementary Land Use Appraisal. This piece of work will help inform the development of the Complementary Land Policy, but was a distinct piece of work requested by Policy & Resources Committee on 13 February 2025 following a debate about future potential uses of Loughton Golf Course (a Complementary Land asset in Epping Forest). This Appraisal will involve appointing a consultant to carry out an independent, detailed options appraisal for each Complementary Land asset.

Appointment of Sub-Committees, Consultative Committees and Groups and Representatives on Other Bodies

The committee was scheduled to consider the appointment of sub-committees, consultative committees and groups and representatives on other bodies.

The report set out the terms of reference and composition of the Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park Committee’s consultative committees and groups, and the appointments it is invited to make to other bodies.

The report asked members to:

• Note the terms of reference and composition of the Hampstead Heath Consultative Committee.
• Appoint a member to serve on the Hampstead Heath Consultative Committee, alongside the chairman.
• Agree the terms of reference and composition of the Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park Consultative Groups.
• Appoint up to three members of this committee to serve on both the Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park Consultative Groups.
• Appoint a local representative from this committee to observe meetings of the Natural Environment Board.
• Appoint a member of this committee to serve on the Keats House Consultative Committee.