AREA COMMITTEE ( & Upminster Wards) AGENDA

Upminster Junior School, Tuesday, 7.30 p.m. St Mary’s Lane, 15 April 2008 Upminster RM14 3BS

Members 6: Quorum 3

COUNCILLORS:

Linda Van Den Hende (C) Clarence Barratt

Gillian Ford (VC) Linda Hawthorn June Alexander Patricia Mylod

For information about the meeting please contact: Richard Cursons (01708) 432430 E-mail: [email protected] 2

Upminster Area Committee, 15 April 2008

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Upminster Area Committee, 15 April 2008

NOTES ABOUT THE MEETING

1. HEALTH AND SAFETY

The Council is committed to protecting the health and safety of all who attend its meetings or meetings of its Committees etc.

At the beginning of the meeting, there will be an announcement about what you should do if there is an emergency during its course. For your own safety and that of others at the meeting, please comply with any instructions given to you about evacuation of the building, or any other safety related matters.

2. MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS DEVICES

Although mobile phones, pagers and other such devices are an essential part of many people’s lives, their use during a meeting of the Council or one of its Committees can be disruptive and a nuisance. Everyone attending is asked therefore to ensure that any device is switched to silent operation or switched off completely.

3. CONDUCT AT THE MEETING

Although members of the public are welcome to attend meetings of the Council and its Committees, they have no right to speak at them. Seating for the public might on some occasions be limited and the Council cannot guarantee that everyone who wants to be present in the meeting room can be accommodated. At Area Committees, there is a public question time.

At all other times, the Chairman of the meeting has discretion to invite members of the public to ask questions or to respond to points raised by Members. Those who wish to do that may find it helpful to advise the Committee Officer before the meeting so that the Chairman is aware that someone wishes to ask a question.

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THE CHAIRMAN MAY REQUIRE ANYONE WHO ACTS IN A DISRUPTIVE MANNER TO LEAVE THE MEETING AND THAT THE MEETING MAY BE ADJOURNED IF NECESSARY WHILE THAT IS ARRANGED.

If you need to leave the meeting before its end, please remember that others present have the right to listen to the proceedings without disruption. Please leave quietly and do not engage others in conversation until you have left the meeting room.

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Upminster Area Committee, 15 April 2008

Welcome to this Area Committee Meeting….

Some Frequently Asked Questions

What is an Area Committee?

It is a formal meeting of all of the Councillors who sit for wards within the Area. Councillors are members of the Committee automatically; they are not appointed because they belong to any particular political party or group, or indeed to none.

What can it do?

The main purpose of an Area Committee is to enable local Councillors to meet with local people to deal with matters of local concern. Committees and other meetings at the Town Hall tend to deal with matters of borough-wide concern.

How many are there?

There are nine Area Committees, between them covering the whole of the borough. They are:

Constituent wards Area

North Havering Park and Mawneys Heaton and Gooshays Romford Brooklands and Romford Town Pettits and Squirrels Heath and Harold Wood and Emerson Park Upminster Upminster and Cranham and St Andrews and Hylands Elm Park and Hylands and Rainham Rainham & Wennington and South Hornchurch

Each has six Members, three from each of its constituent wards.

Where does it meet?

Each Area Committee meets four times a year at a venue within its area, which it uses regularly for its meetings. Details for the coming meeting are usually published in “Living in Havering” or can be found out by asking Democratic Services at the Town Hall. What will be on the agenda?

Generally, Area Committee agendas comprise five parts: · A “surgery” at which the public can raise issues with Committee Members, representatives of StreetCare and of other services · The formalities of the meeting, including minutes of the last meeting

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Upminster Area Committee, 15 April 2008

· Reports on highways and other environmental issues · Information report on issues of current local concern; and · Future business and meetings.

The precise agenda will vary from meeting to meeting, depending on what needs to be dealt with at any particular time.

A major component of the current issues is schemes for improving the use of the public highway.

Who runs the meeting?

The Committee each year elects one of its Members as Chairman and he or she will be in control. There is a Vice-Chairman who will take charge if the Chairman is absent for any reason.

A member of Democratic Services staff is also present: his or her job is to assist the Chairman with the smooth running of the meeting, to take the Committee’s minutes and to deal with any issues that cannot be dealt with by any one else.

Who can attend?

By law, Area Committee meetings are open to anyone.

Who will attend?

· The Chairman, Vice-Chairman and other Members and the designated Democratic Services Officer · Officers from StreetCare, and from other departments that have reports that the Area Committee will be dealing with · Representatives of other official agencies, such as the police, are also often in attendance.

How can I raise an issue?

There are two ways you can raise an issue: · Before the meeting: contact the Chairman, or the Democratic Services officer who deals with the Area Committee · At the meeting: raise the issue during the public question time period (which usually lasts 30 minutes but, at the Chairman’s discretion if there is time, can last longer)

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Upminster Area Committee, 15 April 2008

RULES AND CONVENTIONS FOR AREA COMMITTEES

1. Area Committee meetings will be treated as just one element of community engagement and be used as a means by which community engagement can be promoted. 2. Area Committees will be constituted under the Local Government Act 1972 and will have the purpose set out in Article 10 of Part 2 of the Constitution (as revised). 3. There will be nine Area Committees, each covering two electoral wards as set out in Article 10 of Part 2 of the Constitution (as revised). 4. Each Area Committee will decide the fixed venue where it will hold its meetings except in exceptional circumstances as determined by the Chairman. Additional meetings would ordinarily be held at the same venue. 5. Ordinary Area Committee meetings will start at 7.30pm. 6. Area Committees will meet four times a year, but will have the facility for holding special meetings. The Chairman may also arrange informal meetings of the Area Committee, alone or jointly with others, where to do so is conducive to dealing with particular items of business. 7. Area Committees should and can – (a) consult the public to inform the decision makers; (b) be used for the Council to inform the public; (c) be used for non-Council agencies to inform or consult; (d) be entitled to specifically invite appropriate people or organisations to meetings. 8. Area Committee Chairmen – (a) operate under the Job Description, as agreed from time to time by the Governance Committee; (b) take the role of steering committee and collective Member activity, and (c) be required to report to each area committee meeting on their activities since the last meeting as well as an annual report to be submitted to the last ordinary meeting of the Committee of the Municipal Year. 9. In respect of Public Question Time - (a) 30 minutes be allocated for questions from the public at each ordinary meeting, with the Chairman having discretion to modify that length of time, as the first part of the Agenda; (b) Area Committee Chairman be responsible for dealing with questions and co-ordinate their replies. 10. Area Committee Members appointed to area-specific bodies on behalf of the Area Committee by the Governance Committee be required to report to the Area Committee at least once a year on their activities. 11. Area Committees shall – (a) make decisions in respect of traffic matters or (the parameters to be defined) from time to time by the Governance Committee to be recommendation-makers to those taking the decisions; (b) be allocated a budget of £5,000 and be delegated authority to spend on minor locally- focused environmental initiatives (on the basis of criteria established by the Governance Committee from time to time). (c) be entitled to bid for an allocation from a £45,000 budget held on behalf of Cabinet, such bid to be accompanied by a business case.

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Upminster Area Committee, 15 April 2008

AGENDA ITEMS

1. CHAIRMAN’S ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Chairman or a member of staff on their behalf will announce details of the arrangements in case of fire or other events that might require the meeting room or building’s evacuation.

The Chairman will remind members of the public present, that Councillors have to make decisions on the basis of the facts before them. The Chairman will also remind members of the public that the decisions may not always be popular, but they should respect the need for Councillors to take decisions that will stand up to external scrutiny for accountability.

PART 1

2. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE (If any) – to receive

3. DECLARATION OF INTERESTS

Members are invited to declare any interests in any of the items on the agenda at this point of the meeting. (Members may still declare an interest in an item at any time prior to the consideration of the matter).

4. MINUTES

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 5 February 2008, and to authorise the Chairman to sign them.

PART 2

5. PUBLIC FORUM AND SURGERY

Ward Councillors, officers from Street Care and possibly other Council services and the Local Police where the Area Chairman has arranged, will be in

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Upminster Area Committee, 15 April 2008

attendance to give the chance for residents to raise issues with staff, the Police (if present) or Members.

PART 3

6. LOCAL NATURE RESERVE DECLARATION AT AND

Report attached

7. HERITAGE OF UPMINSTER AND CRANHAM

The Committee are asked to receive a presentation from the Historic Buildings and Landscape Officer

8. PATROL BASE

The Committee are asked to receive a presentation from the Finance Resources Manager

PART4

9. CHAIRMAN’S REPORT – oral report

12. AREA COMMITTEE CAPITAL PROJECTS – oral report

PART 5

12. FUTURE AGENDAS

Committee Members are invited to indicate to the Chairman items they would like to see on future agendas.

The Committee are invited to note that at the next meeting of the Committee there will be a presentation on the Council’s Heritage Strategy.

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Upminster Area Committee, 15 April 2008

13. DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The next meeting will be held at Upminster Junior School, St Mary’s Lane, on Tuesday 15 July 2008.

14. URGENT BUSINESS

Other business can be considered at the meeting if the Chairman agrees that circumstances justify consideration on grounds of urgency. The reasons why the matters were considered will be recorded in the minutes.

CHERYL COPPELL Chief Executive

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MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE UPMINSTER AREA COMMITTEE Upminster Junior School, St Mary’s Lane, Upminster 5 February 2008 (7.30pm – 10.40pm)

Present:

COUNCILLORS:

Linda Van den Hende (in the Chair), Clarence Barrett, Gillian Ford, Linda Hawthorn & Patricia Mylod.

An apology for absence was received from Councillor June Alexander.

A representative of the press and approximately thirteen members of the public were present.

No declarations of interest were made.

Unless otherwise indicated, all decisions were taken with no Member voting against.

The Chairman advised the Committee and members of the public present where the fire exits were situated and the procedure in case of emergency.

19 MINUTES

The minutes of the meeting held on 25 October 2007 were agreed as a correct record and were signed by the Chairman.

It was noted that following a request by a member of the public that the Chairman’s report from the previous meeting should be included with the minutes. It was agreed that in future the Chairman’s report would form part of the minutes.

20 FOOTWAY PARKING BAYS

Members were given a short presentation on possible proposals to install footway parking bays in The Grove, The Glade and Plough Rise. Members were advised that following investigation all three schemes were not suitable for footway parking bays.

There was however some confusion with regards to the width of the pavements in The Glade. Officers agreed to investigate the width of the pavements and report back to the chairman so that a decision could be taken. S:\BSSADMIN\area committees\Upminster\minutes\2008\080205minutes.doc 9M

Upminster Area Committee 5 February 2008

AGREED

That in line with officers recommendations the schemes in The Grove and Plough Rise be refused and that following officer investigation a decision on The Glade would be taken at the next meeting.

21 PROPOSED BUS PRIORITY MEASURES IN STATION ROAD, UPMINSTER

Committee members received a presentation form a Technical services officer regarding a Transport for (TfL) funded scheme to improve bus access at the Bell Corner junction.

The scheme was one of three proposed for the junction and included introducing bus lanes, merging or relocating bus stops without bus lay- bys, new waiting restrictions and replacing some parking bays with loading bays for local businesses.

Members of the Committee and the public were concerned that the proposed scheme could lead to

· A substantial loss of the footways in Station Road · A negative effect on the markets in Station Road · Concerns over buses weaving back into traffic after leaving the bus lanes · Traffic congestion in Station Road

AGREED

The Committee agreed that the scheme should not proceed and therefore there was no need for public consultation.

22 PROPOSED BUS PRIORITY MEASURES IN ST MARY’S LANE, UPMINSTER

Members received a presentation with regards to a TfL funded scheme to improve bus access for vehicles exiting St Mary’s lane at the Bell Corner junction.

Committee Members considered that there was little benefit to the area if the scheme went ahead and were concerned regarding the upheaval that would be created for local businesses and residents.

AGREED

The Committee agreed that the scheme should not proceed and therefore there was no need for it to go to public consultation. S:\BSSADMIN\area committees\Upminster\minutes\2008\080205minutes.doc 10M

Upminster Area Committee 5 February 2008

23 PROPOSED BUS PRIORITY MEASURES CORBETS TEY ROAD, UPMINSTER

The Committee was presented with a TfL funded bus improvement scheme which would incorporate Corbets Tey Road to its junction with Bell Corner. Committee Members and members of the public had concerns that the scheme would only be beneficial to buses and would offer no benefits to pedestrians or car users.

AGREED

The Committee agreed that the scheme proceed no further and therefore there was no need for public consultation.

24 UPMINSTER & CRANHAM – WAITING RESTRICTIONS

Committee Members received a report outlining several proposals to install new waiting restrictions to various areas of Upminster and Cranham.

AGREED

The Committee agreed that the following schemes be put forward for public consultation.

· Brookdale Close · Corbets Tey Road junctions with Meadowside Road and Close · Cranston Park Avenue · St Mary’s Lane · Hacton Lane service road · Marlborough gardens junction with Brookmans Close · Front Lane junction with Isis Drive · Hedingham Road junction with Frimley Avenue · Severn Drive · Waldergrave Gardens · Deyncourt Gardens junction with Hall Lane · Avon Road

The Committee also noted that the following schemes were due to receive waiting restrictions funded by TfL

· Cranham Gardens junction with Queens Gardens · Roseberry Gardens junction with Queens Gardens · Roseberry Gardens junctions with Front Lane and Griffin Avenue · Roseberry Gardens junction with Lexington Way · Waycross Road junction with Lexington Way · Waycross Road junction with Brunswick Avenue S:\BSSADMIN\area committees\Upminster\minutes\2008\080205minutes.doc 11M

Upminster Area Committee 5 February 2008

· Waycross Road junction with Roseberry Gardens · Waycross Road junction with Wingfield Gardens · Waycross Road junction with Gadsden Close · Waycross Road junction with Moultrie Way · Waycross Road junction with Macon Way · Brunswick Avenue junction with Moultrie Way · Queens Gardens junction with Moor Lane

The Committee agreed that no further action be taken with the following three schemes.

· Masefield Drive · Laburnham Gardens No 4 · Claremont Gardens

25 BRANFIL ROAD – PROPOSED CHANGES TO DISC PARKING BAYS

Committee members received a report detailing proposed changes to the current disc parking scheme in Branfil Road.

As part of the previous planning consent given to Marks and Spencer for their redevelopment of the former Roomes site, it had been agreed that the parking bays would be removed to allow larger vehicles easier access when servicing the store.

AGREED

The Committee agreed that the scheme be put forward for public consultation.

26 M25 WIDENING

A Member of the Committee gave an update on the proposed widening of the M25 between Theydon Bois and Aveley. Those present were advised that there was a twelve week public consultation that was due to finish on 7 February 2008. Once consultation had taken place and comments had been taken account of, works would commence in 2010 and be completed in 2012.

27 AREA COMMITTEE CAPITAL PROJECTS

Committee Members were reminded that suggestions for the spend of the forthcoming years Area Committee would need to be submitted at the next meeting.

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Upminster Area Committee 5 February 2008

28 FUTURE AGENDAS

Members were reminded that at the next meeting of the Committee

Nigel Oxley would be giving a presentation on the heritage of Havering.

It was also planned for a representative of the Police to give a presentation on the new Command Base due to be opened in Spilsby Road, Harold Hill.

29 DATE OF NEXT MEETING

It was noted that the next meeting of the Committee would be held on Tuesday 15 April 2008 at Upminster Junior School, St Mary’s Lane.

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PUBLIC FORUM

The following matters were discussed.

(i) Upminster/Cranham – Resident Parking Permits

Members noted that there had been a review of parking in the area five years ago. It was agreed that following the introduction of parking charges within the area a further review of resident’s parking should be undertaken.

(ii) Upminster Library

Several members of the public wished to express their dissatisfaction that the first floor of the library was to be used as a children’s area. It was stated that the Public Advice and Service Centre (PASC) had been moved downstairs and the dedicated teen area of the library was now being used to issue Freedom Passes. It was also suggested that the lower floor was now too congested and the library service provided was suffering as a consequence. Members of the Committee and members of the public were upset that they had not been consulted on the changes to the use of the library and requested that an officer responsible for the library service attend the next meeting.

(iii) CCTV Smart Car

Members of the public present asked what the money collected through Smart car fines was being used for and if it could be used on footpath repairs. Members of the Committee agreed to find out if this was possible.

(iv) Corbets Tey Road/Park Drive - Roundabout

Members of the public agreed that the roundabout at the junction had proved to be beneficial in traffic calming but felt that there was little need for signs reminding drivers to give way to the right.

(v) Upminster Park Toilets

A member of the public requested a tree be cut back in the park as it was causing damage to the roof of the public toilets. A Committee Member agreed to contact the necessary department to arrange this. (vi) Hoppy Hall Car Park - Cleaning

A member of the public enquired as to the cleaning regime for the car park in Corbets Tey Road. Members agreed to find out this information and report back at the next meeting.

(vii) Upminster Park – Green Flag Award

A Member of the Committee advised that the green flag post had had to be temporarily removed from the park because it had been vandalised. It was planned for the post to be erected with fencing to prevent further vandalism.

(viii) Area Committees

Members of the public pointed out that the attendances at the Area Committee meetings had been steadily dropping. It was believed that this was due to poor advertising of the meetings. Committee members agreed to look at other ways of promoting the meetings.

It was also pointed out that the previously agreed noticeboards, once installed, in Station Road and Avon Road would help in advertising future meetings.

(ix) Upminster Court/Windmill

Committee Members agreed to report back at the next meeting on the proposals for Upminster Court. It was noted that the Council’s Heritage Officer, Nigel Oxley, was due to attend the next meeting and he would be able to give a better insights of the plans. Members also noted that was due to be repaired in March 2008.

(x) St Mary’s Lane/Front Lane - Parking

Members requested that officers undertake a survey of the junction of St Mary’s Lane and Front Lane with regards to installing footway parking, as some residents were experiencing difficulty in parking near to their properties. MEETING DATE ITEM

Upminster Area Committee 15.04.08 6

REPORT OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE

SUBJECT: Local Nature Reserve Status for land at Cranham Brickfields & Cranham Marsh

WARD: Upminster & Cranham

SUMMARY

1.1 This report proposes the designation of two new Local Nature Reserves (LNR’s) at Cranham Brickfields and Cranham Marsh.

1.2 Havering has three existing designated LNR’s in Council ownership. These are The Manor at Harold Hill covering and Duck Wood, The Chase at Rush Green and The covering and the adjacent marshes and designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) under Council ownership. These LNR’s are managed for the benefit of the local community and for wildlife.

1.3 The existing LNR’s were designated as part of the Wildspace! initiative which was funded by Natural (formerly English Nature). The successful declaration of these sites has been a great benefit in terms of working towards achieving the targets set by Natural England to create an average of one hectare of LNR for every one thousand head of population and also in attracting additional external funding for their management.

1.4 The Council has now appointed a Countryside Projects Officer, funded by pump priming money through the Council’s Local Area Agreement (LAA), with the purpose of working with the community to achieve an LAA Stretch Target of the declaration of four new statutory LNR’s within the borough. The aim of the 2

stretch target is to provide 1.68 hectares of LNR per 1,000 head of population. Successful achievement of this target would attract a proportion of £6 million performance reward grant from the Department of Communities and Local Government.

1.5 This report describes the first steps to declaring further land at Cranham Brickfields and Cranham Marsh LNR’s and seeks the relevant Area Committee’s endorsement for the proposals.

RECOMMENDATION

2.1 That the Area Committee endorse the proposal to declare the areas of Council owned land at Cranham Brickfields and Cranham Marsh as statutory LNR’s, which will be the subject of a further Cabinet decision in 2008.

REPORT DETAIL

Background

3.1 The London Borough of Havering is geographically the third largest London Borough which consists of 11,000 hectares of which over 50% is green belt (6020 hectares). The Council has engaged in key partnerships across the borough to improve the quality of and access to these areas of green space. Partners include Community Forest, RSPB, Wildlife Trust and London Wildlife Trust.

3.2 Open Spaces and Health and Well Being have been identified as priorities in Havering’s Community Strategy. Parks and open spaces were also one of the priorities identified in the Annual User Satisfaction Survey conducted by MORI.

3.3 Through Natural England’s funding for the UK wide Wildspace scheme (2003- 2006), the Havering Local Nature Reserve Project employed a full time Community Liaison Officer. This officer worked with the community to facilitate the declaration of LNR’s in the borough and to encourage the community to participate in innovative nature conservation activities.

3.4 Havering has declared three LNRs since the start of the Wildspace! scheme in 2004, these being The Ingrebourne Valley LNR (142 hectares), The Manor LNR (68 hectares) and The Chase LNR (3 hectares). Through this scheme there has been 213 hectares of land declared as LNR land, which is equivalent to 0.95 hectares of LNR per 1000 head of population. 3

3.5 It is the intention to further declare a number of LNRs to exceed this minimum recommendation, thereby guaranteeing Havering’s residents have excellent access to quality green space and the countryside which will improve health and well-being of Havering’s Residents.

3.6 Local Nature Reserve is a statutory designation made under Section 21 of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 by principal local authorities. In addition to providing access to and enjoyment of greenspace and countryside, LNRs will also:

· increase people's awareness of their natural environment; · provide an ideal environment for everyone to learn about and study nature; · help to build relationships between local authorities, national and local nature conservation organisations, and local people; · protect wildlife habitats and natural features;and, · make it possible to apply bye-laws which can help in managing and protecting the site.

3.7 The aim of the Local Area Agreement Stretch Target, to declare four new LNR’s in the Borough, yielded pump priming money that has enabled the recruitment of a Countryside Projects Officer on a fixed term contract until January 2010. Part of this role is to work with local communities and stakeholders to declare four new LNR’s. The identified sites for LNR declaration in the borough are:

· Cranham Marsh (a site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation). · Cranham Brickfields (a Grade I site of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation). · (a site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation). · Rainham Marshes (part of the Inner Thames Marshes SSSI & also a site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation ).

This will exceed English Nature's recommendation of a minimum of one hectare of LNR for every one thousand head of population and achieve 1.68 hectares for every one thousand head of population.

3.8 LNR's play an important part in the implementation of both National and Local Biodiversity Action Plans and can tie in with Local Agenda 21 programmes. In 1994, the importance of LNR's was strengthened by their specific mention in Objective 16 of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan which seeks to:

“Encourage local planning authorities to make reasonable provision for Local Nature Reserves and natural green spaces in local plans.”

3.9 These national policies have since been translated to the regional level in the London Mayor’s Biodiversity Strategy which addresses the special circumstances of London. In addition to this Section 40 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities (NERC) Act 2006 also states that: 4

“Every public authority must, in exercising its functions, have regard, so far as is consistent with proper exercise of those functions, to the purpose of conserving biodiversity.”

3.10 This new duty encourages London boroughs to consider biodiversity conservation as a cross cutting agenda that can be integrated with the delivery of a wide range of services. More specifically the provision and management of green space as a service provided by the Council has a potential link to biodiversity conservation through the declaration of new LNR’s.

3.11 The declaration and management of new sites as LNR’s will also help contribute towards targets set under new National Performance Indicator 197 for Biodiversity which is the proportion of Sites of Interest for Nature Conservation where positive conservation management is taking place.

3.12 In declaring new LNR’s at Cranham Brickfields and Cranham Marsh the Council accepts a responsibility to ensure that the sites special biodiversity interest is protected and maintained. Having the LNR declaration will also help attract external funding from dedicated funding streams to supplement existing management.

A Local Nature Reserve at Cranham Brickfields

3.13 The first site to be considered is Cranham Brickfields (see Figure 1). This area is a good candidate for LNR designation. It already has the non-statutory designation as a Site of Grade I Borough Importance for Nature Conservation and is within the area of Thames Chase Community Forest and London . Adjacent to the Brickfields is an area of ancient hornbeam coppice known as Frank’s Wood which is owned by Essex County Council. This site is also a site of Grade I Borough Importance for Nature Conservation and is listed on the ancient woodland inventory for Havering.

“Cranham Brickfields to the north are areas of unmanaged grassland, scrub and small horse fields enclosed by blackthorn hedges. Some areas of grassland contain abundant common wild flowers such as common birdsfoot- trefoil, common knapweed and meadow buttercup amongst a good variety of grasses and abundant glaucous sedge. Dyer's greenweed (Genista tinctoria) is occasional indicating old unimproved grassland. Some of the grassland areas are wet and include several commoner rush and sedge species, and associated grassland invertebrates are likely to be diverse.” GLA 2003

The site also contains two ponds that support good breeding populations of great crested newts Triturus cristatus, a species prioritised under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.

3.14 The amenity grassland area in the north of the site is currently being managed by the Council’s Parks department with a regular cutting regime. The remainder has been unmanaged for some time and is beginning to scrub over considerably. The potential LNR designation would help focus attention upon the management of this site to restore its biodiversity interest. An outline 5

conservation management plan is currently being produced by the Council covering the five year period from 2008-2013.

A Local Nature Reserve at Cranham Marsh

3.15 The second site to be considered is Cranham Marsh (see Figure 2). This area is an ideal candidate for LNR designation. It already has the non-statutory designation as an area of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation and there is an established group of community volunteers involved in its management. The site lies within the Cranham Conservation Area (1968) and is also within the area designated as London Metropolitan Greenbelt (1938). The site consists of:

“Wet woodland, damp neutral grassland, marsh. A fine combination of wet ancient woodland, wet meadow and marsh. Few such areas of fen vegetation survive in London…several regional and locally uncommon plants...The invertebrate fauna includes the nationally scarce bee Macropis europaea. The site is also important for specially protected reptiles and the great crested newt.” GLA 2003

3.16 The site is currently leased under a nominal rent to the (EWT) and the potential LNR designation would complement the work already being undertaken by EWT volunteers. A comprehensive draft conservation management plan has also been produced by EWT covering the five year period from 2007-2012.

The Designation

3.17 The designation process involves full public consultation and the production of detailed and costed management plans. Once the consultation process is complete, designation will be subject to final approval by both the Cabinet and then Natural England.

3.18 The Council must either have a legal interest in land that it wishes to declare a LNR or have entered into an agreement with the landowner to declare it so. Currently the Council owns all of the land under consideration for designation at Cranham Brickfields and Cranham Marsh as LNR’s.

3.19 This report is one part of the consultation process. Other aspects will include a library exhibition, displays at local publicity events and consultation with Friends of Groups to gain a sense of local ownership of the project.

3.20 Key to the success of a project of this kind will be ensuring its sustainability. With the potential for initial enthusiasm to diminish it will be essential to have in place a properly resourced programme of care, which will not undermine early achievements, or the nature conservation importance of the site. To this end, the production of management plans will be invaluable. 6

Financial Implications:

3.21 Financial costs of this project will be met from existing resources. The Countryside Projects Officer post is funded from central government through the Local Area Agreement. Additional funding will be sought from external sources on a project specific basis.

3.22 Land at Cranham Brickfields is currently owned by Havering Borough Council. LNR declaration may open up funding opportunities from other agencies, e.g. Heritage Lottery Fund, Natural England and Environment Agency.

Legal Implications:

3.23 In order to declare a LNR the Council must either have a legal interest in the land or an agreement with the landowner to declare his/her land a LNR. Following declaration the landowners will have a duty to ensure that the special interest of the reserve is maintained.

3.24 The full legal implications of LNR declaration will be reported to Cabinet before declaration.

Equalities & Social Inclusion Risks

There are no equalities or social inclusion risks to a project of this kind. The declaration of new LNR’s with the opportunity for local groups to become actively involved in their use and management regardless of their background will have very positive benefits for the local community.

Human Resource Implications:

3.25 The current Countryside Projects Officer Post is externally funded until January 2010. The human resource implications of LNR declaration will be addressed in the proposed management plan for each site and presented to Cabinet before declaration.

Staff Contact: Benjamin Sanderson Designation: Countryside Projects Officer Telephone No: 01708 432873 E-mail address: [email protected]

CHERYL COPPELL Chief Executive 7

Background Papers List

1. Havering Cabinet report dated 19th October 2004 declaring Dagnam Park and Duck Wood as an LNR. 2. Havering Cabinet report dated 25th January 2005 declaring Council owned land at the Chase as a LNR. 3. Havering Cabinet report dated 3rd June 2006 declaring Council owned land at Ingrebourne as a LNR.