Annual Report May 2015 Vol 46 No. 2 Boating Pond - the work begins Contents Annual Report for the year 2014-2015 Page by Marc Hutchinson Annual Report . 1 Marc Hutchinson I knew when I was elected at the 2014 AGM that I would have a busy year ahead but even I Society Notices . 5 underestimated the number of tasks and challenges that would face the Society. You can Notice of the AGM, Elections to General Committee . 6 read the trustees’ annual report together with the financial statements for 2014 which accompany this Newsletter. Annual General Meeting June 2015 . 7 Overview Looking back to the start of 2014, I personally Treasurer’s Report . 8 think the main endeavours of the Society have Maureen Clark-Darby been in relation to: the Ponds Project; 29 New End; Athlone House; basements; a membership Notes on new committee members . .9 drive; traffic policy; and re-establishing a Hampstead Art Exhibition. Internally, we have The founders of the modern conservation movement 10 been improving the Society’s website, revising Helen Marcus the paperwork relating to membership and the systems for joining and payment of subscriptions, Heath Report . 12 reviewing the subscription rates (last changed in John Beyer and Lynda Cook 2007), and verifying the correctness of the members’ register. Planning Report . 15 Ponds David Castle Having been unsuccessful at the judicial review and in opposing the grant of planning Town Report . 17 permission, the trustees decided in March 2015 Frank Harding that the Society would no longer publicly oppose the Ponds Project and would devote its The Barratt offer . 18 efforts, on the Ponds Project Stakeholder Group (set up by the City) and the Community Update on the London Forum . 19 Working Group (set up by Camden), to Helen Marcus ensuring that the works comply with the approvals governing them and that the A Summer of Festivals in Hampstead . 20-23 execution of the works does the minimum of damage to the Heath landscape and wildlife. Bulletin Board & Heath Walks . 24 The announcement by Defra in April 2015 that, in a complete volte-face, the government did not now intend to bring into force the relevant 1 Annual Report (cont) provisions of the Flood and Water Management of Camden Council, some years ago, that the Act 2010 (which would have extended the existing nurses’ home on the site did not of application of the Reservoirs Act 1975 to nearly itself ‘contribute’ to the locality. Since Camden all the Ponds on the Heath) unfortunately does could not oppose their own decision on that not affect the legal basis of the Ponds Project point, it was much easier for the developer to which remains required under the 1975 Act in argue there was no reason, in planning terms, its application to the “reservoirs” at Hampstead to save the home. No.1 Pond and Highgate Ponds Nos 2 and 3. It Athlone House is to limit the disfiguring effects of works otherwise required at, and confined to, those After these two defeats, I hope to be able to three Ponds that the overall works have, with report a success in June 2015 when the the agreement of the Society, been spread inspector on the Athlone House appeal delivers across the two chains. Had the works been his verdict. With the Highgate Society, we have confined to those three Ponds, the works – opposed the demolition of Athlone House in legally required to eliminate the risk of dam circumstances where the owner had previously collapse in the theoretical 1 in 400,000 storm - agreed to preserve it as a condition of being would have entailed large concrete structures allowed to build a block of flats in its gardens. and the most terrible disfigurement of the three We have had the clearest legal advice that the Ponds themselves. proposed replacement house, which is much larger than the existing building, is not I am still in contact with the Secretary of State permitted to be built on metropolitan open land for Environment about the possibility of (“green belt”) , and we hope to succeed on this exempting the Ponds from the 1975 Act, which ground and possibly others. We are very she has power to do. She is considering our grateful to our several expert witnesses and our proposal but I would not be expecting a counsel, David Altaras, all of whom gave their response until after the election. services for a nil or nominal fee. The works have now started and will continue Basements until the end of 2016. Members of the Society Those of you who attended Michael Eldred’s can follow the progress of the works via the Glass in Hand Lecture on this topic on 23 April Society’s website which will be regularly at St Stephen’s will be aware that the problem updated to advise of path and swimming pond of basement developments in Hampstead is closures and other matters affecting Heath users. getting worse. The Society is preparing for an 29 New End appropriate test case to challenge the We were very disappointed to lose at the appeal proposition that (most) basements are to the inspector over this demolition and “permitted development” by obtaining fresh and development, which, when it starts, will bring up-to-date legal advice in the context of misery and danger to local residents and changing, but still inconsistent, council policies schools. We and the objectors were represented in this area. If there is a chance in the future to by experienced counsel but the hurdle we clarify the law with a view to limiting the legal could not overcome was the published decision scope for the construction of basements likely 2 to damage adjoining properties, the Society Brown, which will be open to public view from intends to be ready to exploit it. 6 July. Membership drive Ave atque vale We now have over 2,000 members and the rates I want to note some arrivals and departures of annual membership renewal have been over the relevant period. extremely good. We have been writing to lapsed Trustees members (going back five years) and have been gratified to find how many of them are willing, We have two new trustees. John Beyer took and even enthusiastic, to re-join. over in January from Tony Ghilchik as our representative on the Hampstead Heath Traffic policy Management Committee and Thomas Radice For the first time in my life, I have recently took over in March from Jeremy Wright as our needed to try to drive (as opposed to walk) representative on the Hampstead Heath around Hampstead during certain weekday Consultative Committee. In those capacities John hours. I have been shocked at the routinely and Thomas became trustees and welcome gridlocked traffic in the narrow streets. So I am members of the General Committee pleased that the Planning and Town Sub- Tony Hillier, our esteemed former chairman, Committees of the Society have been working stands down as a trustee with effect from this up a traffic policy for Hampstead in the context year’s AGM, as does Frankie de Freitas. As of developments requiring planning consent. noted by Helen Marcus who chaired last year’s With ever-worsening pollution in London, there AGM, Frankie has been a constant and cheerful is a serious threat to the environment and to help to the Society in so many and varied ways, public health posed by increasing traffic, and including in managing our events, in this is something which Camden Council must administration, and as a member of the now actively seek to control. newsletter editorial team. We thank them deeply Hampstead Art Exhibition for their work for the Society over many years; The Town Sub-Committee is to be congratulated we shall miss them both and wish them well. on two important achievements. First, on behalf Jeremy Wright has stepped down as a trustee of the Society it is producing, with the following his retirement from the Hampstead Hampstead School of Art, a new open-air art Heath Consultative Committee in March. The exhibition on Heath Street, to be held on 28 Society was pleased to present Jeremy with a June and 12 and 19 July 2015. This has taken camera in gratitude for, and recognition of, his much planning and thoughtful budgeting, and devoted work for the Society and the Heath we are hopeful it will prove as successful as the over many years. Jeremy’s greatest contribution, famous Hampstead art fairs which took place in my view, was his representation of the decades ago. Secondly, it has arranged for the Society on the Ponds Project Stakeholder placing, in the Sullivan Garden at Burgh House, Group, where his engineering knowledge gave of a large reproduction in tiles of a Hampstead him de facto leadership of the Group in areas Atkins mock-up “after” photo painting entitled “Work” (1865) by Ford Madox where we were trying to get the City to modify 3 Annual Report (cont) Society notices their initial plans. Those who have followed the detail of this four-year saga will know that the Art Exhibition works being carried out now are materially less intrusive than those originally proposed, and Old Hampstead that in many cases this is due to Jeremy’s persistent interventions. And I am personally Rediscovered indebted to him for the hundreds of hours of The fifth exhibition in technical help he gave me on the judicial review. The Heath & Hampstead Society’s series Sub-Committee members displaying rarely seen Old Paintings of We welcomed Melissa Fairbanks to the Heath Hampstead (together with current day Sub-Committee following the resignation of Sash photographs of the same scenes) will Tusa.