Issue - meetings

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Meeting: 10/02/2009 - Alexandra Park and Palace Statutory Advisory Committee (Item 21)

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Councillors Demirci and Patel, due to their attendance at a rescheduled LB Haringey Planning Committee (rescheduled from 2 February 2009 due to inclement weather), form Councillor Whyte due to attendance at a meeting of Homes for Haringey, and also from Councillor Beynon due to being unwell.

 

NOTED

 

At this point in the proceedings prior to the consideration of minutes, the Chair welcomed Councillor Pat Egan – Chair of the Alexandra Palace and Park Board to the meeting and asked that Councillor Egan give his view of the current position regarding Alexandra Palace and Park.

 

Councillor Egan thanked the Committee for the opportunity to give an address in respect of the current position at the palace. Councillor Egan advised that following Councillor Cooke’s relinquishing the role of Chair of the Board – having been appointed as Cabinet Member for Community Cohesion and Involvement, he had taken the position as Chair, with Councillor Dogus taking the position of Vice-Chair.

 

Since taking on the position, Councillor Egan advised that he had commenced a series of individual meetings with members of the Alexandra Palace and Park Consultative Committee to glean views as to how people saw the future of the Palace, which had been very successful and informative.  It was now intended to cascade the individual meetings to the Advisory Committee representatives, and attendees. Councillor Egan, in commenting at the chequered history of the Palace, stated categorically that the process of talking with individuals was part of a stock taking exercise, of where things were at, and where people saw the future direction of the Palace. As previously expressed by Councillor Cooke, Councillor Egan advised that no future proposal or idea was being ruled in or out, and that the future was a blank canvass with no particular vision, and it was hoped that a shared vision/concept would emerge.

 

Councillor Egan also advised that in terms of the Advisory Committee’s comments in respect of involvement in the away day there had been one away day thus far where only Trustees had been in attendance – and this had been a positive exercise. Counci8llor Egan commented that he had always adored the Park, which for him was as of much importance as the Palace and that any future palace development must ensure that the Park was kept to the level of maintenance and upkeep. Councillor Egan commented that thus far, as Chair, the process had been a steep and tremendous learning curve for him, and that in speaking to individual representatives a considerable feeling of passion had radiated from such discussions, for the Palace and the Park.

 

The Chair, in thanking Councillor Egan for his brief address, asked if there were any particular questions from the Advisory Committee, and he himself sought clarification as to whether there was a time-line in terms of deliberations and an emerging vision. In response, Councillor Egan advised that there were no timelines and that the current time the focus was on  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21