Agenda and minutes

An apology for absence was received from Councillor Matt Davies and apologies for lateness were received from Liz Richardson (Palace View Residents Association) and Councillor Richard Watson.

i.                    To note the resignation of Monica Myers, Muswell Hill & Fortis Green Association.

ii.         To agree which residents association will fill the vacancy with another of its members.

i.          Resignation of Monica Myers

The resignation of Monica Myers, Muswell Hill & Fortis Green Association, was noted and members recognised and thanked Ms Myers for the many years of service that she had dedicated to the Statutory Advisory Committee. 

ii.         Residents Association Vacancy on the Advisory Committee

The Chair proposed that Harry Aspden, Warner Estate Residents’ Association, be invited to fill the Residents Association vacancy. 

RESOLVED that Harry Aspden, Warner Estate Residents’ Association be nominated to fill the Advisory Committee vacancy.

Members of the Committee are invited to disclose any interest they may have in any of the items appearing on this agenda.

i.          Councillors Beacham and Christophides declared prejudicial interests in item 5, Planning Proposal by Capital Gardens Ltd, as they were members of Haringey’s Planning Committee and left the meeting room during discussion of this item.

ii.         Councillor Jenks declared a personal interest as he was a Member of the Warner Estates Residents’ Association.

i)          To approve the minutes of the Advisory Committee held on 8^th June 2010.

ii)         To note the Alexandra Palace and Park Board’s response to the recommendations of the Advisory Committee.

iii)        To note the draft minutes of the meeting of the Consultative Committee held on 22^nd June 2010.

iv)        To receive the draft minutes of the meeting of the Alexandra Palace and Park Board held on 7^th June and 29^th June 2010 to be noted (to follow).

i)    Advisory Committee - 8^th June 2010

      Minute APSC09 – Forthcoming events

The Committee asked for an update on the ice-rink and it was noted that work on the permanent ice rink had been delayed due to a greater extent of permafrost than originally anticipated.  Additional funding was required from L.B. Haringey through prudential borrowing.  The work would be complete in December 2010 and the ice-rink was scheduled to re-open on 4^th January 2011.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Advisory Committee held on 8^th June 2010 be agreed as an accurate recorded of the meeting.

ii)  Consultative Committee - 22^nd June 2010

      APCC09 – Matters Raised By Interested Groups: Alexander Palace Building

      The General Manager reported that a structural survey of the east wing of the Palace had been commissioned.  The results, expected on 16^th September, would give an idea of the work required to bring the exterior in to good order.

RESOLVED that the draft minutes of the Consultative Committee held on 22^nd June 2010 be noted.

iii) Alexandra Palace and Park Board - 7^th June & 29^th June 2010

29^th June 2010 – APBO29 – Fireworks Event 2009

The Chair drew the Board’s attention to the fact that the Firework Event on 6^th November 2010 had been cancelled due to lack of funds.

RESOLVED that the draft minutes of the Alexandra Palace and Park Board meetings held on 7^th June & 29^th June 2010 be noted.

To consider proposals for the Garden Centre submitted by the tenant, Capital Gardens Ltd.

Councillors Beacham and Christophides declared prejudicial interests as they were members of Haringey’s Planning Committee and left the meeting room during discussion of this item.

The Committee received proposals for the development of the Garden Centre including converting old sheds into a retail area and constructing a pergola to shelter bedding plants.

Committee Members expressed concerns about the extension and the loss of a tree and requested clearer drawings including a site plan showing elevations and more detail particularly about the scale of the proposals.

RESOLVED that further consideration of this the planning proposal by Capital Gardens Ltd be deferred until the next meeting of the Advisory Committee on 2^nd November 2010.

Clerk’s note: Councillors Beacham and Christophides returned to the meeting room.

To consider the proposals for declaration of a local nature reserve.

The Committee received the tabled Executive Summary of Haringey’s Biodiversity Action Plan and a map of local nature conservation access in Haringey.

Ian Holt (L.B. Haringey’s Nature Conservation Project Officer) introduced the report about the possibility of Alexandra Park being declared a Local Nature Reserve (LNR) by Haringey Council.

The Committee asked the opinion of the Park Manager who stated that he welcomed the proposal, recognising that it would provide additional protection for the Park and increase the potential for funding as well as Green Flag status and would demonstrate a commitment about how the Park will be managed. 

The Committee noted that the final area of the LNR would be subject to consultation with Natural England.

It was not envisaged that any activity currently conducted within the Park would be precluded by the potential LNR declaration, however, events would have to be in accordance with the Park’s management plan.

RESOLVED that the proposal to designate Alexandra Park as a Local Nature Reserve be noted and supported by the Advisory Committee.

The Committee received the report of the Park Manager following the Board’s resolution that that the Alexandra Park and Palace byelaws be reviewed.  It was noted that the byelaws were out of date and that amendments would need to be approved by the Secretary of State before adoption by Alexandra Park and Palace.

The Committee suggested that other legislation should be considered as any recent changes might be relevant and noted that issues such as bar-b-qs and roller-skating might need to be included in the byelaws.  It was noted that byelaws could not include matters covered by primary legislation.

In response to its questions the Committee noted that in the past three years there had been no prosecutions for the breaching of the Park’s byelaws and that the work of the Park’s Security Team included enforcing the byelaws, requiring them to be reviewed.

RESOLVED

i.    That the issue of Alexandra Park and Palace Byelaws be considered at a future meeting of the Advisory Committee.

ii) That the Advisory Committee also considers Kenwood Park’s byelaws (reviewed in 1997 and issued in 2004) and provide comments in relation to Alexandra Park and Palace byelaws.

To note the variation of the provision of a track betting licence for the Ladbrokes World Darts Championships at Alexandra Palace.

The Committee received the report updating on the intention of Alexandra Palace Trading Limited (APTL) to move the existing track betting licence from the Panorama Room to the Great Hall for the World Darts Championships between 16^th December 2010 and 3^rd January 2011.

The Committee noted that the move would mean the betting area would be further away from other public areas and more easily controlled.

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

To receive the report of the Managing Director, Alexandra Palace Trading Limited (APTL) advising the Advisory Committee on forthcoming events to the end of the financial year.

The Committee received the Forthcoming Events report and noted that in addition to the events listed in the report there were many smaller rooms booked within the Palace for meetings and other events including filming and conferences.

The Chair expressed concern about whether event bookings would continue considering the problems with funding to repair the Palace building. The Managing Director – Alexandra Palace Trading Company (APTL) explained that the building would be maintained at the appropriate level, although the dilapidations were challenging and increased investment in the building would enable more events to be delivered.  It was noted that APTL’s turnover had remained static and new events bookings had been made.

In response to a Committee Member’s question it was reported that the Secret Cinema event had been renamed and not advertised due to the secret nature of the event, organised by Future Shorts and held every three months.  The location and film being shown remains a secret until nearer to the date and is attended by 5000 people each day.

The Chair recognised the good work being done to increase APTL’s turnover and the challenges faced due to the building dilapidations.

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

To receive a verbal update on the progress made on the review of governance of Alexandra Palace.

The Committee noted that the Alexandra Palace and Park Board had received an update on the Alexandra Palace and Park Governance and Future Vision at it’s Board meeting the previous day (6^th September 2010), including:

• Where the financial focus for the organisations in the Palace should be.
• The models of governance previously presented to the Board and the Advisory Committee.  The Board agreed to adopt an interim model until the ultimate model of independence was achievable.
• Work was taking place to see how the stakeholder forums could be more effective and proposals would be presented to the Council.

The Committee noted that the Regeneration Working Group, to consider the master plan for Alexandra Palace and Park, would have met by November.  The Working Group would be chaired by the Council’s Director of Urban Environment and would include 7 or 8 members who were Council or APTL officers and possibly other specialists. The terms of reference and membership would be presented to the Council.

RESOLVED that the update be noted.

To discuss the possibility of having one Stakeholder Forum incorporating both the Statutory Advisory Committee and the Consultative Committee.

The Committee was invited to consider a joint meeting with the Consultative Committee to discuss how both committees would work in the future.

Committee members were referred to the element of the duplication of work conducted by both the Advisory and Consultative Committees (and related officers) and that the Advisory Committee was a statutory group and had restricted powers, whereas the Consultative Committee had none.

It was agreed that a review of the Advisory Committee itself should be conducted before considering amalgamating with another group. The findings of the recent Stakeholder Event at Alexandra Palace (as part of the Governance Review) could be used to assist the review.

The concern that the Chair of the Consultative Committee might be presented with a conflict of interest if the Committee’s were amalgamated (as he was also the Chair of the Alexandra Palace and Park Board) was noted.

RESOLVED

i.          That a small working group (consisting of the Statutory Advisory (Urgency) Sub-Committee Members) be established to consider the effectiveness of the Advisory Committee and the Terms of Reference of the Consultative Committee.

ii.         That the working group report back to the Advisory Committee outlining the results of the review and how it should link in with the Consultative Committee.

i.          Enforcement Action that is being taken in respect of the Little Dinosaurs building in the Grove (discussion requested by David Frith, The Rookfield Association)

Enforcement Action in relation to Little Dinosaurs           

The Committee noted that planning enforcement action was being taken in respect of the Little Dinosaurs building in the Grove, Alexandra Park. 

David Frith, The Rookfield Association, expressed concern that the Advisory Committee had raised concerns at its meeting on 16^th June 2009 regarding the boundaries for the site and how the play area would be extended to the outside area at a later stage.

It was noted that within 6 months of the start of the lease a planning enforcement notice had been served on the tenant due to the lack of planning permission for changes to facilities on the site. 

The Committee’s comments included:

• The matter of enforcement notice being served on Little Dinosaurs should have been brought to the Advisory Committee for consideration. The Park Manager reported that the Committee would only be consulted again if a planning application is radically different from the original proposal.
• Any alterations to a site leased in the Park should be approved by the Trust Board.

Officers noted the concerns raised by Committee Members and highlighted that the leaseholder was appealing the enforcement notice. 

RESOLVED that a report on the enforcement notice served on the Little Dinosaurs site would be considered by the Advisory Committee on 2^nd November.  The Committee’s comments would then be shared with the Alexandra Palace and Park Board.

To note the dates of future meetings of the Advisory Committee as follow:

Tuesday 2^nd November 2010

Tuesday 25^th January 2011

Tuesday 5^th April 2011      

The following dates were noted:

Tuesday 25^th January 2011

Tuesday 5^th April 2011      

The meeting ended at 21:30 hrs