Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED

To elect Jim Jenks as the Chair for the meeting.

Please note this meeting may be filmed or recorded by the Council for live or subsequent broadcast via the Council’s internet site or by anyone attending the meeting using any communication method.  Members of the public participating in the meeting (e.g. making deputations, asking questions, making oral protests) should be aware that they are likely to be filmed, recorded or reported on.  By entering the ‘meeting room’, you are consenting to being filmed and to the possible use of those images and sound recordings.

The Chair of the meeting has the discretion to terminate or suspend filming or recording, if in his or her opinion continuation of the filming, recording or reporting would disrupt or prejudice the proceedings, infringe the rights of any individual, or may lead to the breach of a legal obligation by the Council.

The Chair referred to the notice of filming at meetings and this information was noted.

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from:

Statutory Advisory Committee – Councillor Lucia das Neves and Councillor Khaled Moyeed (due to a conflicting meeting).

Consultative Committee – apologies for lateness were received from Cllr Nick Da Costa.

A member with a disclosable pecuniary interest or a prejudicial interest in a matter who attends a meeting of the authority at which the matter is considered:

(i) must disclose the interest at the start of the meeting or when the interest becomes apparent, and

(ii) may not participate in any discussion or vote on the matter and must withdraw from the meeting room.

A member who discloses at a meeting a disclosable pecuniary interest which is not registered in the Register of Members’ Interests or the subject of a pending notification must notify the Monitoring Officer of the interest within 28 days of the disclosure.

Disclosable pecuniary interests, personal interests and prejudicial interests are defined at Paragraphs 5-7 and Appendix A of the Members’ Code of Conduct

There were no declarations of interest.

The Chair will consider the admission of any late items of Urgent Business. (Late items of Urgent Business will be considered under the agenda item where they appear. New items of Urgent Business will be dealt with under item 13 below).

There was no urgent business.

(i)            To approve the minutes of the Joint Meeting of the Statutory Advisory and Consultative Committees held on 5 November 2020as a correct record.

(ii)          To note the draft minutes of the Statutory Advisory Committee meeting held on 5 November 2020.

(iii)         To note the draft minutes of the Alexandra Palace and Park Board meeting held on 14 December 2020 and 26 January 2021. (To follow)

RESOLVED

1.    To approve the minutes of the Joint Meeting of the Statutory Advisory and Consultative Committees held on 5 November 2020 as a correct record.

2.    To note the draft minutes of the Statutory Advisory Committee meeting held on 5 November 2020.

3.    To note the draft minutes of the Alexandra Palace and Park Board meeting held on 14 December 2020 and 26 January 2021.

To receive a general update from the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on matters relating to Alexandra Park and Palace.

Louise Stewart, Chief Executive Officer, introduced the report which provided a general update on matters relating to Alexandra Park and Palace. It was noted that the Trust and Trading Subsidiary would face continued financial challenges from the Covid-19 pandemic for several years. It was added that there would be continued fundraising and that two crowdfunding projects were currently in progress. It was also explained that car park charging had been expected to be implemented in April but was now expected to be implemented by the end of June; the donate to park scheme would remain in place until charging was active.

It was enquired whether there had been any developments in relation to Alexandra Park Railway Bridge near Dukes Avenue. The Chief Executive noted that there was no further information at present. It was explained that there were several bridges involved in the Department for Transport’s proposals and that a number of challenges had been made by special interest groups around the country.

It was noted that there had been several lightings of the Mast, as set out in section 9.2 of the report, and it was enquired whether the Mast could be lit up in green in honour of Grenfell Tower. The Chief Executive noted that this had been done previously and that requests to light the mast could be made through the application process; Natalie Layton, Executive Assistant and Charity Secretary, could be contacted for further details.

RESOLVED

To note the report.

To seek feedback on the pilot scheme for traffic enforcement on Alexandra Palace Way.

The Chief Executive noted that the traffic enforcement proposals had been informally circulated in advance of the meeting. She thanked the Statutory Advisory Committee and Consultative Committee groups that had responded and noted that the comments received had been supportive. The Chief Executive also thanked the Police for their support in dealing with this issue, particularly when their own resources had been stretched.

One member noted that the Trustees could enforce the Park and Palace bylaws, instead of the traffic enforcement proposals, and they felt that this would be a cheaper and better method; they added that they would be writing to the Council’s Head of Legal in relation to this issue. The Chief Executive stated that all options had been considered and that the current proposals would not have been chosen if there was a cheaper, more effective option. It was explained that the bylaws were difficult to enforce and the fines were limited to £50. In addition, it was noted that the bylaws would require a similar approach in relation to the use of enforcement officers due to the nature of the individuals who were wilfully obstructing the highway.

RESOLVED

To note the report.

To consult on the proposed variations to the licence.

The Chief Executive introduced the item which sought to consult on proposed variations to the park licence. It was explained that the variation was not intended to increase the number of large scale events that were already permitted but aimed to bring smaller events under the same framework to ensure consistency. It was noted that it was proposed to increase the number of events at a slightly higher sound level but that the maximum permitted sound level was not being increased.

A member stated that some residents from Springfield Avenue were concerned about noise issues; it was enquired whether this had been considered and whether more could be done. The Chief Executive stated that she was not aware of any outstanding noise issues in 2019. It was explained that all events with amplified sound had independent noise monitors on site and, if a call was received about noise, they would visit the address(es) to check the sound levels and, if the noise level had been breached, would instruct the sound engineers to reduce the levels. It was noted that there was one incident where a specialist attended an address and made a recording but the resident did not see this; the Chief Executive could not recall whether this was an address on Springfield Avenue. The Chief Executive added that the concerns of local residents were understood but highlighted that the licence variation was not seeking to increase the existing number of large scale events. It was noted that there would be a maximum noise level of 65-70 decibels for a few, additional, small scale events and that not all events would have amplified sound.

Gordon Hutchinson, Friends of Alexandra Park, noted that there had been 50 responses to the licence proposals from the Friends. These recognised the need for the Trust to generate income but highlighted the importance of finding a balance between income and the protection of the park. There was also a general consensus that the inclusion of Pitch & Putt Golf Course in the licence was reasonable but there were concerns about how much this facility would be closed for corporate events. It was added that the Friends welcomed the introduction of small events with up to 600 attendees but objected to the proposal for an unlimited number of these events, which would include corporate events. It was considered that this would result in disturbances to park users and wildlife and it was suggested that some ‘no go’ areas should be agreed to protect certain areas of the park. It was added that a recovery period was required between events, particularly given the intensive usage of the park during the Covid-19 pandemic, and it was suggested that some quiet days should be programmed where there would be no vehicles or construction. It was also proposed that the number of small event days should be amended to 40 per year with an impact assessment undertaken after one year.

It was noted that some of the responses from  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

To consult on proposals for upgrading external signage in the Park and on Alexandra Palace Way, additional improvements to the outdoor beer garden, an outdoor toilet in the Old Deer Enclosure and external space frames redecoration.

The Chief Executive introduced the item which sought to consult on proposals for upgrading external signage in the Park and on Alexandra Palace Way, additional improvements to the outdoor beer garden, an outdoor toilet in the Old Deer Enclosure, and external space frames redecoration.

In relation to upgrading external signage, some members suggested that the proposed notice boards should also provide more information about the Park or the charitable objectives. It was added that the proposed message ‘Forever Yours’ sounded a bit morbid and it was suggested that ‘Forever Ours’ might be more appropriate. The Chief Executive noted this and explained that the message tried to convey the fact that the park belonged to everyone; it was added that some testing could be carried out in relation to this message.

It was commented that the map and information within the boards were shown as examples and this could be updated. It was explained that the new boards would be updated more easily and more often. It was noted that the Friends of the Park had also been invited to update their notice board.

In relation to the outdoor toilet, it was confirmed that this would be a compostable toilet and would include hand sanitisation facilities. It was noted that the toilet would only be used by those attending Creative Learning Team projects because, based on research into other parks, the facilities would struggle with any additional volume. It was added that there would also be a solar powered fan to assist with evaporation. Some members suggested ensuring a soakaway for any handwashing facilities in order to reduce the demand on composting. John Wilkinson, Alexandra Palace Allotments Association, noted that he had previous experience with similar outdoor toilets and would be happy to discuss this project. It was also asked whether a compostable toilet could be installed in the Campsbourne area which had been particularly affected last year with people toileting in the park. The Chief Executive noted that there was a longer term project to improve facilities in this area.

It was enquired whether it would be possible to address the drainage at the bottom of the hill within the park and whether solar panels could be installed on Alexandra Palace to increase self-sufficiency. The Chief Executive explained that there was widespread awareness of the drainage issues but that extensive funding was required. It was noted that numerous options were being investigated, including Community Infrastructure Levy and Mayor of London funding, and the Council was aware. In relation to solar panels, it was noted that this had been investigated during the design of the East Wing project but it had been determined that the roof was incapable of holding the necessary weight in many places.

RESOLVED

To note the report.

Nigel Willmott, Friends of the Alexandra Palace Theatre, noted that the Board had been recently considering governance issues and car parking. It was explained that the Alexandra Palace team had been looking to maximise revenue as much as possible during the Covid-19 pandemic, including new activities such as streamed theatre events. It was noted that the team was working exceptionally hard and that a lot of work was going on behind the scenes to make sure that activities could take place as soon as government regulations permitted.

There were no additional items raised by interested groups.

To consider any items admitted at item 5 above.

There were no new items of urgent business.

The dates of future meetings will be confirmed at the Council meeting in May 2021.

To note that the dates of future meetings would be confirmed at the Council meeting in May 2021.