Agenda item

To receive the report of the Director of Property and Regeneration, Alexandra Park and Palace.

5.1       HLF Project – detailed milestones

5.2       Park Report

5.3       Palace – Fabric Report

5.4       Go Ape – final course plans for advice

Received the report of the Regeneration and Property Director, Kerri Farnsworth, updating on areas relating to property and regeneration at Alexandra Palace and Park.

Noted that

a.         Heritage Lottery Funding (HLF) Project

i.          The Planning and Listed Building consent application for the HLF project would be considered by the Planning Committee on 16 February 2015.  This was a new date further to the originally proposed date of 9 February (paragraph 6.3).

ii.         In response to questions from the Committee:

·         Comments on the application were still being submitted on the Haringey Planning Website.

·         Responses to the application were recorded as supporting or objecting to the application or as being neutral (page 27 of the agenda pack).  The Planning Committee’s options would be to agree or reject the application.

iii.        Colin Marr, Alexandra Park and Palace Conservation Area Advisory Committee, highlighted that some aspects of the application were not universally supported, particularly in relation to the opening of the arches.  Mr Marr suggested that the application be amended to keep two of the arches blocked in order to retain some external evidence of the 1936 BBC alterations.  In response, the Chief Executive, Duncan Wilson, recognised that there were differences in opinions on the project and explained that the proposals had been considered by the SAC/CC previously and there was a good case for unblocking all 15 arches.  Furthermore, the planning application could not be amended; it would have to be withdrawn and the process restarted with a new application.  Another Member of the Committee emphasised that there had been overwhelming support for the application from both the Advisory and Consultative Committees during the previous meetings.

iv.        The HLF Committee would consider the funding application on 24 March 2015 and a decision would be made subject to the Planning and Listed Building application being granted.  A Committee Member questioned how the bid was related to the planning application and it was explained that HLF would not commit to funding a project unless all the required consents had been obtained.  Alexandra Palace would then receive a ‘permission to start’ letter up to two months later.

v.         In response to questioning about fluctuating fuel costs during the project it was explained that the project included the cost of construction inflation, which was regularly updated and taken into account.

b.         New Park Vision (paragraphs 7.7 & 7.8)

Colin Marr agreed to make available the relevant section of the APP Conservation Area Character Appraisal, although this may not be in digital form.

Action: Colin Marr

In response to questioning it was noted that the use of an outdoor gym could be considered as part of the vision.  Some groups used the Park for commercial fitness sessions and were encouraged to sign-up to a licence.

c.         Go Ape

i.          The Committee was informed that construction of the Go Ape course in Battersea Park had started further to Planning Consent being granted.

ii.         The Chair invited questions from Committee Members in relation to the information in section 8 of the report on the Go Ape proposals.  In response to a question about timings for construction of Go Ape in Alexandra Park it was stated that, depending on the necessary planning permission, the course construction would begin in late spring and would open late in the summer or, if delayed, in Spring 2016.

iii.       A number of Committee Members expressed the view that they did not have a clear idea of the visual impact of the course.  The Committee was reminded that illustrations had been provided at the last meeting and the Chair had been delegated to take forward discussions about the visual aspect of the proposal.  The CC Chair and some Committee Members had visited the Trent Park Go Ape site.

iv.       In response to concern raised about how the deer enclosure would be affected it was explained that the course would not hang over the deer enclosure, the perimeter of which would be moved slightly to accommodate the proposals. The Deer Herd Manager had been consulted on the plans.

Resolved that the Committee notes the report and the Alexandra Palace and Park Charitable Trust Board’s approval of the Go Ape proposal, and endorses the recommendation that Version 2 of the course layout is accepted as the final design and that the existing underused cabin in the deer enclosure is adapted for use as Go Ape’s reception cabin.

d.         Other Matters

            i.          Thames Water Fencing

            Concerns were raised about a short section of high barbed wire fence that had been erected on the Park border by Thames Water.  The Trust’s solicitor had written to Thames Water expressing that the Trust should have been given advance warning of the plan to install the fence and appropriate approvals obtained.  After some time, a response from solicitors acting on behalf of Thames Water had been received explaining that the fence had been erected to stop trespassers accessing the reservoir from a bird viewing platform in the park.  Haringey’s Planning Department had been informed as there had been planning breaches as the Park is a Conservation Area.  The fence had been moved from the Palace’s property onto Thames Water land but the unsightly fence remained and further response from Thames Water was awaited.

            ii.         Honey Bees

A Member asked whether consideration had been given to installing honey bee hives on the Palace roofs.  In response it was noted that the Palace roofs were not safely accessible and that conversations had taken place about the possibility of hives in the Park yard but there were concerns about potential vandalism.  The Chair of the Alexandra Park Allotments Association (APAA) advised the Committee that there were sufficient hives in the Alexandra Palace Allotments.

iii.        Orchard         

In response to an enquiry it was explained that the second orchard was sited on the old railway line in the small field of The Grove.

            iv.        All Weather Football Pitch

A Member asked whether an all-weather football pitch was a possibility for the Park.  The Committee was informed that the Cricket Club had examined the possibility of installing an all-weather pitch which had highlighted a number of challenges including the impact of flood-lights in a conservation area.  The Club had been unsuccessful in its bid for funding.  There were already three, non-all-weather, football pitches in the Park.

            v.         Planning Applications

A planning application at 4 Anderton Court near the Alexandra Park Road entrance to the Park was raised and it was confirmed that the Park Manager had submitted a number of concerns.  The Trust had not been informed of this application and of other applications affecting the Park.  The Trust had raised this with Haringey’s Planning Department who had undertaken to notify the Palace of any relevant live applications in future.

Colin Marr agreed to send details of a local sub-station planning application to Kerri Farnsworth.

Action: Colin Marr

            vi.        Solar Panels

Further to a Committee Member raising the subject it was reported that consideration had been given to the possibility of solar panels  on the Palace but it had not been considered to be the right investment in terms of value for money.  Challenges to the installation of solar panels included roof size and strength, the visual intrusion the panels might have on the aspect of the Park, capital investment costs, reduced feed-in tariffs which meant lower revenue gains and fewer companies investing.