Agenda item

CEO'S REPORT

To note the update.

Minutes:

The Committee commented that:

·      In relation to the major events being discussed on page 20 of the agenda papers, the times of the events would be included in future reports. Independent noise consultants are employed for large events with amplified music to monitor sound levels and also monitor in response to complaints during the events.

·      Congratulations were in order regarding the Theatre hosting the BBC Earthshot Awards.  In response to questioning about the Earthshot team’s donation of trees and shrubs, it was noted that the Park Manager had approved the acquisition.

·      It was important to acknowledge the Green Heritage Site Accreditation. 

·      The community payback scheme was working very well.

·      The Committee noted the amount of rubbish (100 tonnes) collected on site since 1 April 2021.

·      The festoon lighting applied for as part of the Outdoor Beer Garden Improvements planning application would have involved fixing to the historic fabric.

·      The lighting around Dukes Avenue had not received any recent complaints. The Committee noted that the bus stop lights had been dealt with. Any issues should be noted with the location and referred accordingly to see if remedial work could be done.

·      Some of the lighting in the park was not working. This was covered in the report. Attempts were underway to get remedial fixes in place. As this was potentially quite costly, a solar solution was being trialled. In the meantime, feedback on what was and what was not working was useful and attempts would be made to fix any lighting,but attempting to make old infrastructure work creates additional problems and delays in fixing.

·      The Salix lighting project scheme was an interest free loan, calculated on payback over a period of time. This loan is paid back from the money saved on energy usage. . The total cost was around £500,000 and the payback would be under five years. However, the savings would take a longer period if energy costs kept going up

·      The use of weedkiller had been reduced. The Park team had been challenged to come up with a solution avoiding its use. Manual removal of weeds is not taking place.  The Trust welcomes volunteers to assist in controlling the weeds Members of the public will need to get used to seeing more weeds on site and are encouraged to consider them to be pavement plants.

·      The provision of creative learning had changed during the coronavirus crisis. There had been a reduction in terms of volume of beneficiaries reached but there was a greater need for a targeted and wider range of delivery methods. On future funding steams, the team continue to apply for appropriate funding to support effective delivery and impact in combination with paid for activities.  

·      The family area had been congested during the Palace’s Fireworks event and the speakers appeared to be loud for a family area. This would be taken into consideration by the team for future planning. Some of the congestion at the event was due to the wi-fi outage that had occurred as people walked around to find available wi-fi so they could download their NHS Covid passes. However, ticket holders were encouraged to download their passes before they arrived at the premises. 

·      The Palace had not been notified regarding the Haringey Council Controlled Parking Zone consultation that affected some streets surrounding the palace.

 

RESOLVED:

1.    That the update be noted.

 

Supporting documents: