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MANAGEMENT PLAN

CONTENTS Introduction

1. Site Overview 1.1 Havering 1.2 Strategic Framework 1.3 Site Description 1.4 History 1.5 Location and Transport Links

2 3 3 6 12

2. A Welcoming Place 2.1 Entrance Points 2.2 Entrance Signs 2.3 Equal Access

16 18 21

3. Heathy, Safe and Secure 3.1 Health and Safety Systems 3.2 Enforcement Service 3.3 Infrastructure 3.4 Parks Monitoring

22 24 26 27

4. Maintenance of Equipment, Buildings and Landscape 4.1 Horticultural Maintenance 4.2 Arboricultural Management 4.3 Vehicles and Plant Maintenance 4.4 Parks Furniture 4.5 Play and Recreation 4.6 Parks Buildings

28 31 31 32 33 36

5. Litter, Cleanliness and Vandalism 5.1 Litter Management 5.2 Sweeping 5.3 Graffiti 5.4 Flytipping 5.5 Reporting 5.6 Dog Fouling

38 38 38 39 39 39

6. Environmental Management 6.1 Environmental Impact 6.2 Peat Use 6.3 Waste Minimisation 6.4 Pesticide Use

40 40 40 44

7. Biodiversity, Landscape and Heritage 7.1 Management of natural features, wild fauna and flora 7.2 Conservation of Landscape features 7.3 Woodlands 7.4 Marshes 7.5 Biodiversity Action Plan

45 46 48 50 52 52

7.6 Havering Local Plan 7.7 Natural Ambition Booklet 7.8 Council Vision

54 54 56

8. Community Involvement 8.1 Community Surveys 8.2 User Groups

57 58

9. Marketing and Promotions 9.1 Parks Brochure 9.2 Social Media 9.3 Website 9.4 Interpretation Boards 9.5 Events

65 65 65 65 67

10. Management 10.1 Management structure 10.2 Financial Management 10.3 Accreditation 10.4 Action Plan 10.5 Parks Contact Details

71 73 73 75 78

Appendices 1. Policy Context 2. History 3. Pesticide Reduction Strategy 4. Risk Assessments 5. Byelaws 6. Parks Fitter’s Instruction Form 7. Parks Monitoring Form 8. Grounds Maintenance Specification Contents 9. Tree Strategy 10. Vehicle Check Form 11. Peat Use Policy 12. Marketing 13. Event Application Form 14. SWOT Analysis 15. Example of play area visual inspection sheet 16. Example of play area operation inspection sheet 17. Parks Strategy Survey

Introduction The Hornchurch Country Park Management Plan has been prepared by the London Borough of Havering Public Realm (Parks and Open Spaces) department and represents a five year plan for the Park. The plan was completed for 2026 and will be revised annually until a full update in 2031. It was recognised that the park given its importance within the borough required improvements to facilities and standards. As part of this process the plan was produced to reflect these improvements and how the park is managed. The format of this plan follows the Green Flag Award criteria as this is recognised as the nationally accepted standard of excellence for parks and open spaces. The criteria also reflect a comprehensive and logical breakdown on the complements of how a park is managed. The plan also includes an action plan which is achievable within the remit of current budgets. The plan has been produced to give the reader a ‘virtual’ tour of the park and a practical management guide. The key information is in the main body of the plan with more detailed information including policies and examples in the appendix. It is intended for a broad audience interested in the development of the park namely: • Environment directorate - Parks and Open Spaces Officers, Grounds Maintenance • Other services and departments within the London Borough of Havering • Elected members, ward councillors and portfolio holders • The community and its representative organisations

Ingrebourne Valley Marshes SSSI

1. Site Overview 1.1 Havering The London Borough of Havering is London’s third largest borough. The north and east boundaries border the rolling Essex countryside and the south covers three miles of River Thames frontage. To the west Havering is bordered by the boroughs of Redbridge and Barking and Dagenham. The name ‘Havering’ originates from the Royal Liberty of Havering, to which Edward IV granted a charter in 1465. The area’s history stretches back to Roman times with early settlements at Rainham and Collier Row. The London Borough of Havering was created in 1965 by the merger of Romford and Hornchurch Urban District Councils. The name of Havering was finally agreed as a combination of the town names was not allowed. The idea of blending the two names was never a serious consideration.Armorial bearings were granted at the time of the formation. The motto ‘liberty’ represents the present free and democratic way of life but is inspired by the fact that Havering was mostly a part of the royal liberty of Havering – Atte – Bower from 1465 – 1892.

London Borough of Havering Location Plan

Many of Havering’s open spaces and public parks have a long and rich history. Some are former private estates with historical and heritage importance including Bedford’s Park, Clockhouse Gardens, Parklands Park and Langton’s Gardens. Well known landscape architects such as Humphrey Repton designed some open spaces within Havering e.g. Langton’s Gardens and many parks were developed in the twentieth century e.g. Upminster, Rise and Lawns Parks.

There is a large amount of countryside, especially in the north of the borough, with a good Public Rights of Way network and 4 country parks. There are also a wide variety of urban spaces from ornamental gardens to large municipal parks. 1.2 The Strategic Framework Information how this Management Plan for Hornchurch Country Park sits within the national, regional and local context for parks and open spaces can be found in Appendix 1. 1.3 Site Description Hornchurch Country Park is located at the southern end of Hornchurch on the site of the WW1 RFC Suttons Farm and WW2 RAF Hornchurch. The former being famous for being the base from which Lieutenant Leefe-Robinson VC took off from to shoot down the first airship over land. The latter as a major Battle of Britain Airfield from which many famous pilots aces flew from.

Aerial View of Hornchurch Country Park The park is approximately 104 hectares in size and was created from a landfill site in 1980 and is made up of several different compartments. A large amount of the park has been allowed to develop naturally as wildlife habit and is managed through hay cutting towards the end of June, beginning of July. The area nearest the visitor centre and managed for amenity use and are also used for events. At the southern end of the Park there is a lake that allows for casual angling but also hosts a great deal of 3

wildlife. The Park Ranger depot is also based at this end of the Park. The Essex Wildlife Trust in partnership with the London Borough of Havering opened a visitor centre in the northern half of the Park in 2015. The centre is used for a number of educational events, displays and has a café and toilets open to the public. The park has a surfaced path that runs mainly along the eastern boundary north to south and links the parks two car parks. It also links with the London Borough of Havering’s adjacent Gaynes, Hacton and Suttons Parkway’s in the north and the forestry commissions Ingrebourne Hill site to the south. The path makes up part of the Sustran Connect2 route 136 which links the entire Boroughs northern and southern parts. There are also other links into adjacent forestry commission and privately owned green space. All this area is known as the Ingrebourne Valley

Section of map board showing Ingrebourne Valley and its connections 4

The Ingrebourne River runs down the eastern side of the Park and flows through part of the park known as the Ingrebourne Marshes. These are designated as a Site of Special Scientific interest (SSSI) and form the largest fresh water reed bed in the London Area. Access to this area is restricted to the public but good views can had into the area from various places within and without the Park. The park aims to cater for a number of uses and apart from the educational, walking and cycling uses it also has a children’s play area and outdoor gym located near the visitor centre and trim trail equipment spread out through the northern half of the Park. There are also a number of picnic benches throughout. The Park is home to a vast amount of flora and fauna and is a very popular with bird watchers. A number of rare species have been observed here in recent years including Spotted Crake and Bittern. It is also known for it invertebrate and reptile species including Adders, with the Ingrebourne Valley hosting the largest Adder hibernaculum in London. During its creation in the 80’s small wooded areas were planted and these go to break up the more grassy compartments and add extra interest to the park

Chicory in flower at Hornchurch Country Park

For history Buffs there are several WW2 defences within the Park. The Main car park at Squadrons Approach was in fact an aircraft dispersal bay (known as an E pen) used to protect Spitfires and their ground crews during the war. Also present in the park area number of well-preserved pill boxes and some very rare Tett Turrets.

Tett Turrets 5

Air raid shelter at rear of E Pen

A large portion of the main Park and marshes have fallen under Natural England’s Higher Level Stewardship scheme. As part of this an arrangement has been made with a local farmer who grazes cattle on compartments in the marshes and cuts the hay meadows in the Park from late June. The grants from the scheme have been put to good use in repairing and extending the fencing in the grazing areas which have allowed the grazing to extend into areas that have been untouched for a number of years.

Cows grazing the marshes In the winter of 2022/23 a memorial woodland was created at the southern end of the park to commemorate all those lost to Covid during the Pandemic. This considered of the planting of thousands of trees, creation of a wildflower bank, installation of seating and central monument.

Memorial woodland plan

1.4 History The northern part of Hornchurch Country Park is on the former land of Suttons Farm, which was once part of the Manor of Suttons. Henry II gave the land to Hornchurch Priory in the C12th and it later became the property of William of Wykeham who 6

founded New College Oxford in the C14th. The southern part of the country park was within Dover's Manor and later became Albyns Farm, whose old farm buildings remain today.

1872 map showing area of Hornchurch country Park

The advent or air power had added another dimension to warfare and the War Ministry had already started to consider that the Thames was a landmark that led straight into the heart of London. As such they had starting to scout the country side

for likely airfields for the fledgling Royal Flying Corp and in 1915 Suttons Farm was chosen. Sutton farm was a site chosen due to its proximity to London and the Thames and RFC Suttons Farm opened 3rd October 1915. The night of the 13th October 1915 saw the first action against attacking airships but without success. It wasn’t until the night of the 2nd-3rd September 1916 before successful finally came. Lieutenant William Leefe Robinson took off from Sutton Farm to look for the attacking Airship SL11. He spotted the Airship and attacked it with explosive ammunition and it crashed in flames near Cuffley in Hertfordshire. It was the first aircraft to be downed over British Soil and for his efforts Leefe-Robinson was awarded the VC.

Lieutenant William Leefe Robinson With peace now declared the need for Suttons Farm came into question and by the 31st December 1919 RFC Suttons Farm closed, with the land being returned for agricultural use In the 1920’s the Royal Air Force started an expansion program and once again Suttons Farm was looked at and in 1923 the site was bought from New College Oxford and RAF Suttons Farm opened on 1st 1928. A few months later the site changed its name to RAF Hornchurch to make it easier to find on public transport. RAF Hornchurch played a major part in WW2, it was the sector 11 main airfield. Also the airfield was designated as a fighter station and equipped mainly with Spitfires. It was due to this that is played a major role as a front line station during the Battle of Britain and many famous Pilots of the time flew from here.

Spitfires taking off from RAF Hornchurch The Airfield remained open at the end of the war but reverted to more of a training role. Numerous training and selection centres were set up at Hornchurch, including the Air crew selection centre. The Airfield was also used a mobilisation centre for service personnel during the Dockers strike in 1949 who took over the striking Dockers duties. It served a similar purpose again in 1953 for service personnel assisting in the aftermath of the east coast flooding disaster. During the 50’s and 60’s the Royal Air Force was slowly cut back and RAF Hornchurch was deemed surplus to requirements and closed in April 1962 and the site was sold to Fords a year later and used for the storage of vehicles. Its use changed again in the 70’s when the airfield site was sold for gravel extraction and the technical area (hangers, workshops etc) was developed into the now Airfield Estate. The estate shows the areas proud heritage through the use of Hornchurch Pilots names in its street names. In 1980 the site changed again with quarrying finishing and the site landfilled and turned into a country park by the Greater London Council. (GLC). It was landscaped through the 80’s with the building of paths and the planting of woodland etc. The site was transferred into the ownership of Havering Council a few years later with the disbanding of the GLC. Havering has continued to run the area as a country park and over the years have even extending it into land that had been earmarked for development. The latest extension was in 2006 when land owned by the NHS at the northern most boundary was given to the Council in return for land in Romford used to build the new Queens Hospital. In 2010 using funding from the Play Builder project a new play area was installed to replace one that had to be removed a few years before. In keeping with the sites history one of the items installed was bespoke climbing rock in the shape of a fighter lane soaring through the clouds

Climbing rock at Hornchurch Country Park A trim trail and outdoor gym was also installed in the park in 2011 using money from the Marathon Trust. The next major changed within the park was the opening of a visitor centre in the Park in October 2015. This was through a partnership between Havering Council and the Essex Wildlife Trust, who run the centre.

Essex Wildlife Trust Visitor Centre Cafe Further works were carried out to the play area in 2018 when some more inclusive items were added and again in 2023 as part of some Section 106 money when some items were replaced and others added. Also in 2023, as part of the S106 monies, improvements were made to a public footpath that links the park to nearby main road and Hornchurch Airfield Museum and additional interpretation installed. Winter of 2022 and 23 saw the creation of the Covid Memorial Woodland. Hornchurch Country Park has been successful in the London in Bloom awards, achieving Gold on many occasions and also winning best in category for conservation area and Country Park more than once. In 2019 the decision was made by members to put Hornchurch Country Park in for Green Flag in 2020. 10

Further historical information is available in the appendix

Some of the new play equipment

Installation of the Covid Memorial monument

1.5 Location and Transport Links

Location Map

Aerial photo of Hornchurch Country Park

Site Plan

1.5.1 Address Hornchurch Country Park, Squadrons Approach Hornchurch RM12 6DF (Sat Nav RM12 6TS) 1.5.2 Bus 252 from Collier Row alighting Hornchurch Country Park 252 from Hornchurch Town Centre alighting at Hornchurch Country Park 256 From Harold Hill alighting outside the St Georges park estate. 256 from opposite St Georges park estate 14

1.5.3 Car Squadrons Approach car park (Location of Visitor Centre) Squadrons Approach Hornchurch Sat Nav RM12 6TS Albyns Farm Car Park South End Road Rainham RM13 7YH 1.5.4 Train 1.1 miles from Hornchurch District Line Station 3.4 miles from Romford Station. TFL Rail and Greater Anglia services 2.5 miles from Rainham Station. C2C Service

Original E Pen Revetments at Squadrons Approach Car Park (Currently being restored by Friends of Ingrebourne Valley and Park Ranger)

2. A Welcoming Place 2.1 Entrance points As the site mainly has an open perimeter there are a number of entrances into Hornchurch Country Park from both the highway and from other sites. Listed here are only the main entrances. 2.1.1 Squadrons Approach Vehicle entrance that leads into the main car park with a separate pedestrian path that leads direct to the Visitor Centre. This entrance has a separate coach bay for visiting schools. The vehicle entrance is protected by a gate at the front and a height barrier further in.

2.1.2 Albyns Farm, South End Road entrance A vehicle entrance that leads down to the smaller Albyns Farm Car Park and the Ranger Depot. The vehicle entrance is protected by a gate and height barrier further in.

2.1.3 Berwick Woods entrance A pedestrian entrance from the Tarmac owned open space and also on a public right of way. The entrance has a walk round gate on one side and horse step on the other.

2.1.4 Suttons Lane Pedestrian A hard surfaced pedestrian entrance that leads directly into the Park from the nearby bus stop.

2.1.5 Ingerebourne Hill Entrance A hard pedestrian entrance that connects the Forestry England site with the Country Park

2.2. Entrance Signs 2.2.1 Entrance signs There are currently three types of entrance sign in use at the main entrances. 2.2.1.1 RAF style entrance signs The entrance sign on the corner of Airfield Way and Squadrons Approach was designed in partnership with the Parks Service and Essex Wildlife Trust. It was designed to mimic the style of sign used the Royal Air Force to help show the sites historic past. Special permission was required from the Ministry of Defence for use of the RAF Hornchurch station Badge. The sign also uses pictorial representation to show the facilities available on site. There is also a similar style of sign within the park showing what is available in the Visitors Centre. The colour used is also the PRU blue used by the RAF and is being the colour scheme being introduced on site furniture across the site to represent the historic past. This sign type has now been introduced at the Albyns Farm, Berwick Woods and Ingrebourne Hill entrances.

Outer entrance sign

Berwick Woods

Car Park entrance sign

Albyns Farm

Ingrebourne Hill

2.2.1.2 Wooden signs These are the original signage in use at the Country Park and are still in use at the Albyns Farm vehicle entrance and Sutton Lane Pedestrian Entrance. This type will slowly be phased out for the newer RAF blue type.

Example of wood entrance sign 2.2.1.3 Metal entrance signs These were installed several years ago by the now finished Council/ Essex Wildlife Trust Ingrebourne Valley Project. They are large metal signs. These signs were the start of an Ingrebourne Valley brand to introduce users to the idea that green space in the area interconnected. These were also introduced in the RAF Blue colour.

Squadrons approach entrance

2.2.1.3 Covid Memorial Signs Based on the look of a standard park sign and not in the PRU blue so as to give the memorial its own look

2.2.2 Map and notice boards These are situated by both car parks. These are in PRU Blue which is the colour used by the Royal Air Force during WW2. This is a different colour scheme to most of the Boroughs Parks as it better represents the historic theme of the Park and is being introduced to all the Parks furniture as best as possible.

Map and notice board at Squadrons Approach Car Park 2.2.3 Finger posts These are situated at junctions along the main paths within the park and also mark the Sustrans Connect2 cycle route and the London Loop long distance footpath. The Site Ranger has the facilities to carry repairs to these if necessary.

Example of the finger way marking posts within the Park 2.3 Equal Access Given the nature of the site paved access is not available across the whole site. However the main areas of the Park are linked by a paved equal access path. This runs along the east side of the park and links the Squadrons Approach car park, visitor centre, viewpoint, many of the historic remains, lake and Albyns Farm Car Park. There is also a link from this path into the Forestry Commission Ingerbourne Hill site. There is also a spur off this path that avoids having to go over the small hill in the centre of the park. A new paved path was also installed from the coach bay at the entrance to the visitor centre. As part of the visitor centre work dedicated disabled parking bays in the Squadron Approach car park.

Path uphill showing finger post marking alternative route

3. Healthy, Safe and Secure 3.1 Health and Safety Systems Health and Safety is paramount to Havering Parks and Open Spaces Service. Health and Safety is instilled in all of the working practices and complies with Havering’s Health and Safety Policy, Havering’s Parks and Open Spaces safe working practice and relevant safety legislation. 3.1.1 Training All staff to receive training to enable them to carry out all tasks asked of them. This ranges from on-site instruction to a training course or qualification, as determined through appraisals and one to ones. Course can be provided externally for job specific training, e.g. operating hazardous tools and equipment, or corporately provided for generic subjects, e.g. first aid. 3.1.2. Communication There are many avenues for communication of Health and Safety issues, to report incidents and raise concerns. These include Health and Safety Working Groups that include representatives from each department, e.g. Public Realm, team briefings/meetings, health and safety notice boards, Departmental Health and Safety Committee (union representative) meetings, staff appraisals and verbal briefings. 3.1.2. Co-operation All staff are required to comply with health and safety measures. Managers are encouraged to promote a positive safety culture. 3.1.2. Monitoring Accident and Incident Reporting (AIR) provides a means of reactive monitoring and a good way of introducing preventative measures. Reporting is presented at CRM and the Health and Safety Working Groups. Annual surveys are carried out by the departments corporate Health and Safety Advisor. These include a desktop assessment for the section, e.g. Parks and Open Spaces, and then site surveys (mainly in depots) if necessary. 3.1.3 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) There is a minimum standard of equipment required for park maintenance staff. All other PPE required is supplied and must be worn when completing tasks. All PPE is correctly stored. Damaged, worn or out of date PPE is replaced. 3.1.4 Vehicle, Machinery and Tools All equipment must be regularly serviced and repaired and all staff are given training on equipment that they are required to use. In some cases certificates of competence are required before equipment can be used. Only operatives with the correct certification are permitted to use the corresponding equipment.

3.1.5 Chemicals The Parks and Open Spaces Section comply with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1994. The Food and Environment Protection Act (Pesticide Regulations) 1984 and has a policy for the Pesticide Reduction. Full Pesticide Reduction Policy can be found at Appendix 3. 3.1.6 Welfare All workplaces comply with the Workplace Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations 1992. 3.1.7 First Aid Each office and depot has at least one trained in first aid and has a fully stocked first aid kit as to all vehicles. It is the responsibility of the service manager to ensure that the first aid kit is fully stocked at all times. 3.1.8. Fire All managers must ensure that they are familiar with fire prevention and understand the use of various types of extinguishers. Fire extinguishers in depots and vehicles are checked annually by a specialist contractor under the Council’s Corporate Landlord Agreement. 3.1.9 Risk Assessments Parks are not risk assessed individually but risk assessments are carried out on the features of parks, the operations that occur within them, e.g. grounds maintenance, and any events or activities that take place. Operational risk assessments, e.g. grass cutting, are filed and kept in the relevant depots and park features, e.g. waterbodies, are kept in the parks management office, and communicated to all staff. Risk assessments are produced by management staff but are checked by the Corporate Health and Safety Advisor as part of the annual survey. They will also assist in the production of risk assessments for new issues or operations, e.g. conservation areas. Examples can be found in the Appendix 4. In additional to the operational tasks, the following risk assessments apply to Hornchurch Country Park: Conservation/meadow areas Shrubberies and hedgerows Parks Furniture Gates and fences and bollards Hard surfaces Sports and recreation areas Car Parks Open Water Animal Husbandry

3.2 Havering Enforcement Team The Enforcement Team as a whole are a proactive borough wide resource dealing with a huge variety of issues ranging from traveller incursions in parks and open spaces, drugs distribution, disrupting gang activity, supporting rough sleepers to get them into accommodation, hi visibility patrols, community engagement, fly tips and anti-social behaviour. The Enforcement Team consists of 15 staff, split into three teams covering North, Central and South areas. The Enforcement Team work a 6-day rota across Housing Estates, Streets and Parks. Within the 15 staff, two of them are currently dual badged and are fully attested Police Constables. These two officers focus on patrolling all of Havering Parks on a 7-day rota and can be supported by the wider Enforcement Team when required.

Shift patterns are intelligence led and seasonally driven and can be changed to address local issues. The team remains flexible with shifts to enable them to respond to demand. The team are based centrally in the borough so they are best placed to respond to incidents when necessary. One of the purposes of the Enforcement Team is to maintain the borough's parks and open spaces as safe and pleasant places for people to visit. This involves regular targeted policing patrols, enforcing byelaws and other relevant legislation and enactments, meanwhile liaising with the community. A full copy of the borough’s Pleasure Ground Byelaws is in Appendix 5. It is essential that Parks officers liaise on a regular basis with Parks Police Officers to report incidents and share information. The team have a scheduled system of prioritised patrols, based on the hierarchy of parks, however ‘hotspots’ can sometimes vary and therefore informal and formal reporting is necessary between teams. 24

In 2025, the Enforcement Team were called to Hornchurch Country Park 10 times. Calls included reports of motorbikes and a traveller incursion.

Cows grazing the marshes

3.3 Infrastructure Repairs needed to the pathways, fencing, gates, signs and other items are carried out either by the in-house Parks Maintenance Operative in the first instance or if a more specialist repair or replacement is required a contractor is arranged through the Parks Development Team. The majority of work is undertaken by the Parks Maintenance operative who are trained and certified to weld, cut and work in play areas. Job sheets are allocated on the following priorities and an example can be found in Appendix 6. Emergency (will be phoned through then followed up with job sheet) – same day High – within one week Medium – one month Low – as soon as possible (these are usually carried out when the team are next in that area and have the time to complete the work) The team’s workload is then managed by having quarterly meetings with the Parks Development team to assess the outstanding job sheets and help further prioritise them. In most cases it will be ranking the medium and low priority jobs.

Parks Maintenance operative removing damaged fencing

3.4 Parks Monitoring There is a parks monitoring system that is carried out by Parks Development Officers and covers both the grounds maintenance standards and condition of infrastructure. This includes regularly checking paths, furniture, fencing and gates. Items or work are assessed on an A to D score, with the following actions: A

(Good Standard)

No action

(Satisfactory standard)

Low risk

Monitor

(Unsatisfactory Standard - minor concerns)

Medium Risk

Appropriate action within available resources and individual site assessment

D (Poor standard - major concerns)

High Risk

Immediate action to bring to a satisfactory standard and/or make the area safe

Standards are assessed using a manual which has photos and descriptions for each area. This was produced using examples from within the borough and the London Parks Benchmarking Group’s ‘Quality Manual’. It is a ‘live’ document and will be updated with new photos when necessary. Any required actions are recorded and either dealt with by the Parks Officer or reported to the relevant officer or contractor. The frequency of monitoring is dictated by a hierarchy of Parks. This list saw Parks and Open Spaces categorised according to use, facilities and location. The frequencies were agreed by the Council’s Insurance and Health and Safety departments and are listed below. Top 25 Parks – Monitored monthly. Principle 20 Open Spaces monitored a minimum of six monthly. Others monitored a minimum of once a year. Hornchurch Country Park is categorised as a top 25 park and has a full inspection monthly. A copy of a parks monitoring form can be found in the Appendix 7.

4. Maintenance of equipment, buildings and landscape 4.1 Horticultural maintenance Grounds Maintenance Operations at Hornchurch Country Park fall under two areas. The majority of tasks within the Park are carried out by the Ranger Service with a Ranger and Apprentice being based on site. There tasks involve litter picking and emptying of the bins, specialist weed treatment if required and arboriculture work. They are also responsible for the cutting of the path verges and fire breaks and around furniture. The Grounds Maintenance team cut the large amenity areas within the Park. This differs from the majority of the Boroughs other Parks where except specialist weed treatment and arboriculture all operations in parks are carried out by the house Grounds Maintenance team within the Public Ream department. Work is carried out to a specification, found on the Parks W drive under W:\data03\PARKS\James\GM Spec and is available on request. The index page showing the items in the specification is in the Appendix 8. This was produced using best practice from the London Parks Benchmarking Group’s Specification, whilst ensuring it suited Havering’s requirements and budget. Although the items in the specification form the basis of all operations and standards of work, there is considerable flexibility in the fact that the teams are manged in house as both the Parks Development team (the Ranger Service come under this team) and the Grounds maintenance manager work closely together and report to the same group manager. The various landscape features, e.g. Amenity grassland, play areas, meadows, are illustrated on a plan of the park using different colours, e.g. brown for woodland, dark green for conservation area, pink for play area, etc This is used predominately by operational staff as a guide. This is especially useful for the maintenance of conservation areas for the tractor drivers who carry out gang-mowing. . The Grounds Maintenance team are split into 3 zones, North, Central and South, each with their own depot. The tractor dedicated for the south however is based at the Hornchurch Country Park to given easier access to the southern sites. Each zone has a Supervisor and Charge-hands. The Grounds Maintenance Manager is based in the Public Realm Office and works alongside the Parks Development team. Hornchurch Country Park falls under the Southern team.

An example of the ground’s maintenance plan surrounding the visitor centre

4.1.1 Amenity Grass Amenity grass is those areas used for general recreation and formal and informal sports and can include wide open spaces or those areas planted with trees and shrubs. The height of this grass is cut to 25mm throughout the year. The grass 29

clippings are allowed to fly and not collected. The grass is cut with tractor mounted gang mowers and ride on triples. Areas where the mowers cannot access and grass around obstacles are cut using strimmers. 4.1.2 Hedges Hedges are split into formal and informal. Formal hedges are cut and faced over each winter with mixture offhand held power tools and tractor services tractor mounted finger mower. During the summer only essential cutting back work is carried out so as not to disturb nesting birds. Informal hedges are cut with the use tractor based implements during winter months when necessary to ensure an optimum height and spread is kept. 4.1.3 Herd Animal Husbandry There has been Grazing on the marshes by cattle since 1997. The cattle have therefore been a visitor attraction for a number of years and are an established part of the park. They arrive in May and are on site until the autumn.

Grazing Cattle on the Marsh The Cattle are owned by a local farmer, and he is mainly responsible for the welfare of the cattle. However, the Rangers do have a responsibility to observe them and report concerns. They are also responsible for ensuring the cattle troughs are filled during dry periods and for moving the cattle between enclosures when necessary. 30

4.2 Arboricultural management Trees in parks are managed by an Arboriculture Officer based within the Environment department. Parks officers carry out basic visual inspections of trees as part of general park inspections and then any issues are reported to the Arboriculture Officer. They will then carry out a more detailed inspection and if necessary raise a works order with the borough’s external contractor using schedules of rates. They will also deal with all contact from the public who have concerns about trees either in the parks they visit or close to their property. The existing trees in the park have been assessed and any necessary work to improve their appearance and health, e.g. crown thinning, reducing and dead wooding. New trees have been planted in to add variety to the landscape. Currently a new tree strategy is being worked on, but this has been delayed by both the pandemic and staffing issues, but when complete there will be an overall Borough wide tree strategy encompassing Parks, Streets and Housing sites. It will also tie in with the London Environment Strategy 2018, which sets out the Mayor of London’s vision for a greener capital. The Council’s current Tree Strategy was produced by the previous Tree Team, who and at the time the management of parks was not as formal. There is no specific mention of parks in the strategy, but this used as the basis for the management of Parks Trees. When the strategy is updated the management of parks trees will be included. A copy can be found in Appendix 9. 4.2.1 site specific tree works As well as woodland works mentioned later on in the plan there has been some ad hoc work needed in trees within the Country Park. There has been an outbreak if OPM which has needed treatment and three trees along the path towards the museum have died and needed taking down. 4.3 Vehicles and plant maintenance The Ranger Service has a range of vehicles and equipment such as Landover’s, Tractors, flail, Chipper, Avant multiuse machine, strimmer’s and mowers etc, The Grounds Maintenance team have a fleet of tractors which power gang-mowers, flails, batwing topper, hedge cutters and a collector mower. They also use triple and out-front mowers for smaller areas within the park. All fleet vehicles are checked prior to use every day and a corporate vehicle check sheet filled out; an example is at Appendix 10. All vehicles are also fitted with a tracker for security purposes. All the Fleet vehicles and ride on machines are maintained owned by the council and repaired by our in-house transport department. Small items of plant (strimmers, hedge trimmers etc.) are maintained by a specialist external contractor who visits depots at Gidea Park on a regular basis.

4.4 Parks Furniture All Parks Furniture is inspected as part of the Parks monitoring system and graded A to D as appropriate. Repairs or removal and replacements are actioned as appropriate. Generally, park benches have been selected as metal frame and slats that better withstand vandalism and are easier for the Parks Fitter to repair. Parks furniture is also of the same colour, RAL 6005, therefore making it easier to repaint. However the country park also has a number of heavy and sturdy wooden benches that are more in keeping in their locations. The metal benches within the country park are being repainted to match the new RAF blue paint scheme. This is British Standard 636 on the BS Colour Card 381 also known as PRU blue. However this is an old colour and difficult to obtain so a near match has been used in some cases. We also operate a donation scheme where members of public can pay for the installation of a new bench with plaque. In certain locations we have taken the opportunity to replace existing benches.

Standard park bench

The Parks and Open Spaces Service are also changing its standard bin to one that is larger and more robust as previous bins suffered badly with corrosion. This is on a rolling program and some of Hornchurch Country Park’s bins have changed over to this new type. The next round of renewal will be on the PRU blue colour scheme. . The larger capacity means they can hold dog waste. In parks where the new bins are being installed the old dog bins are being removed. People are encouraged to use the new dual-use bins by signage on the bins, around the park, on social media, and when necessary through contact with the Parks Protection Service. One of the benefits is that it is no longer necessary for separate collections for waste as it all comes from the litter bins.

Dual-use bin in RAL6005

Bin in new blue colour scheme

4.5 Play and Recreation 4.5.1 Outdoor Gym & Trim Trail In 2012 an outdoor gym and trim trail was installed. The gym equipment is located near the play area in the north of the park. The trim trail follows pathways through the path and was designed jointly with colleagues in the Sports Development department. The equipment is included in the same inspection regime as play areas (see 4.5.3).

Outdoor gym area

Trim-trail 4.5.3 Play area The play area is located in the north of the park, between the Squadrons Approach car park and visitor’s centre. It is mainly open with a fenced off toddler area. The play area was refurbished in 2010, and the equipment caters for a good range of ages. Additional items of inclusive use equipment were installed in 2018. In early summer 2023 there was a small refurbishment of the play area. This involved the removal of the old zip wire (as it was becoming unfit for use) and replacement of some additional equipment.

Aerial view of play area after 2010 refurbishment

Inclusive items added in Play area 2018

Items added in 2023

Play areas are subject to three types of inspection. Basic visual inspection This is carried out by RoSPA trained Grounds Maintenance operatives at specific frequencies throughout the week. Each inspection is logged on a visual inspection sheet, an example of which is in Appendix 15. These sheets are then fed back to the Parks Development Officers to be actioned as appropriate, e.g. repair, take out of action or monitor. The frequency of these checks varies as it is decided on a usage and fault finding basis. The large majority of repairs are carried out by the

Parks Maintenance team (Supervisor and Assistant). If necessary, a specialist play area manufacturer will be used. Operational Inspection This is a more in-depth inspection and is carried out by the RoSPA trained Parks Maintenance Supervisor. They will check bearings, chains. Links nuts and bolts etc and have the equipment to carry out many repairs. These checks are recorded, example in Appendix 16, and any faults that cannot be rectified reported to the Parks team and if necessary the item taken out of use until repaired. The fitter carried out these inspections on a quarterly basis. Independent annual check This is carried out by a reputable organisation such as RoSPA on an annual basis. The outcomes of their report are used to set a work program in for the Parks Maintenance team and feeds into budget planning of the Parks Development Team. It is very rare that high risk items are found in our parks and none have been identified in Hornchurch Country Park. Therefore, mainly the medium risk items are prioritised for the year. These are found on the W drive under Parks Inspections. As well as the above there are also ad hoc inspections by the Parks Development Officers that back up the formal inspections and also ensure a quality check on the visual inspections. 4.6 Parks Buildings Park buildings come under two headings. Leased buildings where there is minimal council involvement and most maintenance is the responsibility of the lessee under a full repairing lease, or buildings where all maintenance is carried out by the Council under its Corporate Landlord Agreement managed by the Asset Management department. There are three buildings in Hornchurch Country Park. The first and second buildings are the Ranger Depot and the classroom in the ranger base yard. These are managed through Facilities Managements Corporate Landlord Scheme. The third building is the Essex wildlife trust visitor centre is leased and the trust is responsible for the building and outdoor seating area. .

Hornchurch Country Park Visitor Centre

Hornchurch Country Park Depot

5. Litter, Cleanliness and Vandalism 5.1 Litter Management The Park is litter picked, and bins emptied at least three times a week but this increases in the summer. This is carried out by the Ranger Service team during the week. At weekend in the summer the GM team empty the bins nearest the visitor centre over the weekend. The Wildlife Trust staff also keeps an eye on the ones near the centre and will empty these if needed. The Friends group also carry out regular clean ups within the park. The park now has bigger dual-use bins for both litter and dog waste so there is no longer a need for dedicated dog waste bins. The Enforcement team can issue Fixed Penalty Notices for littering. 5.2 Sweeping Sweeping hard surfaces in parks is carried by the Street Cleansing team. This means that Parks have access to a greater choice of machines and time to carry out sweeping operations as this service operates seven days a week and into the evenings. The main areas, car park path by visitor’s centre at Hornchurch Country Park is swept on a weekly basis. 5.3 Graffiti Graffiti removal is undertaken by the Ranger Service Team. However Parks Officers and the Enforcement Service also have small graffiti removal kits to deal with small scale material when practicable. Offensive graffiti is removed within 24 hours and if it is reported to the Parks team, officers will usually deal with this. Non-offensive is removed with 28 days.

Park Rangers and Parks Protection Officer remove graffiti using wipes

5.4 Fly tipping Fly tipping is removed by the Ranger Service, with larger items removed by the grab lorry if necessary. The exception is where there is suspected asbestos when the Council’s Asbestos unit will arrange the removal. Where possible prior to removal the Parks Protection Service will inspect fly tipping in an effort to collate evidence for prosecution. However it is very rare that any details are found. All fly tipping is logged and recorded corporately to monitor hotspots and patterns. There is no park specific data but incidents are low in comparison to highways and housing areas. Hotspots in parks are usually in car parks and to prevent this barriers are in place to close areas at night. In particularly vulnerable areas height barriers are also in place to stop large vehicles entering. 5.5 Reporting Apart from Council staff there are a number of options for public reporting of vandalism, litter, fly tipping and graffiti. The council has recently adopted an online system of reporting through the website, www.havering.gov.uk . However Park notice boards also contain a dedicated phone number for the Parks Team and an out of hour’s number. The Enforcement Team also have their own dedicated mobile number and have advertised this frequently on social media sites and have giving out numerous contact cards. 5.6 Dog fouling The Parks Development team make efforts to educate dog owners to be responsible, particularly close to areas where people are liable to be eating or children playing. Signs are clearly displayed to inform dog owners that: • They should not allow their dogs to foul the area; • If their dogs do foul the surfaces, dog owners should clean up after them and deposit the faeces in one of the waste bins on the site. The Enforcement Service can issue Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN’s) for dog fouling, where the owner fails to pick up. A dog walker has been subject to a fixed penalty notice on site. The same dog walker was later subjected to a court appearance and fine as they were caught by a member of the public and reported allowing a dog to foul.

Friends of Ingrebourne Valley clean-up day 39

6. Environmental Management 6.1 Energy Sustainability In section B of the Climate Change Action Plan (Fleet, Transport & Machinery), the Grounds Maintenance team have been examining their use of vehicles. One result of this is planning to replace the Supervisor’s vehicles with electric vans. This is being arranged corporately through the Transport Services department. Once the leases expire on all operational supervisors’ vehicles they will be replaced with electric vans. Some Ford Transit Connect Electric have been acquired for GM use as well as the installation of charging points in relevant areas. Havering Council’s Cabinet have formally laid out how the Council will tackle climate change and become carbon neutral by 2040 or sooner. The Havering Climate Change Action Plan (HCCAP) sets out how it will do this through nine priority areas, with Transport and Domestic Gas use identified as being the most responsible for carbon emissions. The HCCAP will help the Council deliver on a number of outcomes – these include: - improving air quality, through cycling, walking and electric vehicles - better health and well-being helped with active travel, access to green spaces and sustainable diets - reducing poverty and inequality - supported through delivering energy efficient fuel poverty-proof homes - job opportunities and financial growth by developing new green skills for local people More information can be found at https://www.havering.gov.uk/caring-localenvironment/what-we-are-doing Service specific objectives and the way parks, including Spring Farm Park will contribute to this will be included in future updates of this plan. 6.2 Peat use. The Parks and Open Spaces Service have a no peat use policy; as such no peat based products are bought or used. See Appendix 11. 6.3 Waste Minimisation 6.3.1 Litter and recycling Waste in Havering is dealt with by the East London Waste Authority (ELWA) and litter collected in Parks is transported to their Frog Island site in Rainham. The ELWA was established on 1 January 1986 as a Statutory Waste Disposal Authority (WDA), responsible for the disposal of waste from the London Boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Newham and Redbridge. In 1996, ELWA developed the Integrated Waste Management Strategy (IWMS), aimed at dramatically increasing recycling and composting and reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill and this was reviewed in 2006. The strategy was designed to strike the best possible balance between costs and environmental impact. In 2002, ELWA signed a 25 year contract with Shanks PLC, a leading waste management company, to deliver the IWMS. Over the course of the contract Shanks will invest over £100 million in new and improved facilities to treat and manage waste and 40

recycling. A new Joint Strategy for East London’s Resources and Waste has been prepared as a partnership between ELWA and the London Boroughs of Barking & Dagenham, Havering, Newham and Redbridge. The Joint Strategy covers the period 2027 to 2057. A public consultation on the Joint Strategy was carried out for eight weeks between 26 July and 20 September 2021. The feedback from this consultation was compiled and analysed to help with preparing a final draft of the Joint Strategy. This was formally adopted by the Partner Authorities in early 2022. https://eastlondonwaste.gov.uk/jointstrategy/ The plant at Frog Island handles household waste and recyclable materials from mainly Barking & Dagenham and Havering. This also applied for parks waste. Recyclables are sent to a Materials Recycling Facility for processing. Residual waste undergoes Mechanical Biological Treatment. The treatment separates materials for recycling and produces a Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) that can be used to replace fossil fuels in the generation of energy. This reduces waste to landfill by up to 80%.

Frog Island Waste Management Facility

The current figures from the facility for general waste (Parks, street cleansing ect) are; Recycled (metals, glass, recovered organic fines) 12.7%, Moisture loss 30%, Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) / Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) outputs 57.3% Land Fill 0% 6.3.2. Recycling Havering offers a doorstep collection now for much recycling but in the past some parks sites had mini recycling centres that allow residents to recycle glass, cans, plastic bottles and paper.

6.3.3 Visitor Centre Recycling The visitor centre’s rubbish is collected and sorted at a processing plant in Thurrock. Approximately 26% of the waste is recycled. Approximately 98% of the nonrecyclable waste is diverted from landfill and is instead incinerated at a facility in South East London. This facility generates over 50MW of power to the National Grid, powering over 9000 homes. Their glass bottles that they sell in the café are sent back to the company that supplies them and are reused for their products, take away cups are compostable and their other cups, jam pots, slushie cups are all veggie ware and they only use paper compostable straws. Left over coffee grounds are used as compost for gardens. 6.3.4 Composting In 2015 Grounds maintenance purchased a composter allowing the service to become self-sufficient for compost. This reduces the amount of waste that is taken to the WMF and vehicle journeys and usage. This also complies with sections B and L of the Climate Change Action Plan. This is sited in a dedicated yard within the park depot. Green waste is collected at strategic points across the borough, to reduce journey times by Grounds Maintenance vehicles, and transported up to the depot for processing. The waste is processed into compost and stored in bays that allow the staff to monitor the compost and use in order as it is ready.

Material being churned over The following materials can be recycled: • • • • • • 42

Branches (up to 100mm diameter) Leaves (not from highways) Hedge cuttings Prunings Grass clippings (untreated – i.e. not from bowling or cricket) Weeds (untreated)

• • • • • •

Twigs Wood (no nails, screws or bolts) Soil Turf offcuts Edging Old top dressing etc.

Each pile will be regularly turned to assist with the aerobic composting. This raises the temperature of the material which reaches 50 – 60 degrees at which point weeds and pathogens are eliminated and the decomposition accelerated. Staff use a specialise probe to test the compost piles and once it has levelled out at constant temperature it is ready to use. Since this operation started 200 tons of green waste has been diverted from Frog Island and to our own compost operations. Material is used when improving soil in park shrub beds.

Composter in action

Compost bays in the dedicated yard at Bedfords Park

6.4 Pesticide use Havering’s Parks team has developed a pesticide (reduction) strategy aimed at minimising the use of pesticides and the risks which pesticides can present. This can be found in Appendix 3. Where possible non-chemical alternative methods of control are used which included: Toleration Mulching Hoeing Strimming Manual Weeding Burning Planting Densities These are not listed in any form of order as each area will have its own peculiarities that dictate the method used. If necessary, we use a chemical on site for the control of Japanese Knotweed and also to control the Giant Knotweed on site. Glyphosate is injected directly into the stems of the plants whilst the plant is in flower.

Visitor centre viewed from Marshes viewing point 44

7. Biodiversity, Landscape and Heritage Hornchurch Country Park has Local Nature Reserve Classification. A local nature reserve is a statutory designation made under Section 21 – "Establishment of nature reserves by local authorities" – of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 by principal local authorities (district, borough or unitary councils) in England, Scotland and Wales. We aim to manage the park as a much as possible for the benefit of biodiversity and conservation. In addition to LNR Statutory designation, the site is designated as a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation. The site also lies within the area of London Metropolitan Green Belt. Some of the site (Ingrebourne Marshes) and are also classed as a Special Site of Scientific Interest (SSSI). A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) is a formal conservation designation. Usually, it describes an area that’s of particular interest to science due to the rare species of fauna or flora it contains - or even important geological or physiological features that may lie in its boundaries. The reason for designation is that the Ingrebourne Valley supports the largest and one of the most diverse coherent areas of freshwater marshland in Greater London. The variety of habitat includes extensive areas of reed sweet-grass Glyceria maxima and common reed Phragmites australis swamp; wet neutral grassland, and tall fen. Nowhere else in London do these habitats occur on such a large scale or in such intimate juxtaposition. These habitats also support a rich assemblage of associated invertebrates and breeding birds.

Area of SSSI 45

7.1 Management of natural features, wild fauna, flora 7.1.1 Higher Level Stewardship Hornchurch Country Park is one of three Havering parks and open spaces that are part of the Higher Level Stewardship Scheme run by Natural England. Higher Level Stewardship aims to deliver significant environmental benefits in priority areas. It involves more complex environmental management requiring support and advice from local advisers, to develop a comprehensive agreement that achieves a wide range of environmental benefits over a longer period of time. Higher Level Stewardship agreements last for ten years.

View over the grazing marshes

Hornchurch Country Park benefits in many ways from this funding and the biodiversity of the park will greatly improve over time. There are two parts to the funding with Capital money was used to create and install infrastructure items (fences and gates) and then Revenue money to maintain the scheme. A major part of the scheme is having cattle in designated areas, during the summer months, to carry out conservation grazing of which dairy cattle are being used, there is an agreement with a farmer close to the park. The Capital funding has enabled us to install renew stock fencing, field gates, and water troughs. Revenue funding helps us to maintain hedges, clear unwanted scrub and cut grass for hay. We have also used the funding recently to repair fencing in two additional grazing compartments and thus increase the space the cattle can graze in. This has had the benefit of the cattle removing willow carr and other scrub.

Cows in Ingrebourne Marshes at Hornchurch Country Park 46

Another major part of the HLS scheme is the cutting for hay a large part of the Park. This is carried out by the farmer who grazes on the marshes. This is part of the agreement and as such he gets grazing in the summer and feed for winter and we get better management of the site than we could do with our available resources. By carrying out conservation grazing, which is more environmentally acceptable than by cutting with petrol or diesel machinery we will be able to enhance the already species rich site and give visitors a different experience.

Cow in grazing area recently opened up through HLS funding

7.1.2 Conservation areas Parts of the park that do not come under the HLS and not managed for amenity use are classed as conservation areas but due to undulating condition of the ground the management is limited. The ground was very roughly landscaped after landfill and as such the use of machinery on the site is limited. Fire breaks / paths are cut through these areas regularly through the growing season by the Ranger. A proposal was put forward a number of years ago use inert soil in many of the areas to raise the level and flatten the area out so at better management could take place. However this was met with considerable local opposition and the scheme was not taken forward.

7.2 Conservation of Landscape Features Former military airfield The historical features that remain of the original airfield are limited but what is here are significant. 7.2.1 Fighter dispersal (E Pen) The most prominent feature is the old fighter dispersal bay, also known as an E Pen as from the air it looks like a letter E. This is the last remaining one from RAF Hornchurch and is in use now as the site’s main car park. The concrete base, complete with tie down rings is the original as is the blast protection bund around the outside. Sadly, the air raid shelter contained within the bund has been partly collapsed and blocked off with concrete. Work is currently being undertaken by the Site Ranger and Friends group in removing the large amount of scrub growing on the bund to put it back to the more grass look it would have had during the War.

E Pen now the main car park

Tie down ring

7.2.2 Warship gun emplacement Tucked away to the rear of the car park is a little known site of a warship gun that was installed as part of the airfield defences. The site consists of a bricked round circle used to house the gun, a brick ammunition chamber and a partially buried concrete encased pipe running to the chamber. This would have been used to flood the chamber in case of attack. The site is now partially over gown but the Friends group have plans to carry out some repair and clearance work to the site.

Site of large warship gun 48

7.2.3 White Ring The large white ring on the floor by the play area has had many explanations as to its origins. It has previously thought that it was a compass setting ring for Aircraft or a barrage balloon tether point. It is now believed to be the base of an anti-aircraft gun enclosure. The grass in this area is cut short so it can be seen and when the path was upgraded from the car park to the visitor centre from loose fill to tarmac this was rooted around the ring.

Site of white concrete ring. 7.2.4 Airfield Perimeter track (Perry Track) The old airfield Perimeter track (used to get vehicles around the dispersal points) is still obvious in a couple of places around the park. Management on these is fairly basic so as to avoid damaging the area and is kept to just vegetation management.

Section of Perry Track just past visitor centre 7.2.5 Pill boxes There are several pill boxes around the eastern side of the park, including on half buried for which much mystery remains as to why. Two of the pill boxes are open so park visitors experience what it would have been like inside them. Given their 49

deliberately sturdy construction very little management is needed apart from some graffiti removal and repainting when necessary carried out by the Rangers.

Example of open pill box

sunken pill box

7.2.6 Tett Turrets One of the Parks most famous historic items are the rare Tett Turrets. The Park has six in total, although only two are visible. These are quite rare with only a handful surviving across the UK across a total of six sites. Two of the turrets are not in its original position (suspected it was bulldozed out of the way during quarrying) one has been gifted to the emerging RAF Hornchurch Heritage centre and they are going to remove it to the centre and set it up as a working example. The Rangers ensure the visible ones are kept free of vegetation.

One of the two visible Tett Turrets 7.2.7 Trenches There are a number of WW2 trench set ups in places in the Park. These are well hidden by vegetation and left that way deliberately as it stops artefact hunters and leaving them open and visible would pose a significant health and safety issue. 7.3 Woodlands As many insects make their home in dead wood which in turn attracts birds, such as woodpeckers, which search out these insects as a tasty meal, the Parks Service only removes fallen and felled trees where it has to for safety reasons. As there is more 50

life in a dead tree than a live one if it is safe and appropriate to do so fallen trees will be left in situ. If this is not possible then habitat piles are considered. This also has the benefit of assisting Britain’s largest Beetle, the Stag Beetle, is which is very fond of dead wood as it lays its eggs near rotting wood. The larvae then feed on the decaying wood from anywhere between three to seven years before cocooning themselves in the soil over winter and emerging as adults in May. Apart from the food source the thicker vegetation and trees also give cover to a number of birds such as Blackbirds, Robins and Jays as they fly from cover to cover looking for food. Informal paths are maintained through woodland areas by the Rangers. The Following systems are used: Coppice with standards 1. Managing coppice rotations to achieve: • Sycamore control (rotations typically less than 10 years to avoid seeding) –normally within the under storey. Thinning & coppicing is carried out on 8-10 year rotation. • Hornbeam/Sweet Chestnut/ash coppice, typically on an 8-10 year rotation to provide woodland products and maintain ecological diversity with standards • Undertake re-spacing as appropriate. 2. Control of under storey • Selective, careful under storey management of suitable compartments to enable more light to reach woodland floor, with an area of ¼ ha thinned per compartment per year (in identified compartments) • Undertake tree works to maintain a safe environment. 3. Thinning of woodland • Select and fell of weaker trees to open up the woodland canopy to enable better individual trees to increase in size to provide the larger standards of the future. • Glade and woodland ride creation and management to maintain/increase ground flora diversity 4. Control of dominant/invasive species including Japanese Knotweed, bramble, rhododendron and cherry laurel. 5. Visitor safety and enjoyment • Undertake tree works to maintain a safe environment. • Manage litter and fly tipping.

stag beetle

7.4 Marshes The Ingrebourne Marshes make up a large element of the natural habitats of the site and are designated as a SSSI. Grazing is carried out over much of the marsh to stop scrub from developing. This has been increased over the last few years with fencing being installed to allow grazing across a wider area.

New fencing

7.5 Biodiversity Action Plan In 2003, led by the Havering Wildlife Partnership, the Havering Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) was adopted. The purpose of the Action Plan, which prioritises 6 habitats and 16 species specific to Havering, is to contribute towards targets to conserve biodiversity set at a Regional and National Level. 52

The Council continues to work with the Havering Wildlife Partnership who meet quarterly. The Partnership is made up of dedicated local naturalists, members of Friends of Groups, representatives from the Essex Wildlife Trust, RSPB, Environment Agency, Natural England and London Biodiversity Partnership together with the Council’s Park and Open Spaces and Regeneration Teams. The focus of the partnership is essentially on biodiversity within Havering. The group are able to provide advice on the management of Havering’s parks and open spaces. One of the projects that the group are working on is updating the BAP. This update should take account of the progress that has been made in promoting, protecting and enhancing biodiversity in the borough in recent years, as well as the new challenges we are facing in the delivery of the nature conservation agenda. However, we are aware this plan needs updating and this is currently being worked on within a Council Project team with the aim of creating a much more up to date and relevant plan. This will then be in line with national, regional and local plans, e.g. the GLA’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy, when produced. As such the Council continues to host the Havering Wildlife Partnership who meet quarterly. The Partnership is made up of dedicated local naturalists, members of Friends of Groups, representatives from the Essex Wildlife Trust, RSPB, Environment Agency, Natural England and London Biodiversity Partnership together with the Council’s Park and Open Teams. The focus of the partnership is essentially on biodiversity within Havering. The group are able to provide advice on the management of Havering’s parks and open spaces. This update will look at the overarching aims and objectives and form new action plans. The current plan has 16 species Action Plans and 6 habitat Action Plans follow a common format with the following aims:

7.6 Havering Local Plan The Local Plan sets out the Council’s ambitious vision and strategy for future growth and sustainable development over the next 15 years up to 2031. There is a need for new infrastructure, homes and jobs and Havering needs a spatial plan that will enable the borough to rise to these challenges and address each of these needs. It is in draft form at the moment of writing this management plan. Chapter 12 of the plan covers Green Places and with this policy 29 and currently states “Green infrastructure” The Council will seek to maintain and expand the network of green spaces and natural features in Havering and optimise the benefits of green infrastructure to the environment, economy and community. The Council will support development which includes green infrastructure on-site which is multifunctional and integrates into the wider green infrastructure network. Developers are expected to work with existing partnerships to support and enhance green infrastructure provision including: The All London Green Grid Thames Chase Community Forest Rainham Wildspace Land of the Fanns Landscape Partnership Roding, Beam & Ingrebourne Catchment Partnership” The draft plan can be read in more detailed at Havering Local Plan | London Borough of Havering

7.7 Natural Ambition Booklet In 2006 Havering council created and published Natural Ambition, a guide to Havering’s natural environment. The purpose of the booklet was to raise awareness of the natural environment and biodiversity within the borough. It gives an overview of biodiversity in the Borough and the work being done to maintain and enhance it by all organisations. The booklet was widely distributed around Library’s, Schools and other public buildings. It can also be found on line at Natural Ambition - A Guide to Haverings Environment

Natural Ambitions front cover 54

Extracts from Natural Ambitions Booklet 55

7.8 Council Vision In November 2022 the Council set out a new Vision and Corporate Plan showing how the Council will deliver services to residents with clear targets. Supporting this, the new Target Operating Model will move different services into three directorates – People, Place and Resources - so that there is a clearer focus and better working between departments. As part of Place them on outcome is “Havering is a clean and Green Borough”. This will include key action such as increasing recycling, better air quality and EV charging points. More can be found at The Havering Vision | London Borough of Havering

8. Community involvement The Parks Development team encourages community involvement as much as possible. It also works to foster good relations with the stake holders of its Parks. 8.1 Community surveys 8.1.1 Parks Strategy Survey The Parks Survey ran a consultation between September and November 2022 with the aim to set out Havering’s priorities for its parks and open spaces over the next 10 years in order to meet the objectives set out in national, regional and corporate plans and policies. The information gathered through this public engagement is to be incorporated into a draft strategy to be presented to the Council’s Cabinet. Details can be found in Appendix 17. Hornchurch Country Park was the most visited by respondents. 8.1.2 Resident’s survey 2018 In 2018 the Communications team commissioned Ipsos MORI to carry out a resident’s survey which covered all services. The results were very favourable for Parks. The service received the highest satisfaction rating out of all Council services at 91%.

Parks were also rated as the Council’s 3rd most important service The Parks team are working with Communications to arrange a more up to date survey.

8.2 User Groups Some of the Boroughs parks have Friends Groups formed and they take the form of two types. A standard Friends group will have varying involvement in the management of their park and hold meetings as they require. Parks Officers will attend as necessary and when possible. Groups can apply to achieve ‘Official Friends Group’ status. These groups then have an agreement with the Parks Service to meet certain criteria, e.g. carry out public consultation, carry out projects/activities in the park, have a youth representative on the committee, hold at least one event during the year, have regular minuted meetings and adopt a constitution. In return these groups are guaranteed officer attendance at their meetings, admin support, e.g. printing, laminating, and the payment of their Public Liability Insurance. These groups can also apply for a £1000 grant towards a capital project within their Park. 8.2.1 The Friends of Hornchurch Country Park & Ingrebourne Valley The group were formed in 2012 and have a particular interest in the park but also the other green spaces within the Ingrebourne Valley. The Parks Development Officer attends the regular and looks to encourage more people to get involved in the park and help the group grow in an inclusive way to become fully representative of the local community. The group are an official group. The Friends undertake a number of tasks to maintain help maintain the Park and Ingrebourne Valley and work very closely with the Ranger. The Friends group usually have at least one working party a month at a weekend and also ad hoc ones during the week to assist the Ranger. Activities they have undertaken is including scrub clearance, litter picking, species surveys, river clearance and invasive species control. The friends work days and passion for the park is extremely important in the management and development of one of the borough’s key green spaces.

Friend’s group work party 58

The group are covered by the Council’s Public Liability insurance for activities they undertake in the park, on the condition that it is risk assessed (Parks Officers assist with this) and individuals have the relevant competency training, e.g. manual handling. Usually, training is delivered by Grounds Maintenance Supervisors or Parks Officers and will be limited to using hand tools. The group meets monthly for formally minuted meetings (one being their AGM) and they have a committee and a constitution. The Parks Development Officer or Manager attends their meetings and works in partnership with the group to help deliver their objectives. Where possible the group’s objectives are prioritised to link with those set in the Council’s service plan, e.g. increase events and participation in parks. The Friends group fund raise to support their objectives and have worked with Parks Officers on a project to commemorate the history of Hornchurch airfield during WW1 & WW2 by installing an interactive monument which was externally funded. They also obtained funding through Tesco to install a history trail throughout the Park. As part of this they designed a trail map showing some of the history of the site and purchased post and plaques to install around the Park. Their plan for this was to encourage visitors to venture past the play area and visitor centre and explore more of the Park. To fund the map going forward they entered into a deal with the Essex Wildlife Trust to sell the map / guide for 50p of which they receive part of the money and then use this to fund additional leaflets when needed.

Example of leaflet 59

Example of post and plaque used

2023 saw the friends group expand on their history trail leaflet with the production of a wildlife booklet of species that can be found within the Ingrebourne Valley. They have entered a partnership with the visitor centre to sell the booklet.

Contents page of Wildlife Booklet 60

8.2.2 Essex Wildlife Trust The Essex Wildlife Trust (EWT) have a visitors’ centre at Hornchurch Country Park. The building is staffed by EWT staff and volunteers and maintained under a full repairing lease. The visitors centre provides a focal point to the park and provides a number of amenities for park users, there are public toilets, cafe, shop, shelter from the rain and educational exhibitions. There is a small historic display within the centre and a very informative history panel on the bi fold door separating the café seating area and education room.

Bi-fold doors history display

EWT Ingrebourne Visitor Centre Café, exhibition and shop space

EWT run a large number of educational programmes aimed at schools and community groups. The centre has helped bring the community into Hornchurch Country Park and has facilitated meetings on the improvement of the site. Apart from regular school groups they also run public activities, walks and talks and host birthday parties at the centre. The Trust also runs a weekly Nature Tots 61

program aimed at toddlers and pre-school children with their parents and carers. They also offer a number of volunteer opportunities. It aims to promote indoor and outdoor fun through play, stories and environmental activities. The community room is also hired out to local community groups.

Examples of activities run at the Visitor Centre

Volunteer opportunity

8.2.3 Councillors Hornchurch Country Park mainly falls within Elm Park ward, but the far northern section falls within Hacton Ward and the far southern section within South Hornchurch Ward. Each Ward consists of two or three councillors elected to that ward. These are.

Elm Park Ward

Hacton Ward

South Hornchurch Ward

The Councillors are a good link between the public and the Council officers and the Parks Service tries to foster a good relationship between staff and the local ward Councillors and keeps them informed of information in regard to its Parks as needed. 8.2.4 Hornchurch Aerodrome Historic Trust The trust formed a few years and was gifted the use of two cottages on the boundary of the Country Park by Bellways Homes, who are redevelopment the old hospital site on the Parks northern boundary. The Trust has converted these cottages into a museum which opened officially in Sept 2021. Close cooperation has been seen between the Trust and the Park Service and the Public Right of Way linking the park and the museum was resurfaced to make it easy to use all year. As part of the cooperation the Park Service allowed the Trust (with the help of the park Ranger and his equipment) to remove a Tett turret that had been pushed down the bank behind the play area when the site was a quarry. The Trust have the turret in their museum and want to return it to working order to demonstrate its actions.

Tett turret being winched up bank behind play area

Being delivered to the musuem

8.2.5 Response Baits fishing club In 2023 the lake at Hornchurch Country Park was leased for fishing to an organised club. Apart from income generation this has meant better control overfishing on the lake. As part of the works club has installed some fenced swimming swims to try to minimise the clash between dogs and fishing.

New fishing swims fencing 64

9. Marketing and Promotions There are a range of methods of promoting the park to the public. Some of these are in conjunction with Havering Council’s corporate communications team and other are Parks Service dedicated. 9.1 Parks Brochure The Parks Section has produced a booklet “A Guide to Havering’s Parks and Open Spaces”, covering all council run parks in the borough. This booklet includes a description of each site, a list of facilities available at each park as well as a section on park services. These are distributed through libraries, council receptions, appropriate events and activities. The brochure can also be found online at Havering Parks Brochure by Havering Council - Issuu

The guide was first published in 2005 and was updated and republished in 2013. An example can be found in Appendix 12. 9.2 Social Media The Park service has a dedicated Facebook page and uses this to advertise events, activities and items of interest within the Parks. See appendix 12 for an example of a page This can be found at the link https://www.facebook.com/LBH.Parks/?notif_t=page_fan&notif_id=14785072265902 76 The Council also had a general Facebook and Twitter account, and the public can communicate regarding parks issues using this form of media. 9.3 Website The Parks Service has a page on the Havering Council website. From this page you bring up a list and descriptions of Parks in Havering and details on the facilities and services provided, e.g. play areas, outdoor gyms, Parks Protection Service, memorial bench and tree donations, and event applications. See appendix 12 for an example of a page. This can be found at the link Parks – London Borough of Havering 9.4 Interpretation boards Interpretation boards were installed at four key locations within the park in 2014. Two cover the history of the site and are located at Squadrons Approach Car Park and the pill box / Tett Turret area. The other two cover the nature aspect of the park and can be found at the Marshes viewpoint and Albyns Lake.

Season’s interpretation board at Marshes Viewpoint

Interpretation board at Squadrons Approach Car Park.

Two more boards were installed in 2020 two show details on the white circle near the play area and the area of remaining Airfield perimeter track.

Interpretation boards 66

Additional boards were installed in 2023 to take last historic features of the antiaircraft gun emplacement and sunken pill box.

New interpretation designs

9.5 Parks Events The Parks Service receives a number of enquiries about holding events in Parks and has developed a process for this. There is an application form (both on line or paper copy) and guide available. There is also an event plan document that can be used for those that are new to the process. Non council events are subject to a charge depending on the organisation and type of activity. Events of a hazardous or unusual nature or those expecting a turnout of over 200 people are also subject to authorisation from the Safety Advisory Group which is made up of representatives from the Council and emergency services. See Appendix 13 for an example of the event application form. The friends group carry out monthly work parties in the park; they also support the Essex Wildlife trust at their events as well as running their own. Hornchurch Country Park runs a wide number of events for the public below are a selection from the Visitors Centre’s annual programme of events these are managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust.

Examples of events held by the EWT Visitor Centre

Spring Explorers holiday activity

Great escape display event in the Visitor Centre 68

9.5.1 Spitfire Scramble The spitfire scramble is a now annual 24-hour running event that starts at 12pm on a Saturday and finishes at 12 pm on the Sunday. The event follows a 5.75-mile course that takes in Hornchurch Country Park and neighbouring Ingrebourne Hill and farm land. It is run by lone runners or relay fashion by pairs and teams and sees how many laps they can achieve in the 24-hour period. The event started in August 2014 and has gone from strength to strength with the 2019 event having around 900 Competitors.

Start of 2025 scramble

An event village is set up in the park with competitors and supporters arriving from the Friday afternoon.

Event village setting up 69

9.5.2 Fun city Over the easter holidays Hornchurch country Park also hosted Fun city fun park

9.5.2 Havering & South Essex Orienteering club (HAVOC) HAVOC returned to to Park to hold one of their series of events

9.5.3 Dr Bike Also returning is the Havering Cyclists Dr Bike stall. This was set up four times during the summer to allow people to have their bake checked for free

10. Management 10.1 Management structure n 2023 the Council started to adopt a new structure called the Target Operating Model (TOM) to realign and consolidate the Council’s organisational structure, reducing the number of separate and distinct Departments, aligning complementary services with clear synergies, to enable effective delivery of the Council’s key priorities. Current directorates are People, Place and Resources. Parks and Open Spaces sit within Environment which is within Place.

The Environment department is made up of Parks Development, Grounds Maintenance, Contract Monitoring, Business Support, Waste and external contracts. The Parks Development section is headed up by the Parks Development Manager. This role line manages two Parks Development Officers (North and South of the borough) and the Parks Maintenance Operative. The parks Development officers then line manage the Park Rangers. The Parks Service has three Rangers based at Hornchurch County Park and Havering Country Park. Although primary based at these Parks they are also tasked to work on other sites where necessary and offers the Parks Service a useful tool for dealing with unexpected issues. As they have a range of equipment, including boats, chainsaws, chippers, tractors and multiuse Avant, this allows a large element of flexibility.

Three Park Rangers

Environment management structure (relating to Parks) 72

The Parks Development Officer for the south of the borough manages Hornchurch Country Park with input from the Parks Development Manager. 10.2 Financial management The Parks and Open Spaces revenue budget is just over £2m. There is not a specific budget assigned to individual parks but there is a budget of £1.7m set for grounds maintenance which is transferred to the DSO. The remainder is used for fixed costs, e.g. vehicle management, utility bills, staff salaries, and reactive works, e.g. repairs and additional grounds maintenance. There are separate budgets for arboriculture and the building management (Corporate Landlord) which are held by the responsible departments. Any income generated within parks, e.g. sports pitches and buildings fees, goes towards the budget stated above. Officers will continually identify potential sources of external funding as well as apply for Council capital money to deliver the necessary improvements. Any project work that is planned in the park, whether this is the replacement of existing items or additional improvements are included in a capital programme, which senior officers agree the budget for each year. The Parks team has also been successful in obtaining external grants, e.g. National Lottery, London Marathon Trust and Veolia, over the years and have carried out a large amount of work within parks thanks to this. Hornchurch Country Park has recently benefited from new inclusive play equipment, replacement bins in the new colour scheme and a hard surfaced path to allow better access to the marshes viewing area. In the last couple of years, the Park has also benefited from some Section 106 monies that has seen pathway improvements, new interpretation, play equipment and a orienteering course that is currently being in the process of creating. Officers will continually identify potential sources of external funding as well as apply for Council capital money to deliver the necessary improvements. 10.3 Accreditation 10.3.1 Green Flag The Council recognises the importance of achieving this award and since 2007 has been applying for key parks throughout the borough. In 2025 16 parks now have Green Flag Award. Both officers and Councillors value the prestige of being able to fly the flag in the parks and utilise the status and associated high standards for marketing and promotions. It is also a useful management tool for all parks when looking to make improvements. The criteria for achieving the award set good benchmarks for standards that should be aspired to. In 2020 Hornchurch Country Park was being entered for the first time.

10.3.2 London in Bloom As with Green Flag the Council values the recognition of good standards when achieving these awards. The primary focus is the borough award and in 2025 this achieved Gold and winner. Due to the importance of the parks and open spaces with Havering, Councillors, friend’s groups and general park users many sites enter the award and in 2025 this included 12 golds and 4 category winners. In 2025 Hornchurch Country Park received a Gold award in both Country Park of the Year and Large Conservation area. It also declared category winner in both these categories as well with the following comments from the judge for Country Park category.

Councillor’s Mugglestone and Nunn collecting country park category awards at London in Bloom Awards 2025 74

10.4 Action Plan 10.4.1 SWOT Analysis A SWOT analysis was carried out by Parks officers to list the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for Hornchurch Country Park. The analysis determined which areas of the park should be improved and the priority for improvement. It was carried out by first listing all the issues and then attaching a score to each item. Many of the issues listed were highlighted during the regular park inspections carried out by officers. There were two scores. The first being importance of the item, the second being how much the Parks and Open Spaces Service can change things. The SWOT analysis table can be found in Appendix 14. 10.4.2 Action Plan The final Action Plan was drafted to improve/correct all of the prioritised weakness and threats as listed in the SWOT The Action Plan sets out agreed targets, budgets and responsibilities for the improvement of the site. Where there is no cost the task requires no additional funding and is completed using Council staff. This is separated into routine (green) and non-routine tasks (blue), e.g. standard operations and capital improvement works and then prioritised in date order. Task

Target start date

Completion Date

Improved use of social media

March Annually

on going

Training for DSO

Feb

Ongoing

Routine Tasks Review methods of social media used to ensure relevant Skills gaps identified and relevant training completed

January Annually

Up to date, relevant information available on LBH website

On going

Regular good news stories and information sent to comms

January Annually

On going

Internal and external events managed

Update website information

January Annually

Press releases Events programme

Measurement/ monitoring

Officer Responsibility

Cost £

Budget

James Rose, Richard Cottam, Taylor SmythRichards

None

N/A

Rita Crudgington

Revenue

None

N/A

None

N/A

None

N/A

James Rose, Richard Cottam, Taylor SmythRichards, Comms James Rose, Richard Cottam, Taylor SmythRichards Parks Team/ Comms / EWT

Task

Target start date

Completion Date

Measurement/ monitoring

Officer Responsibility

Cost £

Budget

Richard Cottam,

None

Ranger

None

N/A

Annual revision until 2031 then full update Management Plans and application form completed All furniture inspected, defects repaired and if required replacements programmed Fire breaks maintained at a satisfactory standard throughout the year Licence in place with Farmer

James Rose, Richard Cottam

None

James Rose

319

Revenue

Richard Cottam, Ranger

300

Revenue

Ranger

none

Richard Cottam

200

HLS

Parks Monitoring inspections Coppicing in Woodland Area Revise Management Plan

Jan

Monthly

Check done Monthly

Oct

Apr

Woodland coppiced

October

January

Apply for Green Flag

Annually

31st January

Parks furniture check

Monthly

Ongoing

Ensure fire breaks are cut within conservation area

April Annually

October Annually

Jan

April

May

Oct

Cows in place

Ranger

None

N/A

Sep Annually

Feb Annually

Suitable areas and species identified for planting

Richard Cottam, ranger

500

Capital

July Annually

Aug Annually

Areas cut and collected

Rangers

None

15K

Capital

£5k

Capital / External funding

Arrange grazing licence Cows on Marsh Annually review new tree planting opportunities Cut conservation for hay Investigate the rejuvenate of grazing compartment 4 for use

Update parks brochure 76

Jan 26

Jan-26

April 26

Non routine tasks Look at options Richard and whether it Cottam, is worthwhile to Rangers re-fenced compartment and willow removed ready for grazing

Regular review Dec-26 of progress

James Rose

Task

Target start date

Completion Date

Measurement/ monitoring

Officer Responsibility

Cost £

Budget

Richard Cottam

Capital

Tree Team

Richard Cottam

50k

Capital/external funding

liaising with Comms team Install signposting to Heritage centre Update Tree Strategy to include parks

April -26 Jun-26

Install nature/themed April 28 trail Paint inside pill box Rejuvenate exercise equipment Investigate re opening of air raid shelter in car park for educational use Additional parking along track SSSI marsh drainage and vegetation works

Sping 26 Apr 28

Signposting in Jul 26 place Draft to be Apr-27 produced Items installed following December consultation 28 with stakeholders Pill boxes Summer 26 repainted

Ranger

Sept 28

New items

Richard Cottam

15k

external

Apr 30

Sept 31

Quote/ works program obtained

Richard Cottam

N/A

May 27

Sept 27

Parking installed

Richard Cottam

50k

Capital/external

Summer 30

Drainage improved

Richard Cottam

300k

External

Covid monument and new trees 77

10.5 Parks Contact Details Parks and Open Spaces Raphael park lodge Main Road Romford, Essex RM2 5EB Parks general enquires – 01708434743 / parks@havering.gov.uk Parks Development Manager – 01708 433868 / james.rose@havering.gov.uk Parks Development Officer – 01708433853 / richard.cottam@havering.gov.uk Parks Protection Service – 07904805872 / parksprotection@havering.gov.uk www.facebook.com/LBH.Parks

Remembrance Day ceremony in the park by the monument

APPENDIX 1 - Policy Context National Planning Policy Framework The NPPF was published at the end of March 2012 and sets out the Government’s planning policies for England. It replaces 44 Planning Policy Statements (PPS), Planning Policy Guidance (PPG), Circulars and Letters with a concise framework of around 50 pages. The protection for open space and playing fields is reinforced in the new NPPF, stating that such land should not be built on unless an assessment shows that: i) the land is surplus to requirements, ii) the loss would be replaced by equivalent or better provision in a suitable location, or iii) the development is for alternative sports and recreational provision, the needs for which clearly outweigh the loss. The NPPF includes provisions for the designation of Local Green Spaces by communities. Where open spaces which are “important to local communities” (which may include playing fields) are designated as Local Green Space in the development plan, they will be protected as strongly as Green Belt. The Government continues to attach great importance to the Green Belt concept saying that boundaries should only be altered in exceptional circumstances. The NPPF also recognises the 'the intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside' as a core planning principle which applies whether that countryside is specifically designated or not. Biodiversity 2020: A strategy for England’s wildlife and ecosystem services This ambitious biodiversity strategy for England builds on the Natural Environment White Paper and provides a comprehensive picture of how we are implementing our international and EU commitments. It sets out the strategic direction for biodiversity policy for the next decade, building on the successful work that has gone before, but also seeking to deliver a real step change. The Strategy aims to deliver outcomes in four areas: • a more integrated large-scale approach to conservation on land and at sea • putting people at the heart of biodiversity policy • reducing environmental pressures • improving our knowledge 1.4.2 Regional Policy Context The London Plan, 2011 The Mayor has published the replacement of the spatial development strategy for London – known as the London Plan. The London Plan is the overall strategic plan for London, and it sets out a fully integrated economic, environmental, 79

transport and social framework for the development of the capital to 2031. It forms part of the development plan for Greater London. London boroughs’ local plans need to be in general conformity with the London Plan, and its policies guide decisions on planning applications by councils and the Mayor. London’s public spaces should be secure, accessible, inclusive, connected, easy to understand and maintain, relate to local context, and incorporate the highest quality design, landscaping, planting, street furniture and surfaces. London’s heritage assets and historic environment, including registered historic parks and gardens and other natural and historic landscapes, should be identified, so that the desirability of sustaining and enhancing their significance and of utilising their positive role in place shaping can be taken into account. London’s landscape heritage provides a depth of character that has immeasurable benefit to the city’s economy, culture and quality of life. Natural landscapes can help to provide a unique sense of place. Policy 7.16 : Green Belt The Mayor strongly supports the current extent of London’s Green Belt, its extension in appropriate circumstances and its protection from inappropriate development. The strongest protection should be given to London’s Green Belt, in accordance with national guidance. Inappropriate development should be refused, except in very special circumstances. Development will be supported if it is appropriate and helps secure the objectives of improving the Green Belt as set out in national guidance. Policy 7.18 : Protecting local open space and addressing local deficiency The Mayor supports the creation of new open space in London to ensure satisfactory levels of local provision to address areas of deficiency. The loss of local protected open spaces must be resisted unless equivalent or better quality provision is made within the local catchment area. Replacement of one type of open space with another is unacceptable unless an up to date needs assessment shows that this would be appropriate. When assessing local open space needs, LDFs should: a) include appropriate designations and policies for the protection of local open space b) identify areas of public open space deficiency, using the open space categorisation set out in Table 7.2 as a benchmark for all the different types of open space identified therein c) ensure that future open space needs are planned for in areas with the potential for substantial change such as opportunity areas, regeneration areas, intensification areas and other local areas d) ensure that open space needs are planned in accordance with green infrastructure strategies to deliver multiple benefits.

All London Green Grid SPG (2012) The All London Green Grid takes the principles of the East London Green Grid and applies them across London. The concept of a “green grid” – an integrated network of green and open spaces together with the Blue Ribbon Network of rivers and waterways – is at the centre of the London Plan’s approach to the provision, enhancement and management of green infrastructure (Policy 2.18). This network of spaces functions best when designed and managed as an interdependent ‘grid’. The ALGG SPG aims to promote the concept of green infrastructure, and increase its delivery by boroughs, developers, and communities, by describing and advocating an approach to the design and management of green and open spaces to deliver hitherto unrealised benefits. These benefits include sustainable travel, flood management, healthy living, and creating distinctive destinations; and the economic and social uplift these support. 1.4.3 Local Policy Context The following diagram represents how the Management Plan fits within the overall strategic framework for Parks and Open Spaces within Havering: Local Development Framework Culture Strategy

Sustainable Community Strategy Corporate Plan Area Regeneration Strategies And other relevant corporate and service strategies, for e.g. play strategy

Parks and Open Space Strategy

Biodiversity Action Plan

Service Plans

Hornchurch Country Park Management Plan

Tree Strategy

Local policy framework diagram Havering Local Development Framework Havering’s existing Local Development Framework has a number of conditions and policies aimed at improving and enhancing the green environment. Key to these is the following: 81

DC18 – Protection of Public Open Space, sports and leisure facilities • The Council will seek the retention and enhancement of all public open space and recreation, sports and leisure facilities that are in private and public ownership. Where it is shown that public open space or other land /building is surplus to requirements because other facilities exist in the locality to meet the standards set out in Policy DC20 alternative uses will be allowed. •

Priority will be given to other recreation/leisure uses such as allotments or sports pitches where there is an identified need for such a use. Where no such needs exists then other uses may be approved provided that there is no conflict with other Core and Development Control policies and there is no unacceptable impact on the local environment or amenities of local residents.

•

Any loss of open space to a non-recreation/leisure use must be accompanied by an improvement to the quality of open space in the vicinity or to remedying qualitative and quantitative deficiencies in open space elsewhere in the Borough.

DC20 – Access to recreation and leisure including open space The Council will seek to ensure that there is adequate provision of a varied range of accessible leisure and recreation facilities throughout the borough. •

The Council will have regard to the following walking distances in order to improve the distribution of public open space: • Regional Park (400 ha) 3.2 to 8 km • Metropolitan Park (60 ha) 3.2km • District Park (20ha) 1.2km • Local Park (2ha) 800m

•

The Council will also seek to achieve the following standard of provision: • Children's Play Space - 0.8 hectares per 1,000 population with access to formal/informal play provision within 400 m of home • Allotments - 0.18 hectares per 1,000 population with access within 800 m of home • Sports pitches - 0.75 hectares per 1,000 population with access within 1200m of home

•

To make the best use of facilities, the Council will promote the dual use of education sports and recreation facilities by the public.

Culture Strategy and Parks & Open Spaces Strategy The London Borough of Havering recognises the value of its parks and open spaces, and all cultural assets. In both the Culture Strategy and the Parks and Open Spaces Strategy it outlines how parks and open space have both an intrinsic and instrumental value. 82

The Parks & Open Spaces Strategy states: “green open spaces are a beautiful and precious resource that should be protected, enjoyed and celebrated, simply for what they are”. It also lists 15 instrumental benefits of parks, including “promoting positive physical, mental and emotional wellbeing” and “acting as a focal point for communities”. The Action Plan within the Parks & Open Spaces Strategy is focussed on three overarching objectives which reflect the role and value of these spaces: 1) Health & Wellbeing; 2) Learning & Personal Development; 3) Towns & Communities. Sustainable Communities Strategy / ‘Living Ambition’ The Sustainable Community Strategy was formed by the Havering Strategic Partnership and acts as an over-arching plan, setting the direction and priorities for other key plans and strategies in Havering, and ensuring effective coordination and targeting of services. The Strategy sets out five priorities: 1) Environment, 2) Learning, 3) Towns & Communities, 4) Individuals, 5) Value. The table below describes, in broad terms, how Parks and Open Spaces contribute to these priorities.

Environment

Learning

Towns and Communities

Individuals

Value

Providing beautiful and safe green spaces that local people will take pride in, that will help provide cleaner air for all, will provide pleasure, relaxation and recreation for adults, will secure places for children to play, and will contribute to the greening, attractiveness and biodiversity of the borough. Providing opportunities for learning, through discovery of nature and heritage, through allotments food growing and horticulture, and through the sports and physical activity undertaken in our parks. Contributing to the physical, social and economic regeneration of the borough through the provision and maintenance of high quality open spaces and by ensuring culture is at the heart of our towns and communities. Contributing to the quality of life of local people, improving health and wellbeing and reducing health inequalities, by providing opportunities for participation in culture within our open spaces; parks, allotments and countryside. Providing activities for everyone, including children, young people and families, older people and disabled people, in a way that is fully inclusive and where people feel welcome and safe. Continuing to deliver an efficient, innovative and highquality service, whilst working in partnership with internal and external agencies and through engagement with residents and groups such as Friends of Parks.

Appendix 2 History The northern part of Hornchurch Country Park is on the former land of Suttons Farm, which was once part of the Manor of Suttons. Henry II gave the land to Hornchurch Priory in the C12th and it later became the property of William of Wykeham who founded New College Oxford in the C14th. The southern part of the country park was within Dover's Manor and later became Albyns Farm, whose old farm buildings remain today. The River Ingrebourne was the boundary between the royal manor of Havering, on the west bank, and the parishes of South Weald, Upminster and Rainham to the east. The River Ingrebourne has much history, the Domesday Book of 1086 records that Havering had a water mill that was powered by the Ingrebourne. However it wasn’t actually on the river. Our Saxon ancestors dug a channel about a mile long parallel to the Ingrebourne to build up a head of water for a mill pond at Dovers, just north of Rainham. The channel has been mostly scooped out by gravel digging, but the remains can be seen on Google Earth just east of La Salette Catholic church and north of A1306 New Road. Usually, bridges over a boundary river would be the joint responsibility of the communities on either side but peasants on the royal manor of Havering were exempt from any contribution. Medieval kings had the right to levy special taxes on their own tenants - so kings needed Havering people to have cash in their pockets! As late as 1825, Upminster people threatened to go to law to make Hornchurch pay its share - but they got legal advice telling them they had no chance. That’s why the District Line has a station called Upminster Bridge and not Hornchurch Bridge linking the two places was literally Upminster’s problem. Downstream, Hacton Bridge had to be maintained by the owner of Gaynes, a property near Corbets Tey. Hacton Bridge, which existed by 1299, was just a footbridge, big enough to lead a horse over the Ingrebourne. The Ingrebourne had become a problem because it was carrying a lot more liquid, and the story isn’t pleasant. In 1868, a Brentwood solicitor called William Preston turned property developer and built the first houses at Harold Wood. With grandiose delusions, he bought a farm at Shepherd’s Hill which for 460 years had been called Good house. This he replaced with a huge mansion which he named Harold Court now flats. Preston got into financial trouble, and in 1871 he sold land so Brentwood could build a much-needed sewage works, discharging into the humble Ingrebourne. The sewage farm is still there in Nag’s Head Lane - but it was inefficient. The Ingrebourne became severely polluted. In a long case in the 1890's, a Hornchurch farmer sued Brentwood because his cattle refused to drink from the Ingrebourne. Around 1830, an otter was captured on the Ingrebourne. Sadly, it soon died in captivity, and no more were seen. By 1900, Rainham people were expert at catching eels - fish that like polluted streams. 84

Two Literary attempts were made to serenade the Ingrebourne. In 1880, Upminster local historian Thomas Wilson Wrote of the Ingrebourne “hurrying along and sweetly gurgling” although admitted that most people “think very little of a walk beside our river”. In 1884, a Brentwood doctor called Cornelius Butler published a poem called “Ingrebourne”. It never caught on. The Ingrebourne was notorious for flooding. There was a famous flood caused by a cloudburst in 1888. The Ingrebourne cut two new channels, five feet deep, on the west side of Upminster Bridge, which had to be rebuilt - this time by the new Essex County Council, which also widened the bottle neck. Its occasional waywardness has been a blessing. Most housing developments have kept away from the Ingrebourne, creating a kind of internal “green belt” through the borough. The northern part of Hornchurch Country Park is on the former land of Suttons Farm, which was once part of the Manor of Suttons. Henry II gave the land to Hornchurch Priory in the C12th and it later became the property of William of Wykeham who founded New College Oxford in the C14th. The southern part of the country park was within Dover's Manor and later became Albyns Farm, whose old farm buildings remain today.

Map1870-1881 85

As Hornchurch is 15 miles from London in a straight line and given its close location to the River Thames the area was looked at by the War Ministry as the advent or air power had added another dimension to warfare as the War Ministry had already started to consider that the Thames was a landmark that led straight into the heart of London. Suttons Farm owned by New College Oxford who leased the land to a farmer called Mr. Tom Crawford but in 1915 around 90 acres was officially requisitioned for military use as it was considered as a suitable site for a landing ground for the fledgling Royal Flying Corp (RFC). On Sunday the 3rd October 1915 a detachment from 23 squadron consisted of one Officer, Captain A.G. Moore and 12 men, along with bell tents canvas hangers, aviation fuel, ammunition and other supply’s all arriving by trucks. Later during the day two BE2c biplanes of 13 Squadron flew in from Gosport, the pilots were billeted in the local White Hart public house while the site was made ready. The other ranks were billeted in local farms or in bell tents on the landing ground.

Pilots of RFC Sutton Farm Facilities by April 1916 were improved with the construction of prefabricated timber hangers, brick accommodation blocks and a station office made from aircraft packing crates. The flare path, used for the landing strip, were oil cans stuffed with petrol soaked cotton waste. On the night of the 13th October 1915, saw the first enemy action to be seen from Suttons Farm, the Germans had launched their largest raid of the war so far sending over five airships and making for Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex. A young 18-year-old 86

pilot by the name of John Slessor was ordered up at around 9.05pm, he began his 40-minute climb to reach an altitude of 10,000 feet, in order to intercept the raiders. Lieutenant Slessor came across the airship, which had been caught in the searchlight beams from below, but he lost it in heavy cloud.

Lieutenant john Slessor This was the first recorded interception of an enemy airship over Britain. It was not until the night of 2 / 3 September 1916 that success was recorded when Lt. William Leefe Robinson. Robinson shot down a Schütte-Lanz SL11, one of a 16strong raiding force over London, using the recently developed Brock and Pomeroy mixed incendiary ammunition, which had been adapted specifically for this task. The airship crashed near Cuffley in Hertfordshire. This was another first for Hornchurch as it was the first enemy aircraft shot down over Britain. The action had been witnessed by many people across many miles and many people flocked to the crash site to look at the downed airship. The crew of 16 all perished in the attack and were buried at Potters Bar with full military honours by the RFC but re-interned at the German Military Cemetery at Cannock Chase in 1962.

Wreckage of SL11 Airship 87

Leefe Robinson became a national hero over night and two days later it was announced the King was awarding him the Victoria Cross and he also received a prize of £3,500, quite a sum in 1915.

Lieutenant William Leefe Robinson

Leefe Robinson celebrating his VC at RFC Hornchurch Unfortunately Leefe-Robinson was shot down over France in 1917 and although survived he was made a prisoner of War. During this time it is believe his heath was affected and he died of Spanish Flu in December 1918 after being repatriated.

Suttons Farm continued in use until the end of WW1 and was closed on 31st December 1919. Most of the buildings were demolished and the land returned to farming by the original tenant, Tom Crawford. However in the 1924 the decision to expand the now Royal Air Force meant that 1 st World War airfields were re-inspected as to their suitability. Suttons Farm was decided that it was ideally located to defend the north east approach to London and negotiations were entered into to buy the land original land and some additional land to the south as well.

Map of RAF Hornchurch 1950-61 RAF Suttons Farm official opened on the1st April 1928 having taken four years to build, but changed its name two months later to RAF Hornchurch (to make it easier 89

to find on public transport). The first Station commander was Keith Park who went on to lead No 11 group responsible for the defence of London and the South East during the Battle of Britain. During the inter war years the Station held a number of well attended Empire Air Days, with the last pre war on in 1939 receiving 450000 visitors. The base also saw many distinguished visitors to the base, including the Maharaja of Nepal, Sultan of Oman and even senior German Officers (who were given a detailed look at the RAF’s new gun site!) In 1939 the Squadrons at RAF Hornchurch were reequipped with Spitfires, although during the course of the war Defiant’s, Blenheim’s and Beaufighter’s also flew from Hornchurch. Given its location, Hornchurch was very much a fighter Station and it served with distinction during WW2 and especially during the Battle of Britain as it was right in the front line. Many famous Pilots of the day flew from RAF Hornchurch such as Stanford-Tuck, Paddy Finucane and Al Deere.

Paddy Finucace Between 1941 and 1944 pilots from RAF Hornchurch claimed 268 German aircraft shot down and 96 others probable. Many more enemy aircraft were damaged or destroyed while still on the ground as well as numerous military installations, trains and convoys. Sadly 126 RAF Hornchurch pilots were killed in the defence of our country and many more were injured or captured.

313 (Czechoslovakian) Sqn in E Pen at RAF Hornchurch 90

RAF Hornchurch Hangers

65 Sqn’s less than salubrious accommodation at RAF Hornchurch

Pilot Officer Johnny Allen of 54 Squadron receives the DFC from King George VI at Hornchurch 91

The airfield remained in service after the war but in a somewhat reduced role. The airfield was home to maintenance units and a bomb disposal unit until it became a training establishment in 1947. It was also used as a mobilisation centre for service personnel used during the Dockers strike in 1949 and to assist during the east coast floods in 1953.

RAF Hornchurch Station Badge. The station was chosen to host the combined selection centre (later called the Aircrew Selection centre) that ran aptitude and medical tests for budding aircrew. 1949 also saw the start of the demolition of redundant airfield buildings. Gradually the RAF Station was run down and units moved elsewhere until it was finally closed on the 1st April 1962. It was sold within a year to Fords who used it to store cars

Car storage by Fords

The site eventfully passed in gravel extraction by Hoveringham’s Gravel Limit until the 1970’s when landfill began. The technical side, hangers workshops ect, was levelled in the 60’s and the Airfield Estate was built with the names of the roads taken from either pilots that flew from Hornchurch or the names of other Airfields. In 1980 the site changed again with quarrying finishing and the site landfilled and turned into a country park by the Greater London Council.(GLC) It was landscaped through the 80’s with the building of paths and the planting of woodland etc, The site was transferred into the ownership of Havering Council a few years later with the disbanding of the GLC. Havering has continued to run the area as a country park and over the years have even extending it into land that had been earmarked for development. The latest extension was in 2006 when land owned by the NHS at the northern most boundary was given to the Council in return for land in Romford used to build the new Queens Hospital. Also, in 2003 Hornchurch Country Park became a celebrity when the Two men in a trench was filmed here. One of the Tett Turrets was excavated, the backfill of which contained a pair of 1940 RAF pilot's goggles along with material from the hospital. The fire trench, a partially buried pillbox and an E pen were also excavated, while the gun emplacement on the northern end of the site was cleared of vegetation.

Two men in a trench excavating one of the sites Tett Turrets

In March 2015 and an amazing picture and story came to light. Martin Le-May was out walking with his wife in Hornchurch Country Park hoping to spot a green woodpecker. He saw one stumbling around in the undergrowth and quickly switched from his binoculars to his camera to catch the action. He states that “the bird flew across us and slightly in our direction; suddenly it was obvious it had a small mammal on its back, and this was a struggle for life. He continued: "The woodpecker landed in front of us, and I feared the worst. “I guess though our presence, maybe 25 metres away, momentarily distracted the weasel.

A week later mystery signs appear around the park made to look like the brown tourist signs. These were left up for a few weeks until one went missing and the decision was made to take them down. One can be seen now in the Visitor Centre.

2014/15 saw the next major change on site with the building of the Essex Wildlife Visitor Centre. This was a much welcome addition to site and has changed the dynamics of the park considerably. During the excavations a number of war time artefacts were unearthed and are now lodged with the Ranger Service on site.

Visitor centre under construction. Due to the increase in visitor numbers since the opening of the visitor centre parking became an issue. As such funding was obtained by the Parks Service from Veolia Landfill Trust in 2018 to build an additional car park at Squadrons Approach. This has gone someway to alleviate parking issues at busy times.

New car park

Time line

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1158 – Henry 2nd endowed Hornchurch Priory with land later known as Suttons

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13 century first record of the Albyns Family and Albyns Farm and of Dovers Manor built by Richard of Dover yeoman in the service of Robert Passelewe, deputy treasurer of England.

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1397 -On the dissolution of the priory all its Hornchurch estates were bought by William of Wykeham, bishop of Winchester, as part of his endowment of New College, Oxford.

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Suttons Manor was extended between 1397 and 1400, when New College built a new kitchen and carried out repairs.

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1915 – 90 acres of the farm land requisitioned as and Airfield for Royal Flying Corp

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Sept 1916 lieutenant Leefe Robinson flying from RF Sutton Farm shoots down Airship SL11, the first enemy aircraft shot down over Britain. He is awarded a VC for the action.

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1919 land returned to New college and farming resumes by Tom Crawford.

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1924 Air Ministry buys 129 acres of Suttons Farm from New College and reopens airfield.

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1ST April 1928 RAF Suttons Farm official opens

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June 1928 name is officially changed to RAF Hornchurch

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1931 Air Ministry buys additional land of Suttons from New College.

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1933 Tom Crawford the last tenant of Suttons Farm leaves Sutton Manor. House. House is later demolished.

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2nd June 1962 RAF Hornchurch closes. Used initially for vehicle storage by Fords. Then quarried and landfilled.

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1970’s Airfield estate is started on the technical areas of the old airfield,

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1980 work starts to turn landfilled areas into a country Park

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March 1989 Ingrebourne Marshes declared SSSI

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July 2006 Ingrebourne Valley Local Nature Reserve declared

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2006 land to the north of the original country park (behind Squadron Approach car park) is given to the council for inclusion into the park by the NHS.

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2006 Park features as an episode of the BBC;s Two Men in a Trench https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XJB8dneFC4

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March 2015 Weasel pecker story.

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3rd October 2015 Visitors centre opened by Essex Wildlife Trust.

APPENDIX 3 Pesticide Reduction Policy Introduction It has been widely recognised that indiscriminate use of pesticides in the past has led to significant environmental damage and damage to human health. In addition, the use of pesticides without full knowledge of the environmental and health implications is now no longer acceptable, and due caution in their use is enshrined in legislation and regulation both at European and National level. Havering’s Parks Service has developed a pesticide (reduction) strategy aimed at minimising the use of pesticides and the risks which pesticides can present. The pesticide (reduction) strategy is considered to be a useful contribution to the development of Local Agenda 21 in Havering. The strategy recognises that the use of pesticides is not always necessary and that more environmentally friendly alternatives are available. The strategy recognises that when it is absolutely essential to use pesticides, their use is strictly controlled and limited to specific tasks. In the context of Local Agenda 21 development in Havering, the pesticides (reduction) strategy is considered a step towards a more sustainable use of resources in grounds maintenance operations. The pesticide (reduction) strategy covers all aspects of pesticide use in the Borough of Havering. The Parks Service’s grounds maintenance specification has been written with the minimum requirement for the programmed use of pesticides. No Pesticides are used at Hornchurch Country Park. What are Pesticides? A pesticide is any organic or inorganic preparation, substance or organism approved under the Control of Pesticide Regulations (COPR) 1986 (1993). The term pesticide includes: (a) Herbicides (b) Insecticides (c) Fungicides (d) Ovicides (e) Growth regulators (f) Soil Sterilants (g) Animal repellents (h) Wood preservatives Pesticides have different types of modes of actions these being: (a) Contact (b) Translocated (c) Residual (d) Residual – absorbed by roots (e) Systemic

Protection of Wildlife and Wild Plants In making plans for pesticide use, consideration should be given to the importance of habitats for wildlife and wild plants, especially where there are hedges, ditches, grassland, scrub, shrubs and areas of water. Contamination of habitats by insecticides, herbicides or fungicides, either by direct application or from drift, should be prevented to avoid harmful effects on beneficial invertebrates and other wildlife. Unnecessary pesticide use in amenity areas, i.e. areas not used for agriculture, commercial horticulture, forestry or domestic gardens, may involve risks to the health of human beings, creatures, plants and the environment, the development of resistance, and the destruction of beneficial invertebrates. The Food and Environmental Protection Act1985 states the need to safeguard the environment as well as human health when choosing and applying pesticides. Consideration must be given to the proximity of water features, free Draining areas and drains and to particular sites which may be sensitive to pesticides. Identifying the “Pest” Problem For the Parks Service, a “pest” is defined as: (a) Undesirable weeds: (i) Which disrupt and raise tarmac, concrete and paved areas, creating a hazard (ii) Which harbour vermin (iii) Disrupt the playing surfaces for fine turf sports (b) Fungal diseases: (i) Which can damage the health of fine turf grasses (ii) Control of fungal diseases on fine turf (c) Harmful insects: (i) Control of Brown Tail Moth in spring/summer Before selecting a pesticide the following questions should be considered by the Parks Officer. (a) Is there really a “pest” problem? (b) Why is there a problem? (c) Can the problem be solved by changing the environmental conditions, and if so what alternatives are available? (d) Can the “pest” problem be controlled/ prevented without the use of pesticides? (e) Is it absolutely necessary to be free from the “pests”? (f) Can the problem be allowed to resolve itself? The decisions whether to apply a pesticide or not should be made only after: (a) Correctly identifying the pest, and the probably degree of infestation or infection and whether it is a problem. (b) Considering alternative pest control measures, e.g. any biological or mechanical methods which will control or prevent the reoccurrence of the problem. 98

(c) Considering any previous experience of the problem and control methods. (d) Determining whether it is the correct time to apply a pesticide. (e) Considering the suitability of weather conditions. Applying Pesticides All pesticides will be applied in accordance with methods as set out in the Pesticide Regulations All operatives using pesticides will hold the relevant NPTC training certificate. All precautions must be followed to ensure the safety of the public and the environment whilst spraying is in operation. Avoid spraying near people and animals. Warning signs should be positioned around the spray area. Training The Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986 impose a general obligation on all those who use pesticides in the course of their work to ensure that they have received adequate instruction and guidance in the safe, efficient and humane use of pesticides and are competent for the duties which they are called upon to perform. Contract Inspectors shall receive training on pesticides to the basic standard of the National Proficiency Tests Council’s Pesticide Application (PA) modules – PA1 and PA6. Request to Spray Pesticides Pro-Forma

Non-Chemical Alternative Methods of Control Toleration The main reason for the control of weeds on hard standing and shrub beds is aesthetic (it looks neat and tidy). In certain circumstances weeds will damage hard surfaces and complete with plants for light moisture and nutrients, but these are not usual unless the weeds have been permitted to grow to a size when damage/competition can occur. The usual process is to remove them long before this can occur. In managing the hard standing and shrub beds the question of toleration needs to be looked at in each site. Do we need this path/shrub bed to be 100% weed free? If yes a further question should them be asked - What method of weed control should be used? (See alternative methods of weed control). If it is agreed that certain paths/shrub beds do not need to be 100% weed free then tolerance levels need to be agreed and set. Following this the method of control needs to be specified. Mulching

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The amount of residual herbicides used can be greatly reduced by using mulch across the top of the shrub/rose beds. There is a range of products that can be used for mulching • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Bark Spent mushroom compost Well-rotted FYM Organic compost Leaf litter Mypex Plastic sheeting Black woven plastic Micro perforated polyethylene fabric Non-woven wool Non-woven fleece Carpet Cardboard Compressed peat paper Newspaper Compost Well-rotted manure Leaf mould Forest bark Sawdust Shredded pruning’s/wood chips Gravel/shingle

Each one of these products has different qualities and need to be applied at sufficient depth to work correctly. Organic mulches require regular topping up but have the advantage of improving the soil and adding nutrients. All mulches should be applied to a weed free surface. A well applied mulch will not only look attractive it will also ensure a virtually weed free surface. Mulches should be applied in October while the heat is still in the ground. The mulch then acts as an insulating layer, trapping the heat in and protecting the plants. If the mulch is applied in March the reverse happens and the soil takes a longer period of time to warm up. Hoeing The garden hoe is one of the main weapons used to control weeds. There are two basic types of hoe. • The Dutch Hoe • The Swan Neck Hoe It is important when using the hoe to ensure that it is sharp as it makes working easier. 101

Hoeing is mainly used to remove individual weeds and is a very good method of control for annual weeds; it is not such a good control of perennials, as the cut stem will grow again from the rootstock. Hoeing on a regular basis also has a residual control as it creates “dust mulch” on the surface of the beds by breaking the water capillaries just under the surface. The dust mulch helps reduce the ability of weed seeds to germinate. The dust mulch will be broken during irrigation or rainfall. Strimming Nylon corded strimmers can be used to remove weeds from hard standing, they should not be used for weeding beds as they catch stones and throw them considerable distances. Strimmers are particularly effective on annual weeds or in areas where the weeds can be tolerated to a height limit. They are very effective and quick in skilled hands. However they are noisy and there use in public places needs to be carefully considered. With brush-cutting heads fitted strimmers are able to cut down dense non-woody vegetation. Manual Weeding Manual weeding is still the only effective way of removing plants from certain situations without causing any collateral damage. It is expensive because it is very labour intensive. It can be hazardous in areas where sharps are found. It is a good method of removing perennial weeds. Protective gloves must be worn at all times. Burning There are a number of devices on the market that can be used to control weeds by burning. Most of these use a combustible liquid (e.g., paraffin) under pressure and ignited at the nozzle. The jet of flame then burns the target. Flame control should only be used for control of weeds on hard surfaces. The use of flame control can cause macadam surfaces to break up. Therefore the use of flame control is very limited by opportunity. These devices have been quite dangerous and a number of industrial accidents have been caused to operatives. In addition they should not be used in periods of drought as they could easily burn off more than the intended target. Full risk assessments would need to be carried out before using any method of flame control device. Planting Densities Weeds germinate and grow best when they have opportunity to do so and there is little competition or where the weed is able to suppress the competition. 102

When designing and planting new shrub borders the usual method of design is to aim for a closed canopy within three years. (A closed canopy is where the plants that were planted a set distance apart have eventually grown to the point where they meet and appear as one large group). In the period before the closure of the canopy weeds have an opportunity to establish in the gaps between the newly planted shrubs. The planting distance between the shrubs determines how quickly the canopy closes. By reducing the gap the canopy can be closed within 18 months or even within the next growing season to when the shrubs were planted. This increases the competition on any weeds that have germinated and also acts as a suppressant to further weeds, reducing the possibility of them germinating. Weed Control: Hard Surface areas Sweeping Waipanua Hot water treatment system, Hoaf Weedmaster Heat treatment system Weed Control: Fine Turf Scarifying Raking Brushing Switching Aeration Organic Substances, i.e. liquid iron, Liquid fertilisers Biological, i.e. Inhibiter (trade name) contains natural plant Solutes. Legislation Legislation governing the use of pesticides includes: (a) The Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 (b) The Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986 (c) The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1988 (d) The Water Act 1989 (e) The Environmental Protection Act 1990 (f) Control of Pollution Act 1974 (g) Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 There are also a number of Codes of Practice which are aimed at Users of pesticides in public areas, which give practical guidance, including methods of meeting the requirements of COSHH. Any pesticide must be used in accordance with the “General Consents” issued under the Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986. Consent C (a), paragraph 2, states that users of pesticides shall take all reasonable precautions to protect the health of human beings, animals and plants, to safeguard the environment and in particular to avoid pollution of water. Only Glyphosate is on the list of approved products for use in Havering’s Parks and Open Spaces 103

APPENDIX 4 – Examples of Risk Assessment

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APPENDIX 5 – Country Park Byelaws COUNTRY PARKS BYELAWS 1. in these byelaws: "the Council" means the Havering London Borough Council "the land" means the country parks known as Havering Country Park and Hornchurch Country Park 2. No person shall on the land without reasonable excuse (i) climb any wall or fence on or enclosing the land, or any tree, or any barrier, railing, post or other erection; (ii) remove or displace any barrier, railing, post or seat, or any part of any erection or ornament, or any implement provided for use in the laying out or maintenance of the land. 3. (a) No person shall light a fire on the land, or place or throw or let fall a lighted match or any other thing so as to be likely to cause a fire; (b) This byelaw shall not prevent the lighting or use of a properly constructed camping stove or cooker in any area set aside for the purpose, in such a manner as not to cause danger of or damage by fire. 4. (a) No person shall ride or drive a mechanically propelled vehicle on any part of the land where there is no right of way for vehicles. (b) This byelaw shall not extend to invalid carriages conforming to the provisions of regulations made under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970. (c) If the Council has set apart a space on the land for use by vehicles of any class, this byelaw shall not prevent the riding or driving of those vehicles in the space so set apart, or on the direct route between it and the entrance to the land. 5. Where the Council indicate by a notice conspicuously exhibited on or alongside any gate on the land that leaving that gate open is prohibited, no person having opened that gate or caused it to be opened shall leave it open. 6. No person shall without the consent of the Council erect a tent or use any vehicle, including a caravan, or any other structure for the purpose of camping on the land except on any area which may be set apart and indicated by a notice as a place where camping is permitted. 7. A person shall not hold a public show or performance on the land provided that this byelaw shall not apply to any person holding a band, show or any

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other function held on the land in pursuance of an agreement with the Council. 8. (a) No person shall without lawful excuse or authority on the land kill, molest or intentionally disturb any animal, bird or fish or engage in hunting shooting or fishing or the setting of traps or nets or the laying of snares. (b) This byelaw shall not prohibit any fishing which may be authorised by the Council. 9. A person shall not, except in the exercise of any lawful right or privilege, have in his possession while he is on the land any firearm unless it is so covered with a security fastened gun cover so that it cannot be fired. In this byelaw firearm means any lethal barrelled weapon of any description from which any shot, bullet or other thing can be discharged. This byelaw shall apply to all parts of the land except any part thereof which is a public right of way. 10. No person shall, except in pursuance of a lawful agreement with the Council, turn out or permit any animal to graze on the land. 11. No person shall on the land sell, or offer or expose for sale, or let to hire, or offer or expose for letting to hire any commodity or article except in pursuance of an agreement with the Council. 12. No person shall obstruct the flow of any drain or water course, or open, shut or otherwise interfere with any sluicegate or similar apparatus on the land. 13. No person shall bathe in any waterway comprised in the land except in an area where a notice exhibited by the Council permits bathing. 14. No person shall operate or sail on any waterway comprised in the land any boat which is not for the time being registered with the Council: such registration shall be effected by the Council upon written application by the owner of a boat, by 1 entering in a register kept by a duly authorised officer of the Council the name and address of the owner, a general description of the boat and the serial number of the registration; and 2 (ii)issuing to the owner a certificate of registration incorporating these particulars. 15. No person shall intentionally carelessly or negligently foul or pollute any waterway comprised in the land. 16. (i) No person shall (a) on the land release any power driven mode aircraft for flight or control the flight of such an aircraft or (b) cause such an aircraft

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to take off or land on the land unless it is attached to a control line and kept under effective control. 3 In this byelaw the expression "model aircraft" means an aircraft which either weighs not more than 5 kilogrammes without its fuel or is for the time being exempted (as a model aircraft) from provisions of the Air Navigation Order and the expression "power driven model aircraft" means any model aircraft driven by the combustion of petrol vapour or other combustible substances. 17. No person shall on the land: (a) intentionally obstruct any officer of the Council in the proper execution of his duties; (b) intentionally obstruct any person carrying out an act which is necessary to the proper execution of any contract with the Council; or (c) intentionally obstruct any person in the proper use of the ground, or behave so as to give reasonable grounds for annoyance to other persons in the ground. 18. (a) An act necessary to the proper execution of his duty on the land by an officer of the Council, or any act which is necessary to the proper execution of any contract with the Council, shall not be deemed an offence under these byelaws. (b) Nothing in or done under any of the provisions of these byelaws shall in any respect prejudice or injuriously affect any public right of way through the land or the rights of any person acting legally by virtue of some estate, right, or interest in, over, or affecting the land or any part thereof. 19. Every person who shall offend against any of these byelaws shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 2 on the standard scale.

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APPENDIX 6 – Example of a Parks Fitter’s Instruction Form

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APPENDIX 7 - Example of a Parks Monitoring Form

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APPENDIX 8 – Grounds Maintenance Specification Contents LONDON BOROUGH OF HAVERING SPECIFICATION FOR GROUNDS MAINTENANCE TO PARKS & OPEN SPACES, Contents

SECTION 1 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 1.28 1.29 1.30 1.31

Preamble

Preamble Extent of Works List of Sites Opening and Closing Security Schedule Hours of Work Co-operation with Council Staff/other Contractors Location of Sites Contractor to Visit Sites Supervision Access Locks Services Water Protective Works Identification Fires Equipment Events Use of Chemicals Protection of Existing Features Site Measurements Alternative Methods of Operation Communications Accident Reporting Procedures Parks and Open Spaces Byelaws Public Relations Financial Control of Contract Completion of Works Daily Return of Works Health and Safety: Legal Requirements

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SECTION 2 Job Descriptions Amenity Grass Cutting Boxed Grass Cutting Rough Grass Cutting Meadow Grass Cutting Grass Cutting – Football Pitches Grass Cutting – Rugby Pitches Grass Cutting – Hockey Pitches Grass Cutting – Cricket Pitches Outfield Shrub Bed Pruning Shrub Bed Cultivation Shrub Bed Weeding Spring Rose Pruning Autumn Rose Pruning Rose Bed Maintenance Herbaceous Bed Maintenance Supply & Plant Spring Bedding/Bulbs Supply & Plant Summer Bedding/Bulbs Annual Bedding Maintenance Formal Hedge cutting (Top & Sides) Semi-formal Hedge cutting (Top & Sides) Informal Hedge cutting (Top & Sides) Tree Maintenance Young Tree Maintenance Winter Sports Pitch Maintenance Cricket Maintenance Bowling Green Maintenance Mini Golf Green Maintenance Leaf Fall & Tree Debris other than on Hard Standing Water Features Tennis Courts Maintenance Litter Collection Litter Bin Maintenance Dog Waste Bin Maintenance Hard Surfaces Maintenance Daily Play Area Maintenance Monthly Play Area Maintenance Opening Site Reporting Defects

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SECTION 3 Quality Assurance 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.3.1 3.3.2 3.3.3 3.3.4 3.3.5 3.3.6 3.3.7 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.10 3.11

Quality Preamble Quality Documentation at Tendering Quality Procedures and Techniques during the term of the Contract Responsibility Quality System Document Control Quality Records Internal Quality System Audits and Reviews Competence Corrective Action Purchasing and Sub-contracting Purchaser Supplied Product Product and Service Identification and Traceability Process Control In-Process Inspection and Testing Final Inspection and Testing Inspection, Measuring and Test Equipment Statistical Techniques

SECTION 4 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7

Complaints Procedure

Complaints Preamble Definition of a Complaint Informal Complaints Formal Complaints Complaints Register Designated Complaints Officer Council Lead Complaint Investigations

SECTION 5

Special Events

SECTION 6

Methods and Resources

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APPENDIX 9 – Tree Strategy

LONDON BOROUGH OF HAVERING Environmental Maintenance

Tree Strategy 2009 - 2019

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Contents Page No. Introduction ...................................................................................................... 3 1 The amenity and environmental value of trees in the urban context. ........ 4 1.2 Biological ........................................................................................... 4 1.3 Non-biological .................................................................................... 4 2 Need for a Strategy .................................................................................. 5 3 Strategic Aim ........................................................................................... 5 3.1 Objectives .......................................................................................... 5 4 Street Trees .............................................................................................. 6 5 Street Trees and Highway Management .................................................. 6 6 Cyclical Maintenance Programme ............................................................ 7 7 Contract Management .............................................................................. 8 8 Tree Removal ........................................................................................... 8 9 Vehicle Crossovers ................................................................................. 9 10 Phased replacement of inappropriate street trees ............................... 10 11 Tree planting, Species Selection and Sponsorship ............................. 10 12 Tree Problems ..................................................................................... 11 13 Trees and Subsidence ........................................................................ 12 14 Privately owned trees .......................................................................... 13 14.1 Tree Preservation Orders and Trees in Conservation Areas ......... 13 14.2 Trees and Development .................................................................. 14 14.3 Resurvey and Updating of Existing Tree Preservation Orders ....... 15 14.4 The Making of New Tree Preservation Orders ................................ 15 14.5 Enforcement of Unauthorised Tree Works....................................... 15 15 Climate Change .................................................................................. 16 16 Community Engagement .....................................................................16 17 Tree Planting and Replacement Programme ………………………………17 Appendix 1 - Cyclical pruning schedule .....................................................18 Appendix 2 - Tree Strategy Policies ......................................................... 20 Appendix 3 – Tree Subscription Species ……………………………………22 Appendix 4 - Equality Impact Assessment ………………………………...25

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Introduction Trees are a significant feature of Havering, a unique component of the urban landscape and as living organisms are vulnerable to pest and disease, vandalism, accidents and development. Many trees are long lived, offering enjoyment and diversity of benefits to residents today and for future generations. To ensure their continuing contribution to the urban landscape it is essential that their needs and requirements are understood and planned for. In June 1992 the world’s largest gathering of world leaders was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. That meeting signalled the fact that environmental concerns have moved up the international political agenda. The central message of the summit is summed up in Article Four of the Rio declaration: “In order to achieve sustainable development, environmental protection shall constitute an integral part of the development process and cannot be considered in isolation from it.” This means that international, national and local policy makers have to start reappraising their policies and practices to ensure that they are sustainable. Natural resource strategies rarely stand in isolation. For this reason, Havering Council is meeting this challenge by developing a range of strategies and goals in the Living Ambition – a new vision for Havering, including the goal for Environment ,To ensure a clean, safe and green borough and how natural resource assets such as highway trees are managed in the long term. This Tree Strategy will provide a framework for the maintenance and enhancement of the highway trees in the Borough and define the management approach for the safe and useful life expectancy for Council owned tree stock. It presents the public with a clear strategic aim and reasons why decisions and actions are taken through the policies as laid down in this strategy. Furthermore, it provides a vision for the enhancement of the tree stock that ensures the Borough will maintain a healthy highway tree stock within the considerations of Living Ambition – Aiming for the highest quality of life in London

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1. The amenity and environmental value of trees in the urban context. 1.1 The value of trees in the urban context falls into two categories, biological and non-biological.

1.2 Biological 1.2.1. All plants „fix‟ carbon in producing carbohydrates. Trees create shade from the leaves which cools the heat absorbing highway surfaces. The leaves can filter some airborne pollution and particulates. Trees provide important habitat for urban wildlife such as birds, invertebrates and some mammals. 1.2.2. A tree lined street signifies the changing seasons in an often otherwise season-less environment.

1.3 Non-biological 1.3.1 The presence of trees makes the harsh “concrete jungle” of the urban environment more acceptable. They create green corridors along the highway and provide a more aesthetically pleasing environment. 1.3.2. Trees are integral and historic component of the urban landscape. They contribute to the local character and define a sense of place. The sum of all these benefits defines the amenity value of trees.

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2. Need for a Strategy 2.1. The Council owns an estimated 20,000 street trees . Setting out how the Council will manage its highway tree stock is both a practical and helpful guide to residents as well as an aid to good service management by the Council. This strategy is also a response to guidance from the Department of Communities and Local Government, Trees in Towns (II) 2007, which promotes good practice for local government. 2.2. There are responsibilities associated with ownership of trees. Some of these are legal duties as in the case of Tree Preservation Orders which are generally for trees within private ownership, others are in the interests of good husbandry and Health and Safety. 2.3. The Council has a duty of care on the trees that it owns and hence seeks to be a responsible manger and maintain trees reasonably within the wide range of pressures and demands it faces. 2.4. A tree strategy will ensure that the management of trees within Havering Borough will be dealt with in a co-ordinated, accountable manner. The overall standard of tree care will improve resulting in a healthier, more sustainable tree stock. The plans and policies laid down in the strategy will increase environmental, economic and social benefits and encourage community involvement in tree management.

3. Strategic Aim 3.1. To preserve, improve and secure no „net loss‟ of the Councils highway trees for the current and future generations.

3.1 Objectives 3.1.1. To manage the tree stock in accordance with good arboriculture practice. 3.1.2. To maintain the street trees on a regular cyclical basis using current best practice to reduce the amount of responsive works required. 3.1.3. To increase the stock of trees in aesthetically necessary and sustainable locations by taking advantage of different funding methods to include, specifically, private sponsorship. 3.1.4. To reduce the number of inappropriately planted trees by their phased replacement. - 118 -

3.1.5. To maintain a general presumption against the removal of trees, allowing felling only in accordance with good arboriculture and streetscape practice. 3.1.6. To inform and educate residents and businesses about the value of trees, and explore ways for greater involvement, consultation and protection from residents and businesses. 3.1.7. To promote and secure high quality tree planting and landscaping within new developments in order to maintain and enhance the Borough’s local landscapes.

4. Street Trees 4.1. The Council is considered in law to be the owner of street trees that grow within the adopted highway and in consequence is responsible for them. It is empowered by the Highways Act 1980 to plant and maintain street trees. 4.2. Trees that are planted along the highways are an integral and historic component of the urban landscape and its architecture. They contribute to the local character and define a sense of place. They add aesthetic value by improving the overall appearance of the street scene trees, help filter traffic pollution, provide shade for car parking and habitat for urban wildlife.

5. Street Trees and Highway Management 5.1. There can be a very real conflict between the need to manage the Council’ s highway infrastructure and the need to manage the Council’s trees. From time to time maintenance works undertaken by statutory undertakers (gas, electricity, water etc) or pavement repair by one of the Councils partner contractors is necessary. This construction work is symptomatic of progress, both economical and social and therefore accepted. 5.2 . When works are planned the Tree Officers will provide advice and information on the best way to minimise damage to street trees and to work in co-operation with those involved in construction. Where the needs of the street trees are patently disregarded the council will undertake to take appropriate action to ensure their protection.

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6. Cyclical Maintenance Programme 6.1. The existing tree population is a valuable and desirable resource. Tree management encompasses the co-ordination of all maintenance operations to existing trees as well as new tree planting. The Council must balance the need to take a long term view of the future management of the tree stock, as well as addressing short term issues. 6.2. Street trees are inspected annually and pruned on either a three or five year cyclical programme, dependant on size and species. All inspections are carried out by a qualified Tree Officer employed by the Council. During inspections information such as species, size, condition and suitable works are programmed into a tree inventory data base. The information contained in the database is used to keep management and topic records for each individual tree. This information can be used to plot the history of the tree for ongoing management, complaint, insurance queries Asset Management and Whole Life Costing exercises. 6.3. Tree pruning will be undertaken by qualified tree surgeons on a programmed ward-by-ward basis . Proactive, rotational management gives a fair and equitable approach as well as enabling ward members and residents advanced information of tree maintenance works. 6.4 Trees will not be pruned outside of the cyclical pruning programme unless there is a real risk of a health and safety issues or threat of legal action. This ensures a sound approach to management both financially and contractually. 6.5 . In the case of newly planted trees, the maintenance and management of the tree continues for 1 year after planting. This includes regular watering during the summer months and regular inspection of the stakes and ties. These inspections are undertaken outside of the cyclical maintenance survey. Once the initial year has passed the tree is passed to the inspection regime.

Policy 1 : To ensure street trees are inspected by a suitably qualified person on a yearly basis and maintenance works commissioned as necessary.

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7. Contract Management 7.1. The Council maintains its trees through the use of a contracted firm of arborists. The tree management contract was let to City Suburban Tree Surgeons Ltd for 5 years, commencing April 1st 2009, with an option to extend for a further 2 years and is the sole contractor for all highway tree work. 7.2. This strategy will underpin the Tree Service with our partners City Suburban Tree Surgeons Ltd. The Tree Officer will be responsible for the day to day running of the contract and will ensure current best practice is being followed in partnership with City Suburban Tree Surgeons Ltd. .

8. Tree Removal 8.1 The Council receives a great many requests to remove trees. For example: installation of vehicle cross-overs, road traffic improvements, subsidence claims and specific removal of some species which are considered a nuisance. However, often it is only once a tree is removed that its value becomes apparent. Even after replanting the amenity lost can rarely be replaced. 8.2 . The highway environment is a finite space for which there is intense competition from other services gas, water, electric etc. Planting opportunities after a tree is removed are becoming increasingly difficult as a new tree pit not only has to contend with the underground pipes and cables but also has to the aerial competition from street lamps, traffic signs, vehicle sightlines etc. 8.3 There will be a resistance to the removal of trees unless there is sound arboriculture or risk related reason to do so. This may be dead, dying, diseased or structural damage. Or when a tree is deemed inappropriate for the location and there are resources available to replant with a more suitable species. Trees in a hazardous condition will be considered as an emergency and removed without notification to safeguard the public and property.

Policy 2 : Requests for tree removal will be refused unless the tree is deemed to be in a hazardous condition or causing significant damage to the highway infrastructure, proven major structural damage to property , or is causing a significant nuisance such as excessive fruit fall, subject to inspection by a qualified Tree Officer.

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9. Vehicle Crossovers 9.1 . It is now usual for households to have one or more cars, and with this an expectation for the cars to be parked near to the house. For this reason, requests for a vehicle cross-over are commonplace. In some instances installation of the cross-over is impossible given the presence of a street tree therefore the Council is requested to remove the tree. 9.2 . In line with Policy 2 trees will not normally be removed to accommodate new vehicular access unless there is good arboriculture reason to do so, or the resident requires easier access due to disability. In any case where cross over works are approved by the Council and which approve removal and replacement of street trees, the full cost of all such tree works will be borne by the applicant. 9.3 The existing vehicle crossover policy used by the Area Liaison Officers when dealing with an application that is affected by a highway tree states; • First check if there is an alternative possible means of access to the property. For example, the property may already have another crossover and the application is requesting a second for “in” and “out” purposes. Or, access to the property from the rear (eg. A service alley) may be possible. This may not be the applicants preferred option, but it does save the tree and so the application is refused and the applicant advised of the alternatives. An alternative is that a sub-standard width crossing be considered. The standard width for a crossing is currently 2.7m (9’ ). However, in order to save the tree, a reduced width of 2.4m (8’) can be considered, or even 2.1m (7’) in cases of particularly exceptional need, ideally combined as a double crossing with a neighbour. 9.3 . The size of the tree removed will dictate the number of new trees required. i.e. Young = 1 tree, medium = 3 trees, large = 5 trees. The current replacement and 1 year maintenance cost is approximately £150.00 per tree (this figure will be subject to an annual inflation increase). All trees being replanted will be of extra heavy stock size wherever possible.

Policy 3 : On application for a vehicle cross-over the Tree Officer will be consulted for their view on amenity. If the tree is of high amenity value the application will normally be refused. However, if the applicant has access difficulties due to proven disability, the request will usually be granted.

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10. Phased replacement of inappropriate street trees 10.1 . In some situations maintenance and associated problems of a tree are so great that removal and replacement can not only improve the environment for residents, but avoid substantial financial liabilities for the Council. 10.2 . Thoughtful planned removal of trees reaching the end of their safe useful life expectancy and replanting with appropriate replacements will promote a tree population age structure that is sustainable. This long term approach to street tree management will produce long term improvements to the environment, reduce maintenance costs and release resources to improve the street tree resource as a whole. 10.3 . Short and long term benefits to the local community and the Council can be gained through phased removal. Sometimes it will be appropriate to replace over mature street trees requiring frequent expensive maintenance and replace with either younger trees of the same spices or more suitable species. 10.4 Identification of trees for phased removal and replacement will be carried out with due consideration to all factors, including proximity to buildings, species choice for replanting and the amenity value trees provide. The phased removal and replanting process will be evaluated objectively. 10.5 In conjunction with the phased removal of trees to as part of the longer term strategy there may be a need to phase the actual removal of the larger trees over two years to reduce the possibility of heave, or a straight fell and removal depending on local circumstances. The phasing of the actual works will result in the crown being removed on the first year and the trunk and stump being ground out to an acceptable level below the surface in the second year.

11. Tree planting, Species Selection and Sponsorship 11.1 There are cases where a tree has been planted which are out of keeping with the main species on the rest of the street. If the opportunity arises the tree may be removed and replaced with the principle species. Replacement of forest type trees with small ornamental species reduces future maintenance costs and nuisance complaints, but there must be a consideration to the contribution that large trees make to the character of the environment. 11.2 . Nurseries are developing specialised trees for planting with the street scene. As a result the list of species available for planting in urban areas is growing. The variety of foliage, colour, form and flower is far more extensive than it has ever been. Havering Council is committed to increasing the number of street trees implementing imaginative species and planting projects.

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11.3 There is a general presumption by the public that when the Council removes a tree it will replant with a new tree soon afterwards. However, in order to preserve and improve the existing tree stock, the annual revenue budget will be utilised in maintaining the remaining tree stock. Any planting that is carried out in the street is paid for by one of three methods: Private sponsorship, Capital funded programmes, or Section 106 payments through the planning system. However, long-term future planning should consider this budgetary implication to ensure the percentage of tree cover within Havering is not only maintained but increased and meets the goals for the Environment contained within the Living Ambition – a new vision for Havering and is noted in section 17.

Policy 4 : Priority will be placed on the replacement of over mature tree stock, planting more appropriate species where possible in a more suitable location, while promoting public awareness of tree management and maintenance.

12. Tree Problems 12.1 . People often live in close proximity to trees, particularly in urban areas. Trees can cause inconvenience to residents when they grow near dwellings. A dilemma often occurs when the tree makes an important contribution to the local environment but also causes inconvenience to those living nearby. 12.2 . With any population of trees there are a number of common sources of complaint including overhanging branches, shade, leaf/fruit fall, obstruction and physical damage etc. Many of these problems can be dealt with through the Councils cyclical pruning programme. 12.3 Tree roots disrupting the footway to a small degree is a common problem associated within the urban environment. Many trees are removed each year for various reasons including drought and pollution stress. It is for this reason that the Council is reluctant to remove healthy trees due to minor footway disturbance. StreetCare Area Liaison Officers who inspect the footway can action repair of damage as necessary and may wish to resurface disturbed areas. However, where the disturbance to the footway is significant and deemed dangerous, the final course of action will be removal of the tree.

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Policy 5 There will be a presumption against the removal or pruning of trees which are healthy but subject to complaint (e.g. branch and root trespass, loss of TV/satellite signals, alleviation of bird mess, seed fall, honey dew, leaf or fruit fall, loss of light etc) unless the basis of the complaint is an overriding justification and no alternative management practice can be implemented.

13. Trees and Subsidence 13.1 A common concern for homeowners is potential structural damage by tree roots. This type of damage mostly occurs in areas where the soil type is heavy, shrinkable clay, which is prone to fluctuations in volume caused by changing soil moisture levels. There has been a lot of concern about tree roots and structural damage in recent years. Much of this is unsubstantiated and the incidence of proven tree root related claims against the Council remains low despite the level of tree cover and much of the area having clay soils. 13.2 . Nevertheless, subsidence is a concern to householders and will remain at the forefront in the light of unpredictable and erratic weather patterns as a result of climate change. It presents a potential liability to the Council with high financial consequences. 13.3 . In order to reduce this risk the cyclical pruning schedule will take into consideration the management regime which may result in selective removal of street tree stock, in areas predisposed to building movement, where appropriate. 13.4 . Alleged cases and claims of tree root damage are dealt and co-ordinated by the Councils insurance department. The insurance department will seek advice from the Councils Tree Officer. This will usually involve a site inspection by the Tree Officer taking note of supporting documentation. A short report is passed back to the insurance department who will deal with any further communication between the agents. Any structural reports which are outside the expertise of the Tree Officer will be scrutinised by a Council Structural Engineer for comment to the Council’s insurance department who will co-ordinate the Council’s response on these matters. 13.5 Unwarranted claims based on poorly investigated or inaccurate evidence will be challenged.

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13.6 . Vegetation control is usually the first practical step that can be taken to alleviate homeowners concerns and there is increasing pressure to do so. The demands from insurance claims come from closing the gap between retaining the tree, denying liability and having to remove the tree to reduce the Councils liability and costs 13.7 The Council will refer to the London Tree Officers “ Risk Limitation Strategy for Tree Root Claims‟ – 3rd Edition May 2007 (and subsequent versions when produced) for authoritative advice when dealing with claims.

Policy 6: Respond to investigations for insurance claims within 4 working weeks and to take appropriate action to mitigate risk posed by a street tree as a result of subsidence

14. Privately owned trees 14.1 . A majority of the Boroughs tree stock is located within privately owned property, gardens and communal grounds. These trees form a critical part of the Borough’s local landscape and make a significant contribution to visual public amenity. This Tree Strategy is not primarily concerned with privately owned trees. The Council’s policies on these trees are part of its planning and development control policies. This section is included for completeness and gives an overview of how the Council supports the management of these trees.

14.1 Tree Preservation Orders and Trees in Conservation Areas 14.1.1 Havering is fortunate in not only having a large number of woodlands but also a large number of trees or small groups of trees interspersed within the built environment. This is particularly so in Harold Hill, Gidea Park and Emerson Park. Woodlands and trees make an important contribution to visual amenity, biodiversity and in some cases, provide recreation opportunities. Many copses in particular ancient woodland and secondary woodland are protected as either sites of Specific Scientific Interest or of Metropolitan or Local Importance. Tree preservation orders may be made on individual trees, group of trees, areas of trees, hedges or woodlands which contribute to the character of the area and are of public amenity value. 14.1.2 The Council has a statutory duty to protect trees, which make a significant contribution to visual public amenity, and has powers under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to regulate works to trees and prevent unnecessary felling or inappropriate pruning through the introduction of Tree Preservation Orders (TPO), the processing of tree works applications for TPO trees, and tree works notifications for trees situated within a Conservation Area (TCA). The Council aims

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to deal with all applications for consent to carry out tree works within the statutory deadlines, 8 week for trees the subject of a tree preservation orders and 6 weeks for trees situated within a conservation area.

14.2 Trees and Development 14.2.1 . The Council seeks to achieve successful and satisfactory retention of trees within new development in the Borough. Trees can occupy a significant part of a development site and can have a major influence on the design and layout of a new development. Poorly designed schemes in relation to trees may be resented by future occupiers and will place pressure for trees to be pruned or removed. The Council aims therefore to promote the use of good practice and place trees at the front of the design process. 14.2.2 The Council has powers to impose conditions upon the grant of planning permission for development, to ensure that existing trees worthy of retention are protected and not damaged during and/or after construction. The revision of British Standard BS: 5837 2005 A Guide for Trees In Relation to Construction has improved the processes for protecting trees on development sites. 14.2.3 From 1 October 2008 the permitted development rights that allow householders to pave their front garden for hardstanding without planning permission have changed. Planning permission is now required to lay traditional impermeable driveways that allow uncontrolled runoff of rainwater from front gardens onto roads, because this can contribute to flooding and pollution of watercourses, all of which can affect trees If a new driveway or parking area is constructed using permeable surfaces such as permeable concrete block paving, porous asphalt or gravel, or if the water is otherwise able to soak into the ground planning permission will not be needed. The new rules will also apply where existing hardstandings are being replaced. The new rules apply to hard surfaces exceeding 5 square metres in area. 14.2.4 If, due to development work, there are no alternative options other than to remove trees, the amenity value of the tree will be taken into account when deciding the replacement ratio and cost (as shown in 9.3)

14.3 Resurvey and Updating of Existing Tree Preservation Orders (TPO’s) - 127 -

14.3.1 . Local Planning Authorities are advised by Central Government to keep their TPO's under review by making full use of its variation and revocation powers in order to ensure their TPO's are up to date. The reasons why it may become important to vary or revoke a TPO are for example if an order was made before the implementation of later changes to the model order. Some TPO's were made in the 1940's and 1950's with many trees either missing or no longer merit protection. Central Government have also recommended that Local Planning Authorities put in place a programme for reviewing its old area orders. The Council will aim to assess and compile a list of all its area Tree Preservation Orders to help establish a framework and timescale, in view of putting into place a resurvey strategy.

14.4 The Making of New Tree Preservation Orders 14.4.1 . The Council aims to make full use of its powers to introduce new tree preservation orders. The majority of new TPO's are made as a result of planning applications for new development. The Council also receives a number of requests each year from local residents to protect individual or groups of trees which are considered important to the borough. Trees nominated for Tree Preservation Orders will be assessed carefully and consistently using systems to determine their suitability and visual public amenity value, and will be prioritised in order of expediency.

14.5 Enforcement of Unauthorised Tree Works on the Public Highway 18.5.1. It is an offence to prune, remove, or wilfully allow or cause damage to a protected tree, or a tree on the public highway.. The Council will use its relevant statutory powers to enforce and where appropriate prosecute the unauthorised pruning or removal of protected or highway trees.

15. Climate Change

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15.1 There is a general consensus amongst experts that temperatures will increase, there will be more dramatic variations in weather events such as floods, storms, warmer drier summers and warmer, wetter winters. Estimates suggest that by 2050 temperatures across the British Isles will have increased by >1.5 degree centigrade. There will be changes in the hydrological regime leading to a greater risk of flood from sea, rivers and surface water drainage. 15.2 Urban areas will warm more than rural ones because buildings absorb heat. The concentration of buildings and urban areas leads to the formation of “urban heat islands‟. This is where the night time temperature are higher there is a restriction in winds which disperse pollutants and increased run-off from roads, pavement, and hard stand for cars. 15.3 Trees in urban situations play a significant role in the adaptation of climatic change. They can counter poor air quality by effectively „locking up‟ pollutants in the biomass. Trees can be used to shade and cool buildings, and absorb excess rain water. 15.4 . When changes in soil moisture occur below the foundation level of buildings it can lead to subsidence. Tree roots are often blamed for subsidence and therefore removed. A clearer understanding of the mechanism of damage and how it can be prevented is needed particularly if trees are to be sited close to buildings in order to benefit from their shading and cooling functions. 15.5 Many of our most notable tree-lined streets have tree populations that are mature to over-mature. Such trees are vulnerable to climatic variations such as drought, disease and damage. An over-mature population of street trees tends to erode gradually over a number of years as individual trees decline and have to be removed. New trees should be introduced wherever possible between the mature trees to ensure that there will be continuous tree cover in future years.

16. Community Engagement 16.1 . It is important to communicate to the local community why changes and decisions are made, and to provide an opportunity for those to have involvement if they wish to do so. This may be by sponsoring or adopting a tree in their street. 16.2 The Council gets many requests for either a new tree to be planted or to replace a dead specimen. The Subscription Tree Scheme is a positive initiative to enable the expansion of tree stock within the financial constraint of the need to utilise existing revenue budgets to maintain the remaining tree stock. This situation is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future.

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16.3 However, there are practical and statutory reasons why residents cannot plant trees of their own accord along the highway. The Subscription Tree Scheme offers the resident the opportunity to request a tree is planted at an appropriate location, which may or may not be outside their property. The resident will pay for a tree (from a species list supplied by the Tree Officer – Annexe 3) to be sourced, planted and cared for, for the required 1 year maintenance period by the Council. 16.4 The cost of The Subscription Tree Scheme is not fixed and will respond to any changing circumstances. The current costs and processes will be published each year in the Living magazine 16.5 . Interest groups are able to access external funding for specific projects.

Policy 7 : Every effort will be made to encourage initiatives such as the Subscription Tree Scheme

17. Tree Planting and Replacement Programme 17.1 There has been a gradual decline in the highway tree stock over a number of years , with the limited budget provision being fully utilised in maintaining the remaining trees. However, it would be prudent to seek additional funding to implement a replacement planting programme that would enable tree numbers to increase, and help to meet the Councils Living Ambition –Aiming for the highest quality of life in London, of which the Environment, Cleaner Greener and Safer initiative is an integral element.

Policy 8 : To actively seek a dedicated tree replacement and planting budget

Appendix 1 - Cyclical pruning schedule

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The table shows the first 9 months of the year and the number of trees that will be inspected and pruning requirements ascertained, depending on condition, diseases, damage and budget demands. Detailed information regarding each road in the Wards are maintained by the Tree Team

3 & 5 Year Pruning Programme 2009 - 2010 CAC AREA

WARD

3 YR Programme

5YR Programme

Total No.Trees

Nth Romford

Havering Park

150

Nth Romford

Mawneys

100

139

Gidea Park

Pettits

APRIL ‘09

Totals 152

187 TOTAL APRIL

339 339

MAY ‘09 Harold Hill

Gooshays

242

130

372

Harold Hill

Heaton

154

Emerson Park & Harold Wood

Harold Wood

Totals 353

218

571

TOTAL MAY

571

JUNE ‘09

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Elm Pk & Hylands

Elm Park

103

144

Elm Pk & Hylands

Hylands

146

224

Hornchurch

St. Andrews

Totals 147

249

396

TOTAL JUNE

396

JULY ‘09 Hornchurch

Hacton

123

194

Hornchurch

St. Andrews

258

300

Elm Pk & Hylands

Elm Park

418

531

TOTAL JULY

531

262

410

139

401

549

Totals 113

AUGUST ‘09 Emerson Park & Harold Wood

Emerson Park

Emerson Park & Harold Wood

Harold Wood

148

Totals 148

TOTAL AUGUST

549

SEPTEMBER ‘09 Gidea Park

Pettits

213

272

Gidea Park

Squirrels Heath

180

234

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Totals 113

393

506

TOTAL SEPTEMBER

506

OCTOBER ‘09 Upminster

Cranham

310

399

Upminster

326

406

Totals 169

636

805

TOTAL

OCTOBER

805

NOVEMBER ‘09 South Hornchurch & Rainham

Rainham & Wennington

143

South Hornchurch & Rainham

South Hornchurch

164

Elm Park & Hylands

Elm Park

Totals 207

180

387

TOTAL

NOVEMBER

387

DECEMBER ‘09 Romford

Brooklands

151

242

Romford

Romford Town

228

105

333

Totals 379

196

575

DECEMBER

575

TOTAL

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Appendix 2 - Tree Strategy Policies

Policy 1 To ensure street trees are inspected by a suitably qualified person on a yearly basis and maintenance works commissioned as necessary Policy 2 Requests for tree removal will be refused unless the tree is deemed to be in a hazardous condition or causing significant damage to the highway infrastructure, proven major structural damage to property , or is causing a significant nuisance such as excessive fruit fall, subject to inspection by a qualified Tree Officer. Policy 3 On application for a vehicle cross-over the Tree Officer will be consulted for their view on amenity. If the tree is of high amenity value the application will normally be refused. However, if the applicant has access difficulties due to disability, the request will usually be granted. Policy 4 Priority will be placed on the replacement of over mature tree stock, planting more appropriate species where possible in a more suitable location, while promoting public awareness of tree management and maintenance.

mess, seed fall, honey dew, leaf or fruit fall, loss of light etc) unless the basis of the complaint is an overriding justification and no alternative management practice can be implemented. Policy 6 Respond to investigations for insurance claims within 4 working weeks and to take appropriate action to mitigate risk posed by a street tree as a result of subsidence

Policy 7 Every effort will be made to encourage initiatives such as The Subscription Tree Scheme Policy 8 To actively seek a dedicated tree replacement and planting budget

Appendix 3 - Subscription Tree Species

1. Acer ginnala ‘Amur Maple’ •

Its common name derives from the Amur River, which divides China and Russia. One of the very best trees for autumn colour, when its foliage turns a stunning red, it is also very early into leaf in spring and produces yellow-white fragrant flowers in May. This is a small to medium tree with a rounded habit.

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Mature height: 5 – 10m

2. Alnus glutinosa ‘Common Alder’ •

Medium tree with a conical habit producing yellow catkins in March. Its natural habitat is boggy land and river banks. Very good for urban plantings. It thrives in all soils and tolerates air pollution. Being a native tree, it is a wonderful host to a wide range of wildlife. Mature height: 15 – 20m

3. Alnus incana Aurea ‘Alder’ •

Unlike the species, this is a slow grower. The young shoots and leaves are yellow, while the catkins have a distinctive red tinge. The bark turns orange during the winter. Good as a street tree and for parks and gardens. It does best in moist soil and semi shaded areas. Mature height: 10 – 15m

4. Betula pendula ‘Silver Birch’ •

The Silver Birch is known as the “Lady of the Woods” – so called because of its slender and graceful appearance. A medium tree with a conical, but semi weeping habit, the bark is white with horizontal lines and large, diamond shaped cracks as the tree matures. It grows well on most soils. Mature height: 15 – 20m

5. Betula albosinesis Fascination ‘Silver Birch’ •

The dark green leaves, which are large for a birch, appear in April, along with a showy display of yellow catkins. It has an outstanding stem colour – orange peeling to pink and cream. This is a medium to large tree, becoming oval as it matures. It grows well on most soils. Mature height: 10 – 15m

6. Corylus colurna ‘Turkish Hazel’ •

•

A splendid and truly beautiful tree from south east Europe and west Asia. A large an imposing tree, rather columnar when young before broadening to a symmetrical pyramid on maturity. Notable for its textured, corky bark, it produces long yellow catkins in early spring and clusters of fringed nuts in autumn. It thrives in all soils. ONLY SUITABLE FOR WIDE VERGES – Mature height: 20m+

7. Crataegus laevigata Paul’s Scarlet ‘Hawthorn’ •

It becomes smothered in double, red flowers in May. A good choice for urban planting and tolerant of air pollution. It does well in most soils, including very dry and wet soils.

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Mature height: 10m

8. Crataegus monogyna Stricta ‘Hawthorn’ •

A tough Hawthorn, ideal for exposed situations. Very different from other Hawthorns in that it has a columnar habit with ascending branches, making it a very good street tree and ideal for restricted areas. A good choice for urban planting and tolerant of air pollution. It does well in most soils, including very dry and wet soils. Mature height: 10m

9. Crataegus x prunifolia Spledens ‘Hawthorn’ •

10.

11.

12.

13.

A Hawthorn that looks particularly good in its autumn foliage. Red and gold autumn foliage is a striking feature of this small tree with a pyramidal habit. It also has characteristic white flowers and shiny, leathery, oval leaves. Tolerant of air pollution and it does well in most soils, including very dry and wet soils. Mature height: 10m

Prunus dulcis ‘Common Almond’

•

The Almond is one of the finest spring flowering trees. Well worth growing for its pink single and double flowers, which can reach up to 5cm across. A lovely subject for parks and gardens. Mature height: 5 – 10m

Prunus x hillieri Spire ‘ Ornamental Cherry’

•

An outstanding columnar cultivar. This ranks as one of the finest of small street trees and it is also excellent in gardens and parks. With its tight, upright habit and profusion of pink flowers, it is ideal for most sites where space is limited. Rather slow growing. Mature height: 5 – 10m

Prunus Pandora ‘Ornamental Cherry’

•

A splendid Flowering Cherry – very free flowering! Pandora makes only one small tree, but its ascending branches, which give its broadly columnar habit, become smothered by pale pink blossom in March and early April. The bronze red leaves become even more attractive in autumn. Very good for streets and gardens. Mature height: 5 – 10m

Prunus Royal Burgundy ‘Ornamental Cherry’

•

A really wonderful small tree of rounded form, which is delightful in parks and gardens. Its double shell pink flowers are set against beautiful, wine red foliage to create and eye-catching effect. Lovely in any landscape. Mature height: 5 – 10m

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14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

Prunus x schmittii ‘Ornamental Cherry’

•

This Cherry requires virtually no pruning. Remarkable for its polished, red-brown bark, this fast growing and conical tree is medium to large. It shows fine autumn colour. Mature height: 10 – 15m

Sorbus aria Lutescens ‘Whitebeam’

•

This Whitebeam is outstandingly attractive in spring. The young leaves emerge silvery-white from purple shoots in spring, before hardening to grey-green in summer. This is a small, compact, rounded tree, producing white flowers in April and May, and, in good years, orange-red cherry fruits in autumn. Very good for streets, gardens and parks. Mature height: 10m

Sorbus x arnoldia Schouten ‘Rowan’

•

A reliable, low maintenance Rowan. This is a great choice for streets and urban plantings. It is a small tree with a dense oval crown. It has most attractive, green, feathery foliage and golden yellow berries from August onwards. Mature height: 10m

Sorbus commixta Embley ‘Rowan’

•

One of the finest of all Rowans. This small, columnar tree has foliage which colours later in autumn and lasts longer than other Rowans. This is complimented by glistening, orange-red berries, which are large. Very good for streets, avenues and urban plantings. Mature height: 10m

Sorbus intermedia ‘Swedish Whitebeam’

•

This tree is widely planted as a street tree in northern Europe. A medium size tree with well formed, rounded crown, its single dark green leaves have silvery-grey undersides. White flowers in May give way to orange-red fruits, produced in small bunches. It is wind resistant and tolerant of calcareous soils and air pollution, making this s really tough tree. It is recommended for streets and avenues. Mature height: 10 – 15m

Tilia x euchlora ‘Caucasian Lime’

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•

20.

This is a medium to large tree, and as aphids are not attracted to its dark green foliage, the associated ‘stickiness’ is not a problem. At its best when juvenile when it keeps a broadly pyramidal habit. At maturity it becomes densely twiggy and looses its shape. Suitable for urban planting. ONLY SUITABLE FOR WIDE VERGES – Mature height: 15 – 20m

Ulmus carpinifolia Wredei Aurea ‘Elm’

•

Rather slow growing Elm. A tree of medium size and oval habit, it tolerates air pollution and saltladen coastal winds. Its luminescent yellow foliage is particularly striking if planted in a semi shaded area or against a dark backdrop. Mature height: 5 – 10m

Appendix 4 – Equality Impact Assessment EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE

Part ‘B’ This section should be used to formally record the findings and results of your assessment. This section will normally be made available to the public.

Title of Policy/ Function

Tree Strategy – StreetCare Environmental Maintenance

Name of Author

John Gross

Date of creation/review

12 / 01 / 2009

Version No.

PLEASE OUTLINE THE RESULTS OF YOUR IMPACT ASSESSMENT BELOW B1

What are the aims and proposed outcomes of your policy/function?

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To manage and maintain a healthy highway tree stock B2

What research has been undertaken?

None

B3 (a)

What consultation has taken place? (who has been consulted, and by what method?) Internally within the Authority

StreetCare Arboricultural Team and Area Liaison Officers

(b)

Externally

What feedback was received?

None

What amendments, if any, have been incorporated into the policy/function to reflect that feedback?

None

If changes were recommended but not incorporated, what justification is there for this?

N/A

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What monitoring arrangements are to be put in place (or already exist) to monitor the actual impact of this policy/function? What data is to be collected?

Please consider the six diversity strands in answering the following questions: B8

Does your analysis show different outcomes for different groups. If yes, indicate which groups and which aspects of the policy/function contribute to inequality

NONE

Are these differences justified (e.g. are there legislative or other constraints)? If they are, explain in what way

N/A

What actions need to be taken as a result of this Equality Impact Assessment to address any detrimental impacts or

B10 meet previously unidentified need? Include dates by which action will be taken. Attach an action plan if necessary

NONE

B11

When will you evaluate the impact of the action taken? Give review dates

N/A

AUTHOR SIGN OFF

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NAME POSITION DATE

JOHN GROSS STREETCARE GROUP MANAGER 12 / 01 / 2009

HEAD OF SERVICE SIGN OFF NAME BOB WENMAN POSITION HEAD OF STREETCARE DATE

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APPENDIX 10 – Vehicle Check Sheet

Weekly vehicle/plant check form Week Ending Vehicle registration

30/11/25 EY15 KMV

Driver’s name (print)

Mick Greenslade

Item Checked Lights/indicators/beacon Tyres/wheels/wheelnuts Engine oil/hydraulic oil level Wipers/washers Coolant level (check cold) Mirrors – clean & intact Windows – clean & intact Body – tipper/tail lift/cutters Number plates/road tax Driver controls/seats/belts Load security/straps/hooks Roll bar structure/pins Tow hitch/electrics

Mon / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Tues / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Wed / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Thurs / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Fri / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Sat/Sun N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Mileage Start/Home

Mon

Tues

Wed

Thurs

Fri

Sat/Sun

N/A

Start/Work

18343

18350

18355

18361

18365

N/A

Finish/Work

18350

18355

18361

18365

18378

N/A

Finish/Home N/A

Vehicle damage report – please highlight any damage using this diagram Comments

Defects must be entered on a drivers’ defect report form taken to Central Depot

(This is a weekly check form – not a defect report form!)

Signed…………………………………………. Date………………………… Please note: This vehicle may be fitted with a tracking device

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APPENDIX 11- Parks Peat Use Policy Background The London Borough of Havering manages over a hundred parks and open spaces, 2 country parks and twenty five allotment sites. Grounds maintenance of the parks and open spaces are managed by a Direct Services Organisation working to a grounds maintenance specification. As part of the method of maintaining the parks and open spaces the specification requires the most efficient, environmentally friendly and restrictive use of peat. The key priorities of this policy are to: 1. To minimise the amount of peat used in Havering’s Parks and Open Spaces 2. Define methods of plant husbandry that permit the minimum use of peat based products. 3. Include peat minimalisation and methodology on all site management plans 4. To continue to research for viable alternatives to peat based products. Traditional uses for horticultural peat Peat has been used for the following horticultural functions 1. Acidification of soil 2. Main additive in potting compost 3. As a mulch 4. As organic matter to improve heavy clay soils 5. To retain water in the soil 6. As a cutting mix with sand Methods used to minimise the use of peat 1. We will not use peat to change the pH of the soil. 2. We will not use species that require soil pH to be altered. 3. We will not use peat as mulch. 4. We will not use peat as organic matter to improve soils 5. We will make every effort to ensure that the compost used for bedding plants is from a peat free source, providing it gives uniformity of growth 6. We will reduce the amount of bedding plants used. 7. Trees and shrubs will be supplied in loam based compost

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Appendix 12 - Marketing

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APPENDIX 13 - Parks Event Application Form PARKS AND OPEN SPACES – EVENT APPLICATION Please answer ALL questions, read the completed form and sign Name of your Organisation Name and telephone number of the person authorised to represent organisation to take overall responsibility for the event Company / Charity Registration Number (state which) Registered Address Postcode Telephone Number

Fax Number

Email Address

Website

Address of the above individual, if different from the registered address Venue / Location requested Proposed dates of events Opening times proposed ( to include preparation)

From

Title of Event Approximate area required Please specify the type of event you proposed to hold: Musical

Fun Fair

Circus

Community Event

Sports

Fayre

If other, please specify nature of event Will the event include amplified music? (as this may require a licence)

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Yes

Will alcohol be provided? (as this may require a licence)

Yes

Who is the event aimed at? ie young people, families etc Approximate number of people attending?

Plan enclosed

Yes

How will the event be advertised? Radio Posters If other, please give details

TV Flyers

Press Other

Will you be providing additional toilets

Yes

Will the event be fenced

Yes

Will you be providing lighting

Yes

If yes to any of the above, please give details Signed Date

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INFORMATION FOR HIRING A PUBLIC PARK OR OPEN SPACE Before staging any event the Council will require the following: •

A copy of your emergency plan: To include details of what you will do if an emergency occurs whilst you are responsible for the site (this must include, though not restricted to, details regarding first aid cover, line of management, evacuation process, process and identified access and aggress points for emergency vehicles).

•

A risk assessment: Identifying current potential hazards and risks at the site and detailing what precautions you will have in place for these potential risks and hazards.

•

Event Programme: Detailing the various activities and times supporting this event. The programme must also detail the method of setting the event up / breaking it down and taking off the site.

•

A copy of public liability / all risks insurance cover for the entire period of occupation

•

Site plan to include the general location of each individual activity

Please return this application with attachments to: Email: events@havering.gov.uk Telephone: 01708 434153

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APPENDIX 14 – SWOT Analysis

SWOT

Importance

Changeability control

Score

Notes

1. A Welcoming Place Strength

Good access

Strength

Good views

Strength

Signage

100

Strength

Surfaces

Strength

Trees and shrubs

Weakness

Graffiti

Strength

Play area

Strengh

Public Art

Weakness Opportunity

Car park size Additional Public Information

8 10

4 10

36 100

Threat

Parking charges

Threats

Development of surrounding Land

2. Healthy, Safe, and Secure Strength

Good sight lines

Strength

Well used

Strength

Walk through

threat

Gate locking

Strength

A number of access points

Strength

Visitor Centre

Strength

Paths in good condition

Strength

Outdoor Gym

Strength

Good long circular walks Deterrent planting has been used to prevent access to SSSI

Weakness

Variety of choice for all users Conflict with users (Cyclists, dogs, walkers etc)

weakness

Not Overlooked by surrounding houses

Strength

History trail

Strength

Ranger based on site

Opportunity

Measured walks

Threat

Staff reductions

Importance

Changeability control

Score

Strength strength

SWOT

3. Clean and Well Maintained Strength

Regular grounds maintenance

100

Strength

Friends are eyes and ears on the site

Strength

Conservation maintenance

Strength

Tree maintenance

Strength

Picnic and quiet area for older people

Strength

Adequate bins

Weakness

Graffiti

Opportunity

100

Opportunity

More picnic style benches New equipment and management techniques

Opportunity

Improve quality of design/materials used

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Notes

Threat

Budget

Strength

Composting of green waste

Strength

No use of pesticides

Strength Strength

Large grass meadow area

100

Use of dead wood

Opportunity

Recycling bins

Threat

HLS Withdrawal

Threat

Withdrawal of Farmer support

Threat

Flooding by ever increasing Silted river

Threat

Quarry/ development of adjacent land

4. Sustainability

5. Conservation and Heritage Strength Strength Strength Strength Strength Strength Strength Strength Strength Opportunity Opportunity Weakness Weakness Threat Threat Threat

Historic area School groups using the site Many bird/bat boxes Links to local BAP Interpretation Wildflower meadow areas Wild grass meadow Historic walks and talks Historic Interpretation Successional tree planting Additional Interpretation Make more of some historic features No regular monitoring of species Lack of resources to stop secession in SSSI Lack of resources for full historic restoration Pressure to replace established habitats with other habitats

10 6 7 8 8 9 10 7 8 7 7 8 7

5 9 10 10 9 10 9 7 8 10 10 6 10

50 54 70 80 72 90 90 49 64 70 70 48 70

8 9 10 8 8 8 8

8 6 7 7 9 9 4

64 54 70 56 72 72 32

10 10 9 8 9 8 8 7

10 10 10 9 8 7 6 9

100 100 90 72 72 56 48 63

Importance

Changeability control

Score

6. Community Involvement Strength Strength Strength Strength Strength Strength Threat Opportunity

Walk through Visitor Centres on site Friends group School use Events Volunteer working groups Large site to police Better information about Ingrebourne Valley in general and its connections

7. Marketing Strength Strength Strength Strength Opportunity Opportunity Opportunity Threat

Signage Public information Annual brochures Events programme Improved website information Press releases Use of social media Adverse publicity and fake news

SWOT

8. Management Strength Strength Strength Strength Strength

Stable Management structure Capital investment levels Political will Strategic Framework Management Plan

8 10 10 10 10

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5 5 7 10 10

40 35 70 100 100

Notes

Strength Weakness Weakness Weakness Opportunity Weakness Threat Threat

Partnership arrangements Skills shortage Lack of resources Tree management Liaison Lack of control of locking/unlocking Change of Political Administration Budget Pressures

10 10 10 10 9 9 5 10

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7 7 7 7 7 7 1 7

70 70 70 70 63 72 5 70

APPENDIX 15 - Play area visual inspection sheet

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Appendix 16 Example of operational inspection sheet

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Appendix 17 Parks Strategy Survey Responses Received - 1488 64% women 30% men The highest proportion of responses were from those between the age of 35-49 (30.8%) and 50-59 (20.7%), followed very closely by 65-74 (20.3%). 93.3% of respondents live in Havering and use the parks and open spaces. 84% of respondents live very close to a park or open space and within a 5-10 minute walk. Which of Havering's Parks and Open Spaces have you visited most frequently in the last year? (over 1% shown below. Only 55 sites received responses) HXCP – 16.7% Raphael – 10.8% Harrow Lodge – 7.7% Hylands Park - 7% Harold Wood - 5.8% Rise Park - 4.5 % Havering CP - 4.3% Lodge Farm Park – 4.2% Upminster Park – 3.6 % Haynes Park – 3.5% Bedfords -3.3% Cottons – 1.9% Parklands – 1.9% Langtons – 1.8% KGPF – 1.8% St Andrews Park – 1.7% Hacton Parkway - 1.4% Spring Farm Park – 1.4% Lawns Park – 1.3% Bretons – 1.1% Dagnam Park – 1.1% Central Park – 1% Almost half of respondents (44%) visit parks once or twice a week, and 38% visit every day Why do you usually visit Havering's Parks and Open Spaces? Which facilities do you usually use when you visit Havering's Parks and Open Spaces? Benches/seating areas – 56% Cafes/mobile catering – 43% Toilets – 36% Car parks 33% Paths – 33% Play areas 31% Visitor centre – 24% Walking routes – 22% Landscaped areas – 22% Picnic areas – 16% Events – 15% Cycle routes – 13% Running routes/trim trails – 12% - 159 -

Heritage features – 11% Informal recreation areas – 11% Bridleways – 3% Orienteering trails – 3% Fishing areas – 2% What additional facilities, if any, would you like to see in Havering’s Parks and Open Spaces? Toilet Facilities - 21% Security Measures - 19% Better litter management - 12% Food and Drink - 10% Play facilities/Activities- 8% 20% of respondents were part of organisations of which there were 108. 16.5% were from Upminster Bowls, 10.5% from Romford Bowls and 10.3% from Parkrun. (90%) of respondents feel either very safe, or safe, of which 64% are women and 31% are men Priorities for Havering Parks and Open Spaces The majority of responses were high priorities with all being over 50% being at least low priority. Top 3 Health Reasons Enhance Biodiversity Children’s Play Areas Bottom 3 Provide land for allotments Large scale events, e.g. fun fair or concert Use lakes for fishing Additional comments Air quality testing Anti-climb paint As a result of development in central Romford there is a need for new green pocket parks/city squares to be created Bins including recycling and dog bins Children’s facilities - increase and upgrade Deer management Encourage more schools to visit for educational purposes Fine people who litter/do not pick up after dogs Gates - invest in automatic gates Gates - lock at night Improve access for disabled and wheelchair users Improve lighting Improve/introduce toilets Increase nature playscapes such as eco stations/bug hotels/sensory gardens/forest school Introduce emergency contact details/help points Older teens - increase or introduce facilities and activities Security inc park keepers, CCTV, patrols Support sports clubs in parks as they contribute to keeping the park safe

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