Agenda item

The purpose of this report is to summarise the content and implications of the Biodiversity Opportunities Audit (BOA) of minor TRDC open spaces.

The report also includes proposals for alternative grassland management for parts of the district, in particular some of the Council’s major open spaces, such as Chorleywood House Estate and Leavesden Country Park.

The report and Appendices C and E includes financial implications of the recommendations detailed at point 13.1 and 13.2.

The Chair wished to move an amendment to recommendation 13.2 and for the recommendation to read:

“That theimplementation ofthe actionplan beagreed withinthe £100kbudget approved as part of the 2022/23 budget decision with additional funding sources being sought for the balance working in partnership with other community based organisations.Funding for future years will be brought forward as part of the 2023/24 budget process.”

TheLandscapes andLeisure DevelopmentManager reportedon theoutcomes of the Biodiversity Opportunities Audit and the proposals for the Alternative GrasslandManagement whichbrought togetherall thefactors tobe considered and the benefits Biodiversity would bring across the District.The proposals should beseen asthe startfor theprocess whichwould continuethroughout this year and subsequent years but would not be static.The key headlines were:

·       A five yearaction planhad beendeveloped followingthe outcomesof the audit and were detailed within Appendix C;

·       Officers would seek to work with the local community to implement theseproposals andwould seekexternal fundingopportunities where possible;

·       Details on the Alternative Grassland Management regime could be viewedfrom Point2.15 onwardsin thereport. Inorder touse consistent percentages it was advised that officers would focus on available grassland, excluding sites where grass was kept short for specific purposes, e.g. football pitches;

·       Currently the Council kept 62% of available grassland as long grass for biodiversitybenefits. Thiswould increaseto 77%following thechanges outlined with a 15% reduction in grassland kept as general amenity;

·       Theseproposals offera varietygrassland managementregimes and was based on using the right regime in the right place but also to achieve the biodiversity benefits;

·       At point 2.24 of the report 31% of grassland would be conservation grazed and would include existing sites at the Chorleywood House grounds, Croxley Common Moor and the Withey Beds and the introductionof grazingat TheHorses’ Fieldat LeavesdenCountry Park this summer;

·       All of thesesites hadbeen agreedthrough theCommittee processand following public consultation. Aside from the biodiversity benefits that grazing brings some of these sites are subject to a Countryside Stewardship Scheme and higher level stewardship as endorsed by NaturalEngland orare TripleSI siteswhich includedCroxley Common Moor;

·       Following the Biodiversity Opportunities Audit further sites would undertakea haymeadow cutand liftwhich wouldinclude BerryLane, Mead Place, Denham Way, Tanners Hill, Rickmansworth Park and Fortune Common plus the continuation of the pilot sites which were introduced in 2021;

·       Officers are continuing to look for opportunities to cease mowing and to move to a hay meadow cut and lift where appropriate.For example, during 2022/23, as part of the preparation for a new Management Plan for the Aquadrome, officers had identified new opportunities for an increased cut and lift.Later in the year officers would be updating the ManagementPlan forthe ChorleywoodHouse estateand wouldlook for opportunitiesto changethe grasscutting methodfor themain lawnarea from general amenity to hay meadow cut and lift.Due to the sensitivities of the site this needed to be consulted with the public on first;

·       Next year andin futureyears asnew ManagementPlans areproduced for openspaces, officerswould continueto lookfor theseopportunities to increase the areas of cut and lift;

·       The proposed changesto thegrass andmanagement regimesat the sites across the District would be implemented from April this year.

A Member referred to the report where it said we would not be cutting football pitches and similar and asked how far around the football pitches would we not becutting asquite oftenthere arepeople whowant tocome andwatch thegames and thatwas partof therecreation groundwhich appearedwe werenot goingto be cutting.

Inresponse thePrincipal LandscapeOfficer advisedthat officershad allowedfor a 4 to 5 metre buffer zone around these areas.

A Member was pleased to see the report come to the Committee and thought it was fantastic and could not wait to see the proposals implemented. This was still a document in progress.One issue they did have with anything around rewilding projectswas alot ofpeople don’tbelieve inClimate Changein certainsectors ofwork and life and thought it was a myth so it was vital that we educate people and this documentencouraged residentsto comeforward withfurther areas,such asJacketts Field, and tell us where we can go further to give people ownership. Giving people ownership will help the Council move forward to combat the effects of Climate Change.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 35(b) a member of the public spoke on the report.

TheLead Memberthanked thepublic andthe speakerfor attendingthe meeting.We all hadthe samegoal tomake ThreeRivers agreener andmore sustainableplace to live.We arealready doinga lotof thingsbut therewas alwaysroom forimprovement and this was highlighted within the proposed changes and the work of sustainable groups in Chorleywood, Abbots Langley and Oxhey.The Councillor supported the report and said we would see greater biodiversity and grassland management but there had to be a mix.The expert advice received had highlighted that before any kind of grassland management was undertaken it was important to survey the grasslandto findout whatwildlife, foraand floraare thereand thebest wayto manage it.The Council had done that by undertaking the audit and bringing the report back to the Committee.Meadows containing rare plants and animals needed particular careful management as these areas are not all the same and each meadow was different.Consideration needed to be given on whether it was grazed, cut and lifted or woodland and this had to be managed in different ways.Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust and other Conservation Groups positively encouraged managed conservation and grazing recognising along with cut and lift is was one of the best ways to increase biodiversity.We have to have different forms of management to increase our biodiversity which was what the report sets out. It was about having a balance of different grasslands and different habitats encouraging more biodiversity thanany singlemethod coulddo. TheCouncil hadbrought inexperts tocarry outthe audit and are now acting on this to encourage all different types of grassland management.This project would evolve as we move forward and there would be further public consultation at the end of the summer to come back to Committee.If the public see a piece of land which could be managed differently let us know.The Councillor wished to thank Charlotte, Alex and other officers for all their work in the very short timescales

A Member thanked officers for the detailed series of reports and thorough approach to this matter but had an issue with the communication on this and the ability to engage with residents.There seemed to be a failure of Councillors to communicate with residents and the aim of 50%.

The Chair advised that it had always been stated that cut and lift was not always the solution in every area, particularly the Withey Beds, as it would kill the ants there. That was why there was a mixed set of proposals which had been provide by professional experts.

The Lead Member advised that 77% of the available land would receive a conservation management in grass cutting not 24%.

AMember wanted tosee football,rugby andcricket andall othersports continuebut wanted toincrease biodiversity.We allneeded tolook atour lifestyleand itwas great that we all wanted to change the community but there are many people we need to bringwith usas manywho seethe grassnot beingcut wouldnot understandit and weall haveour workto doin thateducational process.They thankedofficers forthe detailed workand thework ingetting theconsultants intohelp us.Some peoplemay want an area to be meadow but some people may want to be able to have a picnic and therefore there are different interests we have to make a balance on.

The original proposer of the motion advised that in May 2021 the motion had been submitted to ask the Council to cut and lift up to 70% of its grassland. The motion came forward to Committee in November 2021 but had been changed to up to 50%. It was agreed the Council would look at opportunities to cease mowing of up to 50% of grassland for non leisure purposes.It had been advised that the Council were already cutting and lifting up to 50% of grassland.The report showed the pilot sites were only achieving3%. Whatwe needto dois cutand liftup to50%. 24%was not enoughand wouldnot makea bigenough difference.Not allsites hadbeen audited, justthe small sites, andnone of our big sites -for example Leavesden CountryPark

-where therewas mostpotential. Theyhad beencompletely leftout andcould result in no cut and lift taking place. The Wildlife Trust had pointed out the Park would not be appropriate for cut and lift which meant the site was withdrawn from this process. On the other methods proposed, including conservation grazing, it would not deliver inthe sameway ascut andlift andwas expensiveand complicatedand meantsome areas wereshut offdo thecattle beingin thearea. Cuttingand liftingwas theeasiest and simplestthing forus todo. TheMember askedif theCommittee couldgo backto the 50% cut and lift of available grassland which was agreed through the motion in November 2021.

A Member said everyone seemed to be set only on cut and lift but having read the reportand readthe adviceof theexperts weare toldthat cutand liftis notappropriate for all areas so to pluck an arbitrary figure of 50% out of the air and then insist we enforce that was not the best wayto take this forward. What needed to happen was to take the advice of experts who had looked at the sites and follow their guidance which was exactly what we are proposing to do if the report is agreed.The figure of 24% quotedwas thetop twopoints underParagraph 2.24but theMember referredto the third point on uncut and the fourth point on conservation area grazing and if you addedup thosefour linesit cameto 57%which wasmore thanhalf. Theywondered why Members wanted tooverride theadvice ofthe experts anddo somethingfor the sake of an arbitrary target.It would be more sensible and much more achievable to reach the biodiversity gain across the whole District if we follow the advice given.

Councillor Alex Hayward said we should be listening to what the public want and we should stick to the motion and 50% and wished to move an amendment to the recommendation and thatwe agree50% cutand liftand identifythe areasin orderto achieve this. The amendment was seconded by Councillor Reena Ranger.

A Member wished to see four replacement oak trees at Huntercrombe Gardens following the felling of four trees.The ornamental trees in the Ann Shaw play area are lovely but asked that they not be crab apples otherwise they will be thrown into the garden of a resident in Ferryhills Close.They did recall we had said up to 50% butwould liketo hearfrom officerson whetherthey hadexamined allthe sitesto see if we can get nearer to 50%.

A Member seemed to think all the focus was just on cut and lift.It was a way of moving forward but if a better way had been found it would seem ridiculous not to consider it.They did not know how cut and lift worked but taking out conservation grazing for cut and lifting did not take into consideration getting the vehicles there, disposingof thelift, transportingthe liftto therecycling depotand takingthe vehicles back as opposed to the animals doing it and being recycled on site with virtually no damage to the external environment.

The Head of Community Services advised that the audit was very much around the smallersites andnot thosewhich havemanagement plansin place.If thereare other opportunities officers would be very happy to look into them from across the District.A Member said residents had spoken that we move this forward and a motion had beensubmitted tothe Councilwhich waspassed unanimouslyat Committee onlyto cometo thisCommittee inJanuary andhere againnow. Itlooked likethis seemed tobe thecorrect wayto startthis andnoted thatthe managementplans of the larger sites would be reviewed and looked forward to seeing progress on this and wished to stick to what we had been promised through the amendment put forward.

On being put to the Committee the amended motion was declared LOST by the Chair the voting being 4 For, 8 Against and 0 Abstentions.

Onbeing putto theCommittee therecommendation asset outin thereport with the amendmentputforwardbytheChairwasdeclaredCARRIEDthevotingbeing unanimous.

RESOLVED:

1)                  Approved the Biodiversity Opportunities Audit Action Plan proposed in Appendix C and the delivery of an alternative grassland management regimeas setout at2.32 andwithin AppendixD, subjectto anycomment from the Leisure, Environment and Community Committee

2)                  That the implementation of the action plan be agreed within the £100k budget approved as part of the 2022/23 budget decision with additional fundingsources beingsought forthe balanceworking inpartnership with other community based organisations.Funding for future years will be brought forward as part of the 2023/24 budget process