Hillingdon Council Cabinet Member and Officer Decisions
Environmental & Recreational Initiatives: The Grove Nature Reserve
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Democratic Services
Location: Phase II
Ext: 0185
DDI: 01895 250185
CMD No: 765
To: COUNCILLOR MARTIN GODDARD
CABINET MEMBER FOR FINANCE
COUNCILLOR EDDIE LAVERY
CABINET MEMBER FOR RESIDENTS’ SERVICES
c.c. All Members of th e Residents’ Services Select
Committee
c.c. Dragana Knezevic, Place Directorate
c.c. Perry Scott – Corporate Director of Place
c.c. Ward Councillors for Uxbridge
Date: 11 April 2023
Non-Key Decision request Form D
CAPITAL RELEASE REPORT (April 2023)
DEPARTMENT: Place
SERVICE AREA/ PROGRAMME: Environmental & Recreational Initiatives:
Creation of Wildlife Corridor at The Grove
Dear Cabinet Member
Attached is a report requesting that a decision be made by you as an individual Cabinet
Member. Democratic Services confirm that this is not a key decision, as such, the Local
Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England)
Regulations 2012 notice period does not apply.
You should take a decision on or after Wednesday 19 April 2023 in order to meet
Constitutional requirements about publication of decisions that are to be made. You may
wish to discuss the report with the Corporate Director before it is made. Please indicate your
decision on the duplicate memo supplied, and return it to me when you have made your
decision. I will then arrange for the formal notice of decision to be published.
Liz Penny
Democratic Services Officer
Title of Report: Environmental & Recreational Initiatives: Creation of Wildlife Corridor at The
Grove
Decision made:
Reasons for your decision: (e.g. as stated in report)
Alternatives considered and rejected: (e.g. as stated in report)
Signed ……………………………………………………… Date…………………….
Cabinet Member for Finance / Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services
Capital Release Report – 11 April 2023
Part I - Public
CAPITAL RELEASE REPORT (April 2023)
DEPARTMENT: Residents’ Services
SERVICE AREA / PROGRAMME: Environmental & Recreational Initiatives: Creation of
Wildlife Corridor at The Grove
Cabinet Member(s) Councillor Martin Goddard
Councillor Eddie Lavery
Cabinet Portfolio(s) Cabinet Member for Finance
Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services
Officer Contact(s) Dragana Knezevic, Place Directorate
Papers with report Appendix A with capital release requests for approval
Appendix B - site plan
Appendix C - aerial view
Summary
To seek release of £56k funds towards the habitat restoration in The
Grove.
Putting our Residents
First
This report supports our commitment to residents of:
A Green and Sustainable Borough.
Financial Cost This report seeks the release of £ 56k for the creation of a wildlife
corridor at The Grove, inclusive of £49k grant from the GLA Rewild
London Fund.
Relevant Select
Committee
Residents’ Services
Relevant Ward(s) Uxbridge
RECOMMENDATION
That the Cabinet Member for Finance and the Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services
approve the capital release request of £56k budget comprising £49k Rewild London Fund
grant and £7k revenue contribution for habitat restoration at The Grove (Appendix A).
Reasons for recommendation
The Grove is off Robinwood Grove, adjacent to Royal Lane in Hillingdon. It is approximately 2
hectares in size and belongs to the Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC HiBII11) .
Attached are a site plan and aerial view.
It is a hidden gem surrounded by roads and housing. The project aim is to enhance the existing
features and to hence preserve and increase the populations of flora and fauna within the existing
Capital Release Report – 11 April 2023
Part I - Public
habitats - in addition to further developing the reserve as a good example of urban nature
conservation.
At present the existing trees around the ponds in The Grove are closed and overgrown, casting
heavy shade over the ponds with no aquatic vegetation. Also, dead and/or decaying leaves
increase the nutritional value of the water in the pond, triggering an abundance of duckweed.
Reduction of the canopy of mature trees and removal of smaller sycamore and holly trees will
allow more light to penetrate the pond and marginal vegetation to establish. Following the pond
restoration, appropriate planting of wetland species (undertaken by volunteers) will provide a
home for invertebrates and amphibians and improve the overall biodiversity of the site.
Alternative options considered / risk management
The Cabinet Members may agree to fund the scheme and / or suggest alternative projects to
which funds could be allocated within the terms of the relevant legal agreements.
Select Committee comments
None at this stage.
SUPPORTING INFORMATION
This report is seeking the allocation of funding for The Grove restoration project. The table below
outlines the project plan and timescales.
Project plan
Milestone Actions Due Date Comments
Selected tree works Contracted supplier Feb 2024
Scrub clearance Contractors Oct 2023
Pond restoration Specialist contractor Sep 2023
Planting wetlands Greenspaces team
working with volunteers
and social enterprise
Apr 2024 Organise volunteering days
Platform installation
invasive non-native
species in the pond
Contracted supplier Sep 2023
Planting wetland
plants
Sep 2022
The works will be undertaken by:
● Hi-Line - Council contracted supplier
● The Forward Trust - Council contracted supplier
● AGA Group- specialist supplier
● Drayton Fencing- Council contracted supplier
The table below provides a breakdown of the costs:
Capital Release Report – 11 April 2023
Part I - Public
Table 1: Cost Plan
Description GLA fund LBH fund TOTAL
Tree works £7,000 £6,000 £13,000
Blue Sky £1,700 £1,000 £2,700
Dipping platform £7,500 £7,500
Pond works £26,000 £26,000
Project management fees £5,800 £5,800
Contingency £500 £500
Total £48,500 £7,000 £55,500
Financial Implications
(The Grove Habitat Restoration Budget £ 55.5k, Previously Released Nil , Capital Release
Requested £55.5k) – Appendix A
In February 2023, Cabinet accepted £49 k grant funding from the Rewild London Fund for the
nature restoration project at The Grove. Match funding of £7k is required to supplement the grant
funding and this is proposed to come from a revenue contribution from the Green Spaces budget.
The report seeks the release of £ 56k for the creation of the wildlife corridor at The Grove , to be
funded from £49k Rewild London Fund grant funding and £7k revenue contribution. The release
request includes some quotations from the green spaces term contractors and the remainder are
based on estimates, where quotations will be sought at a later date. The cost plan also includes
fees and contingency.
The project will be reported as part of the Environmental and Recreation Initiatives Programme
once capital release is approved.
RESIDENT BENEFIT & CONSULTATION
The benefit or impact on Hillingdon residents, service users and communities
The Council and its partners are committed to making the B orough a cleaner, greener and safer
environment. Feel PROUD aims to make residents aware of how they can join forces with the
Council and have their say on improving the area they live in and boosting their pride in being a
Hillingdon resident.
Improving existing habitats in this narrow Site of Interest for Nature Conservation (SINC) section
and creating a buffer zone with new habitats in the adjacent fields will increase the wildlife value
of the site and benefit the whole corridor. The project will create a more varied and positive use
of the land, increasing the site’s overall biodiversity and ecological resilience, whilst retaining a
peaceful place for people to relax and enjoy.
This project is consistent with Hillingdon’s Strategic Climate Change Action Plan:
“Responding to the climate emergency is not just about reducing or removing carbon emissions.
It is about recognising a much wider threat across all aspects of our environment. We are
Capital Release Report – 11 April 2023
Part I - Public
responsible for large sections of open areas and waterways that are extremely important for
wildlife and amenity for residents. We can find better ways to use green and open space to support
flora and fauna, manage flooding, integrate trees and planting schemes into urban environments
and re-establish wildlife corridors.”
C7 Carbon offsetting
C7.4 Understand and increase current carbon sequestration through increased planting and
changes to green space management.
C7.5 Increase the number of trees, particularly in urban areas to complement objectives to
improve air quality and promote urban wildlife.
C7.6 Exploit opportunities to increase carbon sequestration to maximise opportunities for
biodiversity and flood risk management.
CORPORATE CONSIDERATIONS
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance concurs with the financial implications set out above, noting that this project is
largely funded from external grant of £48.5k that has recently been awarded from the Rewild
London Fund administered by the GLA, and accepted at Cabinet in February 2023.
Legal
The Borough Solicitor confirms that the Council is responsible for carrying out its function pursuant
to Section 19 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976. Thus, there are no
legal impediments to the capital release being authorised, although any contract that is entered
into must comply with the Council's Procurement and Contract Standing Orders.
Infrastructure / Asset Management
There are no Infrastructure / Asset Management implications arising from the recommendation in
this report.
Capital Release Protocol
The release of all capital funds, and certain revenue funds, held by the Council is to be made by
a formal democratic decision. No expenditure can be placed or committed by officers until this
formal approval is given by Democratic Services. Release of funds must be for identified projects
only and strictly not for the general release of funds for projects to be identified at a later date. No
block releases of capital or funding will be allowed, except if authorised by the Leader of the
Council in advance to Corporate Finance. The release of funds will only be made if previous
Council, Cabinet or Cabinet Member agreement has been given to the project and only if there is
an approved budget.
BACKGROUND PAPERS
NIL.
Capital Release Report – 11 April 2023
Part I - Public
CAPITAL RELEASE APPENDIX A
Creation of Wildlife Corridor at The Grove
Location
(Ward)
Project /
Expenditure
Title
Information
Funds
Release
Sought
£000’s
Approve Hold
More
Information
Required
Uxbridge
The Grove
wildlife
corridor
56
Total seeking release 56
Previously released 0
Budget 56
Remaining budget 0
approx.1000m2
© Crown copyright and database rights 2020 Ordnance Survey 100019283
© Crown copyright and database rights 2023 Ordnance Survey 100019283
/
0 0.10.05
km
.Map Notes
The Grove- pond Appendix B
The Grove
HiBII11
The Grove
Aerial Map± 20 0 2010 Meters
Appendix C
View Decision / Minutes Text
Executive Decision Notice – 26 April 2023 Page 1
This notice is a public document also available to view on the Council's website www.hillingdon.gov.uk
OFFICIAL EXECUTIVE DECISION NOTICE
PUBLISHED BY DEMOCRATIC SERVICES
Notice is hereby given that the following decision(s) have been made today by
Cabinet Members at the London Borough of Hillingdon:
Title of decision
CAPITAL RELEASE REPORT (April 2023)
DEPARTMENT: Residents’ Services
SERVICE AREA / PROGRAMME: Environmental &
Recreational Initiatives: Creation of Wildlife Corridor at The
Grove
Reference No. 765
Date of decision Wednesday 26 April 2023
Call-in expiry date Thursday 4 May 2023
Relevant Select
Committee
Residents’ Services Select Committee
Relevant Wards Uxbridge
Decision made
Cabinet Members
making the decision
Councillor Martin Goddard – Cabinet Member for Finance
Councillor Eddie Lavery – Cabinet Member for Residents ’
Services
Approved
That the Cabinet Member for Finance and the Cabinet
Member for Residents’ Services approve d the capital
release request of £ 56k budget comprising £ 49k Rewild
London Fund grant and £7k revenue contribution for habitat
restoration at The Grove.
Reason for decision The project aim is to enhance the existing features at The Grove
and to hence preserve and increase the populations of flora and
fauna within the existing habitats - in addition to further
developing the reserve as a good example of urban nature
conservation.
At present the existing trees around the ponds in The Grove are
closed and overgrown, casting heavy shade over the ponds with
no aquatic vegetation. Also, dead and/or decaying leaves
increase the nutritional value of the water in the pond, triggering
an abundance of duckweed. Reduction of the canopy of mature
trees and removal of smaller sycamore and holly trees will allow
more light to penetrate the pond and marginal vegetation to
establish. Following the pond restoration, appropriate planting of
wetland species (undertaken by volunteers) will provide a home
for invertebrates and amphibians and improve the overall
biodiversity of the site.
Executive Decision Notice – 26 April 2023 Page 2
This notice is a public document also available to view on the Council's website www.hillingdon.gov.uk
Alternative options
considered and
rejected
The Cabinet Members could have agreed to fund the scheme
and / or suggested alternative projects to which funds could be
allocated within the terms of the relevant legal agreements.
Classification Part I – Public
Link to associated
report
Report
Relevant Officer
contact & Directorate
Dragana Knezevic, Place Directorate
Any interest declared
by the Cabinet
Member(s) /
dispensation granted
N/A
Implementation of decision & scrutiny call-in
[Internal Use only]
When can this
decision be
implemented by
officers?
Officers can implement Cabinet Member decision in this notice
only from the expiry of the scrutiny call-in period which is:
5pm on Thursday 4 May 2023
However, this is subject to the decision not being called in by
Councillors on the relevant Select Committee. Upon receipt of a
valid call-in request, Democratic Services will immediately advise
the relevant officer(s) and the decision must then be put on hold.
Councillor scrutiny
call-in of this
decision
Councillors on the relevant Select Committee shown in this notice
may request to call -in this decision. The request must be before
the expiry of the scrutiny call-in period above.
Councillors should use the Scrutiny Call -in App (link below) on
their devices to initiate any call-in request. Further advice can be
sought from Democratic Services if required:
Scrutiny Call-In - Power Apps (secure)
Further information These decisions, where applicable, have been taken under The
Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and
Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012.
This is the formal notice by the Council of the above executive
decision, including links to the reports where applicable.
If you would like more information on this decision, please contact
Democratic Services on 01895 250636 or email:
democratic@hillingdon.gov.uk.
Circulation of this decision notice is to a variety of people including
Members of the Council, Corporate Directors, Officers, Group
Executive Decision Notice – 26 April 2023 Page 3
This notice is a public document also available to view on the Council's website www.hillingdon.gov.uk
Secretariats and the Public. Copies are also placed on the
Council’s website.
Democratic Services
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