Hillingdon Council Cabinet Member and Officer Decisions
Environmental & Recreational Initiatives: Yeading Brook Enhancement Project – CR 1
Report Document
Can't see the PDF? Download Report
Decision / Minutes Document
Can't see the PDF? Download Minutes
Text extracted from PDFs
View Report Text
Democratic Services
Location: Phase II
Ext: 0185
DDI: 01895 250185
CMD No: 2026/1717
To: COUNCILLOR STEVE TUCKWELL
LEADER OF THE COUNCIL
COUNCILLOR EDDIE LAVERY
CABINET MEMBER FOR FINANCE
COUNCILLOR WAYNE BRIDGES
CABINET MEMBER FOR RESIDENTS SERVICES
c.c. All Members of th e Residents Services Select
Committee
c.c. Dan Kennedy – Corporate Director of Residents
Services
c.c. Dragana Knezevic – Residents Services
Date: 22 June 2026
Non-Key Decision request Form D
CAPITAL RELEASE REPORT (JUNE 2026)
DEPARTMENT: Residents Services
SERVICE AREA / PROGRAMME: Environmental & Recreational Initiatives: Yeading
Brook Enhancement Project
Dear Cabinet Members,
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 Tuesday 30 June 2026 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: Yeading Brook Enhancement
Project
Decision made:
Reasons for your decision: (e.g. as stated in report)
Alternatives considered and rejected: (e.g. as stated in report)
Signed ……………………………………………………… Date……………………..
Leader of the Council / Cabinet Member for Finance / Cabinet Member for Residents
Services
Capital Release Report – 22 June 2026
Part I - Public
Page 1
CAPITAL RELEASE REPORT (JUNE 2026)
DEPARTMENT: Residents Services
SERVICE AREA / PROGRAMME: Environmental & Recreational Initiatives: Yeading Brook
Enhancement Project
Cabinet Member(s) &
Portfolio
Councillor Steve Tuckwell - Leader of the Council
Councillor Eddie Lavery – Cabinet Member for Finance
Councillor Wayne Bridges - Cabinet Member for Residents Services
Responsible Officer Dragana Knezevic, Residents Services Directorate
Papers with report Appendix A with capital release requests for approval
HEADLINES
Summary
To seek release of £ 255k funds towards the Yeading Brook
Enhancement Project
Putting our Residents
First
This report supports the Council Strategy.
Financial Cost This report seeks the release of £ 255k for Yeading Brook
enhancement project, £255k funded by GLA’s Green Roots Funds
Select Committee Residents’ Services Select Committee
Relevant Ward(s) South Ruislip, Belmore
RECOMMENDATION
That the Leader of the Council, in consultation with the Cabinet Members, approve the
capital release request of £255K for Yeading Brook project, funded by Green Roots Fund
(Appendix A).
Reasons for recommendation
After a very successful river restoration project in 2024/25, London Borough of Hillingdon and the
Zoological Society of London (ZSL) continue working to develop three new river enhancement
projects in Yeading Brook . The brook has unnaturally steep banks with little habitat diversity.
These three river enhancement projects will reprofile/recontour riverbanks to create key habitats
and improve the diversity of the environment and its species. Yeading Brook water levels respond
very quickly to rainfall due to its urban catchment. This project will contribute to reducing the peak
levels and, in turn, reduce the flood risk to local residents. Proposed improvement works will
increase the ability of the river to adapt and cope with the likely impact of increased intense storms
resulting from climate change. The project will provide more space for water and slow the flow of
water to the Yeading Brook, further helping to protect people, species and habitats by making
them less vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
Capital Release Report – 22 June 2026
Part I - Public
Page 2
This project will create a tranquil spot for observing nature, such as dragonflies, butterflies and
birds and amphibians attracted to these new and enhanced habitats.
Development of the site will attract more volunteers who want to help shape and transform their
local landscape and work with others as a community on a regular basis. This will provide not
only social wellbeing benefits but also improve nature connectedness of participants and promote
pro-nature conservation behaviours.
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 Yeading Brook Enhancement Project.
The works will be undertaken by:
● Design - Specialist Contractor
● Construction - Specialist Contractor
● Project Consultation - Zoological Society of London (ZSL) , charity devoted to the worldwide
conservation of animals and their habitats
The table below provides a breakdown of the costs:
Cost Plan
Item Lead Cost
Construction Specialist Contractors £205,000
Monitoring and Management Partners and Specialist Contractor £32,800
Management Fees Greenspaces, LBH £10,000
Plants Suppliers £6,500
Tree and Scrub works Hillingdon’s tree contractor £700
Total £255,000
Financial Implications
(Yeading Brook Enhancement P roject Budget £ 255k, Previously Released Nil , Capital
Release Requested £255k) – Appendix A
In June 2026, a recommendation is being presented to Cabinet to accept £ 255k grant funding
from the Green Roots fund. No match funding is requested.
Capital Release Report – 22 June 2026
Part I - Public
Page 3
The report seeks the release of £255k for the Yeading Brook enhancement project, to be funded
from the Green Roots Fund. The release request includes quotations from the green spaces term
contractor, consultants and internal fees at 4%.
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 upon 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 restoring Yeading Brook 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
responsible for large sections of open areas and waterways that are an 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 To 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
fully funded from external grant of £255k that has recently been awarded by the Green Roots
Fund, with no impact on Council resources, and that the grant acceptance is pending Cabinet
approval in the next budget monitoring report.
Capital Release Report – 22 June 2026
Part I - Public
Page 4
Legal
Legal Services confirms that the Council is responsible for carrying out this function pursuant to
section 164 of the Public Health Act 1875, section 10 of the Open Spaces Act 1906, and section
40 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006.
Thus, there are no legal impediments to the requested capital release being authorised, although
any contract that is entered into must comply with the Council's Procurement Standing Orders.
This includes the contracts with the specialist contractors for design and construction, ZSL for
project consultation, suppliers for plants, and the Council’s tree contractor.
Infrastructure / Asset Management
There are no Infrastructure / Asset Management implications arising from the recommendation in
this report.
BACKGROUND PAPERS
NIL.
Capital Release Report – 22 June 2026
Part I - Public
Page 5
CAPITAL RELEASE APPENDIX A
Yeading Brook Enhancement Project 2026/27 (CR 1)
Location
(Ward)
Project /
Expenditure
Title
Information
Funds
Release
Sought
£000’s
Approve Hold
More
Information
Required
South
Ruislip
Yeading
Brook
Enhancement
Project
Yeading Brook
Enhancement Project
255
Total seeking release 255
Previously released 0
Budget 255
Remaining budget 0
View Decision / Minutes Text
Executive Decision Notice – 7 July 2026
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 (JUNE 2026)
DEPARTMENT: Residents Services
SERVICE AREA / PROGRAMME: Environmental &
Recreational Initiatives: Yeading Brook Enhancement
Project
Reference No. 2026/1717
Date of decision Tuesday 7 July 2026
Call-in expiry date Tuesday 14 July 2026
Relevant Select
Committee
Residents’ Services Select Committee.
Relevant Wards South Ruislip, Belmore
Decision made
Cabinet Members making
the decision
Councillor Steve Tuckwell - Leader of the Council
Councillor Eddie Lavery – Cabinet Member for Finance
Councillor Wayne Bridges - Cabinet Member for Residents
Services
Decision Agreed
That the Leader of the Council, in consultation with the
Cabinet Members, approved the capital release request
of £255K for Yeading Brook project, funded by Green
Roots Fund (Appendix A to the report).
Reason for decision Following the success of the river restoration project in
2024/25, the London Borough of Hillingdon and the
Zoological Society of London (ZSL) are progressing three
new enhancement projects along Yeading Brook. The works
will reshape the brook’s steep bank
s to create a greater
variety of habitats and support biodiversity. By providing
more space for water and slowing its flow, the projects will
help reduce peak water levels and lower flood risk for nearby
residents. They will also improve the brook’s resili ence to
the impacts of climate change, including more frequent and
intense storms, helping to protect local communities, wildlife
and habitats.
Alternative options
considered and rejected
The Cabinet Members could have 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 can be found here
Executive Decision Notice – 7 July 2026
This notice is a public document also available to view on the Council's website www.hillingdon.gov.uk
Relevant Officer contact
& Directorate
Dragana Knezevic, Residents Services 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 Tuesday 14 July 2026
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
Secretariats and the Public. Copies are also placed on the
Council’s website.
Democratic Services
London Borough of Hillingdon
Civic Centre
High Street
Uxbridge
UB8 1UW