Agenda and draft minutes

MINUTES OF THE WELSH HARP JOINT CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE

Held as an online meeting on Thursday 23 November 2023 at 6.00pm

Members Present (In Remote Attendance)

Councillor Alan Schneiderman (Chair)                           London Borough of Barnet

Councillor Ernest Ambe Esq                                            London Borough of Barnet

Councillor Saqib Butt                                                         London Borough of Brent

Councillor Parvez Ahmed                                                 London Borough of Brent

Harriet Duffield (Officer)                                                    London Borough of Barnet

Leslie Williams (Officer)                                                     London Borough of Brent

Adam Woods (Governance)                                             London Borough of Brent

Ben Carroll                                                                          Canal & River Trust

Mark Pearson                                                                     Canal & River Trust

Ben Watt                                                                              Cool Oak Group

Feargal Sharkey                                                                 Cool Oak Group

Lewis Elmes                                                                        Environment Agency

Daniella Levene                                                                 Friends of Welsh Harp

Leila Taheri                                                                          Friends of Welsh Harp

Dale Langdale                                                                    Hendon Rifle Club

Dianne Murphy                                                                   London Wildlife Trust

Phil Atkinson                                                                       Phoenix Canoe Club

Matt Merkies                                                                        Silkstream Friends

Diane Mitchell                                                                     Silver Park Jubilee Residents Association

Hannah Reid                                                                      Thames 21

John Shepherd                                                                   Welsh Harp Sailing Association

Manfred Starkl                                                                     Welsh Harp Sailing Association

Liz Hall                                                                                 West Hendon Allotment Society

Leo Batten                                                                           Welsh Harp Conservation Group

Derrick Chung                                                                    West Hendon Residents Association

1.            Apologies for Absence and Clarification of any Alternate Members

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Krupa Sheth (London Borough of Brent), Councillor Mary Mitchell (London Borough of Brent), Councillor Rishikesh Chakraborty (London Borough of Barnet), Councillor Andrea Bilbow (London Borough of Barnet), Matthew Gunyon (London Borough of Barnet), Sian Palmer-Ferry (Canal & River Trust) and Eashani Haria (Canal & River Trust).

2.            Declarations of Interests (If Any)

There were no declarations made.

3.            Deputations (If Any)

None.

4.            Minutes of the Previous Meeting

It was AGREED that the minutes of the previous meeting held on Thursday 27 July 2023 be approved as an accurate record.

5.            Matters Arising

None.

6.            Update from the Canal & River Trust

Ben Carroll (Project Manager, Canal & River Trust) provided an update to the Committee regarding the Winter works at the Brent Reservoir, which was commencing imminently and was expected to be completed by February 2024 to avoid bird nesting season and minimise impact on the Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Members were advised that the Canal & River Trust had been given permission for carry out the works by Natural England and were legally required to carry out the works in the interest of safety, with planned work including painting and repairing the bell tower, inspecting sluice’s, general inspections of the Reservoir dam and necessary repair works.

In order to complete the required work, it was explained that the Reservoir would have to be fully dewatered, with the Committee noting that the required gear and equipment was currently being mobilised and water quality monitoring had begun in preparation for the dewatering. Ben Carroll also detailed that the Canal & River Trust expected their application for a Flood Risk Activities Permit to be approved in the near future, meaning that the drawdown of the Reservoir would likely commence in the week beginning 27 November 2023.

In discussing next steps, Ben Carroll informed members that the dewatering process would take approximately four to six weeks and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1.