Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Ross Melton & Laura Janes

If a Councillor has a disclosable pecuniary interest in a particular item, whether or not it is entered in the Authority’s register of interests, or any other significant interest which they consider should be declared in the public interest, they should declare the existence and, unless it is a sensitive interest as defined in the Member Code of Conduct, the nature of the interest at the commencement of the consideration of that item or as soon as it becomes apparent.

Where Members of the public are not allowed to be in attendance and speak, then the Councillor with a disclosable pecuniary interest should withdraw from the meeting whilst the matter is under consideration. Councillors who have declared other significant interests should also withdraw from the meeting if they consider their continued participation in the matter would not be reasonable in the circumstances and may give rise to a perception of a conflict of interest.

Councillors are not obliged to withdraw from the meeting where a dispensation to that effect has been obtained from the Standards Committee.

There were no declarations of interest.

To approve the minutes of the previous meeting and note any outstanding actions.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 6^th February 2024 were agreed as an accurate record.

This report outlines the current flood risk in Hammersmith and Fulham and the actions being taken by the council to help manage flood risk within the borough.  This includes information on “Greening the Grey” and how this work not only supports the management of flood risk but mitigates the growing effects from climate change.  Finally, the paper outlines several of the public realm greening projects planned this year.

Jessica Bastock (Service Manager Healthy Streets) and Phoebe Shaw Stewart (Ecology Lead, Climate Change and Transport) provided a presentation on floor risk and greening the grey. They showed slides which covered the following key aspects:

Floor Risk

• The Council had a duty to manage surface water, groundwater, and ordinary water courses.
• Fluvial/tidal and surface water flood risk within the borough
• The projects and plans in place to help manage flood risk.
• The flood risk action plan, which included actions such as statutory duties, collaboration, communication, maintenance, and emergency planning.
• Guidance in place, including updating the website to make this more interactive for users.

Greening the grey

• The aim was to reduce and adapt grey infrastructure and increase green infrastructure within the borough.
• The benefits of green infrastructure included cleaner air, reduction in flood risk, create cool spaces and adapt to the effects of changing climate.
• Green verges, contributed to creating ecological corridors and permeable surfaces.
• Green Sustainable urban Drainage System (SuDS) features were used across the borough and provided benefits such as tackling surface water flooding and improving biodiversity.
• Benefits of green roofs, trees, and tree pits (tree strategy in final stages)
• Resident involvement to encourage more greening on private land (free tree/bulb/seed giveaways)

Georgia Turner (Senior Engineer Healthy Streets) gave an overview of the current programme of works to be delivered in 2024/25. These were planned for Westville Road, King Street, Addison Gardens, Edith Road, New Kings Road, Marinefield Road, Grove Mews and Blythe Road. This would increase the amount of green infrastructure and in most cases, include SuDS features such as rain gardens and engineered tree pits on the public highway. As the year progressed this list may include further projects. Of these schemes two schemes would involve working with local schools. These were Greenside Primary School and Langford Primary School.

The Chair thanked officers for their presentations and requested additional clarification regarding the implementation of SuDS. In response Jessica Bastock explained that the objective of SuDS was to mimic natural drainage systems to manage rainwater. SuDS aimed to reduce surface water flooding and improve water quality. This would be achieved by lowering flow rates and  increasing water storage capacity. With regards to hard surfaces, options being explored were block paving where water would drain between the blocks into the ground or permeable paving surfaces.

The Chair enquired about the extent of the Council’s influence in ensuring that new developments implement a strategy for SuDS but also carry out necessary works. Jessica Bastock noted that the Council had significant influence on this process, especially during the initial stages of development. She highlighted that there were ample opportunities within development sites and mentioned that as part of the Council’s existing policy, drainage plans were reviewed to ensure they met the greenfield runoff rate. This would be achieved by reducing the flow of water to the sewage system and through the implementation of SuDS.

The Chair followed up with a question regarding the green investment fund  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

To note the dates of future meetings:

·       31 January 2023

·       28 March 2023

To note the dates of future meetings:

• 25th June 2024
• 19th November 2024
• 28th January 2025
• 22nd April 2025