FOWWS Trustees meeting: 2 December 2024
Minutes of the Friends of The Scrubs Trustees’ Meeting
Monday 2nd December 2024 at 6pm - 7 pm in the Meeting Room W10
Present: Stephen Waley-Cohen (Chair), Smita Davé (treasurer), Carmel
McLoughlin (secretary), , Sarah Abrahart, Emma Ranson, Ben Novak, Joaquim
Pereira.
Apologies: Ben Novak, Faye Thomas, Sarah Johnson
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. The Agenda and papers for the next WSCT meeting scheduled for this
Wednesday 4th December are available. The papers have been reviewed
by the FoWWS Trustees and the contents noted and as expected following
the meeting described in 2 below.
It was agreed the trustees’ meeting on Tuesday last (26th November) with
Osama El-Amin, the WSCT manager for the Scrubs, Vicki Abel and
Simon Ingyon of LBHF and Kate McVay of IdVerde was useful and
enabled us to give the Friends’ views on all the issues discussed, including
the accessibility and paths on the Scrubs, and the revised approach of the
Masterplan. Whilst we accept that the plans used are indicative only rather
than the final fixed positions for installations, tt was agreed that a
walkabout meeting would be useful to ensure that the layout on the ground
is agreed and acceptable eg the new largish scrape is currently on high
ground and needs to be moved further south to avail of the lower contours.
Accessibility and Paths – the Friends would like better to understand the
need to provide paths/access on open spaces. It was agreed to review the
previous iteration of the paths which were agreed and to see what further
initiatives might assist eg the ability to rent from the community hub all
terrain buggies and mobility scooters which would allow less mobile users
greater access. This is a model promoted by the National Trust on its
properties, and it is believed that Richmond Park also has this facility. The
Friends will investigate further.
Biodiversity Masterplan – the trustees are in broad agreement with the
revised Masterplan and many of the Friends’ concerns and objections
have been addressed.
LNR strategy for the meadow seems acceptable. We will have an
opportunity to input on how it will work later. The consultation on it is still
live and friends and users of the Scrubs are being encouraged by the
FoWWS to participate. There seems to have been a high response rate to
date.
AOB: Noted that the aerial plans being used by WSCT/LBHF are out of
date and need to be updated, particularly prior to the Maintenance7. Contract review. It was agreed that the Friends should hold a Friends’ Day
in May 2025 perhaps to coincide with a Dawn Chorus Walk and (later in
the day) nature walk
SWC will suggest a date of Sat. 3rd May 2025 to Kate/Barbara Crowther.
Date of Next Trustee meeting: TBC