The City of London Corporation, which manages Epping Forest, is calling on local groups to join its consultative committee.

The advisory body, which was set up nearly three years ago, is an open forum where Epping Forest management and policy issues are discussed with representative user groups from across the Forest.

It is part of the formal governance of the site and its views feed into the City Corporation’s Epping Forest and Commons Committee, which makes decisions about policy.

16 local groups will be selected to sit on the committee*, Chaired by Graeme Doshi-Smith, Chairman of the City Corporation’s Epping Forest and Commons Committee.

Representatives on the consultative committee are drawn from groups from across the community with a specific interest in the heritage, recreation and conservation of the Forest.

The committee meets regularly and is open to the public.

Graeme Doshi-Smith, Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s Epping Forest and Commons Committee, said:

“Epping Forest has always benefited from a wide range of user groups with a real knowledge and interest in the ancient woodland.

“We want to make sure that the site continues to be managed in an open and inclusive way.

“This forum is a great opportunity for all of us to share ideas which can improve our enjoyment of the Forest.

“We hope to hear from a vast range of user groups, from cycling and dog walkers, to conservationists and heritage groups.”

Epping Forest user groups that want to nominate a representative for the new Consultative Committee should contact the Epping Forest team at EppingForest@cityoflondon.gov.uk or 020 8532 5317. The deadline is Monday 7 December 2020.

Epping Forest is London and Essex’s largest green space and has been owned and managed by the City of London Corporation since 1878.

It is home to Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge, a unique example of a surviving timber-framed hunt standing, built on the orders of Henry VIII in 1543.

The woodland has over one million trees, some of which are up to 1,000 years old – including 50,000 ancient pollards of Beech, Hornbeam and Oak.  There are around 500 rare and endangered plant, fungi and insect species in the Forest.

The City of London Corporation already has a number of long-standing arrangements under which the views of local people are sought on Epping Forest policy. Under the Epping Forest Act 1878, four Epping Forest Verderers are elected locally to sit on the City Corporation’s the Epping Forest and Commons Committee.

There has been extensive public consultation on management plans and the City Corporation meets regularly with publicly elected councillors from neighbouring boroughs Redbridge, Waltham Forest and Epping Forest District Council.

The City of London Corporation manages over 11,000 acres of green space across.

The City Corporation protects 11,000 acres of green space in the capital, including Hampstead Heath, West Ham Park and Burnham Beeches, and over 200 smaller sites in the Square Mile. The City Corporation funds its open spaces with over £29 million a year.

They include important wildlife habitats, Sites of Special Scientific Interest, and National Nature Reserves. They are protected from being built on by special legislation.

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Media enquiries

Kristina Drake

Media Officer, City of London Corporation

Kristina.Drake@cityoflondon.gov.uk

07528256363

Notes to editors

About the City of London Corporation

The City of London Corporation is the governing body of the Square Mile dedicated to a vibrant and thriving City, supporting a diverse and sustainable London within a globally-successful UK. www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

* If more applications of interest are received, the Epping Forest and Commons Committee will make a selection based on size of membership, geographical area and theme of interest in the forest..