The first Epping Forest Consultative Committee will meet on 24 January to discuss and debate management and policy issues relating to the ancient woodland.

The City of London Corporation, which manages Epping Forest, will bring together representatives from 16 local groups who use the Forest into the formal governance process of the site.

It will provide a consultative role with its views feeding into the City Corporation’s Epping Forest and Commons Committee, which makes decisions about Forest policy.

The committee, which will be chaired by Philip Woodhouse, Chairman of the City Corporation’s Epping Forest and Commons Committee,

The first meeting will be held at the Hope Centre in Loughton with all meetings open to the public.

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

Philip Woodhouse, Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s Epping Forest and Commons Committee, said:

“This is a big step forward in bringing the people who use and enjoy the Forest closer to the decision-making process.

“We want to make sure that Epping Forest continues to be managed in an open and inclusive way. This new forum will be a great opportunity for all of us to share ideas which can improve our enjoyment of the Forest.”

Epping Forest is London and Essex’s largest green space, attracting over 4.5 million visits every year. It has over 1 million trees, some of which are up to 1,000 years old – including 50,000 ancient pollards of Beech, Hornbeam and Oak. The ancient woodland is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Area of Conservation.

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 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 the neighbouring boroughs of Redbridge, Waltham Forest and Epping Forest District Council.

The City of London Corporation manages over 11,000 acres of green space across London and south east England, including Epping Forest, Hampstead Heath and Burnham Beeches, with many of its sites designated National Nature Reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest for their unique ecology and rare plant species.

-Ends-

Media enquiries

Carl Locsin, Media Officer, City of London Corporation

T 020 7332 3654 / M 0738 862 229

E carl.locsin@cityoflondon.gov.uk

Notes to editors

About the City of London Corporation:

The City of London Corporation provides local government and policing services for the financial and commercial heart of Britain, the 'Square Mile'. In addition, the City Corporation has three roles:

• We support London’s communities by working in partnership with neighbouring boroughs on economic regeneration, education and skills. In addition, the City of London Corporation’s charitable funder, City Bridge Trust, makes grants of around £20 million annually to tackle disadvantage across London.

• We also help look after key London heritage and green spaces including Tower Bridge, the Museum of London, Barbican Arts Centre, City gardens, Hampstead Heath, Epping Forest, Burnham Beeches, and important commons in London.

• We also support and promote the ‘City’ as a world-leading financial and business hub, with outward and inward business delegations, high-profile civic events and research-driven policies, all reflecting a long-term approach.

See www.cityoflondon.gov.uk for more details.