London,
12
February
2015
|
10:26
Europe/London

Letter to CNJ: City Corporation wants to remove potential liability

Dan Carrier’s article (‘Pensioner ordered to hand over garden to make way for Hampstead Heath dams work’) needs correcting.

The City Corporation has not ordered Mrs Fenwick to ‘hand over her garden’ and there are no proposals for any Ponds Project dam work to take place in her garden. Part of the dam that forms Hampstead No 1 pond lies in Mrs Fenwick’s garden. This is not City managed land. The City is negotiating to allow access for engineers to periodically inspect the dam to ensure that it is structurally sound, as required by reservoir legislation.

The City is offering Mrs Fenwick, who is potentially liable for the upkeep and maintenance of the dam structure in her garden, the option for the City to take on full on-going liability, whilst giving her the full access rights she currently enjoys. Mrs Fenwick is in no way obliged to accept the City’s offer and discussions continue with her and her representatives.

Jeremy Simons
​Chairman, Hampstead Heath Management Committee, City of London Corporation