Crown Estate Paving Commission
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The Crown Estate Paving Commission (CEPC) is the body responsible for managing certain aspects of the built environment around
Regent's Park Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies of high ground in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the Borough of Camden (and historically betwee ...
, London."Commissioners"
CEPC.org.uk.
The commissioners have been referred to as the Crown Estate Paving Commissioners or the Crown Paving Commissioners. It was established by statute in 1824. It fulfills some local government functions, and is one of the few bodies in the United Kingdom still empowered to levy rates on residential property. Although it has local government functions and tax-raising powers, its members are not elected but are appointed by the
Lords of the Treasury In the United Kingdom there are at least six Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury, serving as a commission for the ancient office of Treasurer of the Exchequer. The board consists of the First Lord of the Treasury, the Second Lord of the ...
. It is a separate body from the
Crown Estate The Crown Estate is a collection of lands and holdings in the United Kingdom belonging to the British monarch as a corporation sole, making it "the sovereign's public estate", which is neither government property nor part of the monarch's priv ...
, which holds the freehold of Regent's Park.


History

The CEPC was established by statute in 1824, when it was given responsibility for care and maintenance of the Crown Estate from
Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London. The road forms the first part of the A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea. It is the main thoroughfare running south from Trafalgar Square towards Parliament Sq ...
along Regent Street to Regent's Park.
Improvement commissioners Boards of improvement commissioners were ''ad hoc'' urban local government boards created during the 18th and 19th centuries in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and its predecessors the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ire ...
each set up under private Acts were a typical 18th and 19th century solution to improving the built environment outside of the usual parish vestry system, and were empowered to levy their own rate to fund paving and improvement works. Subsequent statutes extended its responsibilities to include the maintenance of Crown Estate properties in
Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...
, but under the Crown Estate Paving Act 1851,This
short title In certain jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom and other Westminster-influenced jurisdictions (such as Canada or Australia), as well as the United States and the Philippines, primary legislation has both a short title and a long title. T ...
was conferred on this Act b
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"Our History"
CEPC.org.uk.
the commission lost responsibility for managing the Regent Street, Whitehall and Westminster properties. It has retained responsibility for the Waterloo gardens in
Carlton House Terrace Carlton House Terrace is a street in the St James's district of the City of Westminster in London. Its principal architectural feature is a pair of terraces of white stucco-faced houses on the south side of the street overlooking St. James's Pa ...
. The CEPC was explicitly excluded from the
Metropolis Management Act 1855 The Metropolis Management Act 1855 (18 & 19 Vict. c.120) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that created the Metropolitan Board of Works, a London-wide body to co-ordinate the construction of the city's infrastructure. The Act al ...
that otherwise reformed local government in the metropolitan area of London. The CEPC has enforced the Crown Estate Paving Act 1851 through court actions. In 1944, a Scottish MP was fined for failure to remove signs advertising a club. The 2010
London Festival of Architecture The London Festival of Architecture is a festival specialized in architecture. It takes place annually in London, United Kingdom usually through the month of June. It features an extensive range of activities that focus on design and architectur ...
sought permission from the CEPC to lay a new pathway in the park, as part of the construction of a London
Las Ramblas La Rambla () is a street in central Barcelona. A tree-lined pedestrian street, it stretches for connecting the in its center with the Christopher Columbus Monument at Port Vell. La Rambla forms the boundary between the neighbourhoods of the ...
, designed by noted British urban architect
Sir Terry Farrell Sir Terence Farrell (born 12 May 1938), known as Terry Farrell, is a British architect and urban designer. In 1980, after working for 15 years in partnership with Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, Farrell founded his own firm, Farrells. He garne ...
, after the original in
Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
. CEPC commissioner Sir John Ritblat was also on the board of the festival.


Jurisdiction

Since 1851 the area of the commission has been Regent's Park between the Outer Circle and, clockwise from Gloucester Gate, Albany Street, Marylebone Road, Allsop Place and Park Road to Hanover Gate. The eastern section is in the
London Borough of Camden The London Borough of Camden () is a London borough in Inner London. Camden Town Hall, on Euston Road, lies north of Charing Cross. The borough was established on 1 April 1965 from the area of the former boroughs of Hampstead, Holborn, and ...
and the western section is in the City of Westminster, with the boundary between them running north–south through the park.


Functions

The commission's responsibilities include maintaining street lighting and street furniture in the park, maintaining the roadways of certain streets immediately surrounding the park, regulating parking in those streets, collection of domestic refuse and opening and shutting the park gates. The Commission also maintains the terrace gardens adjacent to the public park. It also regulates requested modifications, such as pathways. The public park itself is managed by
The Royal Parks The Royal Parks of London are lands that were originally used for the recreation, mostly hunting, of the royal family. They are part of the hereditary possessions of The Crown, now managed by The Royal Parks Limited, a charity which manages ...
.


Funding

CEPC has statutory authority under the Crown Estate Paving Act 1851 to collect rates from the occupiers of buildings in the streets which it managesBill, Peter (24 July 2009)
"£200 billion of gloom- but it looks good for the vultures"
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London Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...
''.
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numbering about 1,200. The rates pay for matters which elsewhere are funded by
Council Tax Council Tax is a local taxation system used in England, Scotland and Wales. It is a tax on domestic property, which was introduced in 1993 by the Local Government Finance Act 1992, replacing the short-lived Community Charge, which in turn re ...
, but the occupiers are also liable to pay Council Tax to
Camden London Borough Council Camden London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Camden in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. Camden is divided into 18 wards, each electing th ...
or
Westminster City Council Westminster City Council is the local authority for the City of Westminster in Greater London, England. The city is divided into 20 wards, each electing three councillors. The council is currently composed of 31 Labour Party members and 23 Cons ...
without relief for the CEPC rates assessed on them. Before 1990 residents in the CEPC area paid lower General Rates to the councils. The introduction of the Community Charge brought this to an end. CEPC applied for a Council Tax Local Discount, which would reduce the Council Tax of residents in the CEPC area and increase it in the rest of the London boroughs, but it was refused.


References


External links

* {{Official website, http://www.cepc.org.uk/
Crown Estate page on the management of Regent's Park
Government bodies based in London Local government in London 1824 establishments in the United Kingdom Public bodies and task forces of the United Kingdom government HM Treasury Regent's Park Crown Estate Organizations established in 1824 Improvement commissioners London Borough of Camden City of Westminster Local authorities in London