City of London Green City Briefings – City of London Update on Climate Action

AIPH, in collaboration with the Worshipful Company of Gardeners, presents the final session in the City of London Green City Briefings – a series of 8 webinars that present compelling evidence and examples of the power of ‘living green’ in delivering multiple solutions to city challenges.

Climate resilience is key to securing the City of London’s future and the City of London Corporation is proud to have put it’s plans to increase resilience on a par with reaching net zero emissions. Our two speakers will introduce the City of London Corporation’s approach to climate action and enhancing biodiversity in the City of London and focus on practical measures to increasing climate resilience which are already being implemented.

Watch the briefing on-demand

MC: Dr Heather Barrett-Mold, Immediate Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Gardeners

Dr. Heather Barrett-Mold OBE has worked in Further and Higher Education for a number of years, and was Principal and Chief Executive of Pershore Group of Colleges; a land-based college. Heather is primarily an ecologist and was a member of the Government Advisory Panel on Sustainable Development Education also known as the Holland Committee for its lifetime of 5 years, and then as an advisor on the Secretary of State Sounding Board. Her research has mostly been concerned with the ecological history, management and conservation of chalk grassland meadows. She is a Fellow of the Linnaean Society. Heather is now working as a consultant for a variety of organisations; is a Vice President of the Institution of Environmental Science, a Past President of the Institute of Horticulture and until March 2017 was chairing the Science Council. Heather is the Immediate Past Master of the Court of the Worshipful Company of Gardeners. Heather was an expert with the Commission for Sustainable London 2012 and a Secretary of State Board member for the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Alderman Alison Gowman 

Alison is one of the two Sheriffs of the City of London taking office on September 28th 2021.  Her role at the Old Bailey is to support the Judges and to work with the Lord Mayor in his role of promoting the City at home and abroad.

Alison has practised as a solicitor in the City of London all her working life specialising in commercial property at international law firm DLA Piper. She has focussed on development work and landlord and tenant matters as well as insolvency and waste management. This expertise along with her role as a Magistrate will help her enhance the importance of the Rule of Law whilst working closely with the Judges.

As a Director of the Green Finance Institute, she promotes green finance with a particular engagement in Latin America. She is a leading member of the City Corporation’s work on private finance for COP26. Her environment and sustainability interests led her to bring together the Livery Companies to consider the Livery and the City’s response to the climate challenge under the banner of the Livery Climate Action Group.

She chairs the Active City Network, a business network that encourages safe walking and cycling in the City to create healthy streets and promote wellbeing. She is also the Chair of London Road Safety Council.  She is a trustee of Trust for London, an independent charitable foundation that aims to tackle poverty and inequality in London.

She was the first female partner at her firm and combined a senior partner role whilst representing the Ward of Dowgate first as a Common Councillor from 1991 – 2002 and thereafter as the Alderman of the Ward. Alison has served on most of the City’s committees and is currently a member of the Bridge House Estates Board (Chair of the grant making arm, City Bridge Trust 2016 – 19), Investment and Capital Buildings Committees. She is a Governor of the Museum of London and Museum of London Archaeology.

Gordon Roy, City of London Corporation

Gordon Roy is the District Surveyor and Environmental Resilience Director for the City of London Corporation. He is a key player in the implementation of climate resilience in the Square Mile through the City’s Climate Action Strategy. He is overseeing a number of Climate Resilience initiatives including a pioneering Riverside Strategy to prepare the City for sea level rise and a series of pilot projects that will test resilience measures in the City’s public realm. He is a Chartered Surveyor with over 30 years’ experience of the built environment through numerous Local Authority Building Control roles most recently as District Surveyor for the City Corporation

13:00 – Welcome

13:05 – Alderman Alison Gowman.

Alderman Gowman will present the City’s ambition for a green and climate resilient Square Mile. This includes an introduction to the Corporations’s Climate Action Strategy, and the Liveries Climate Action Group, as well as the Biodiversity Action Plan. This presentation will conclude with insights into securing the future of the City.

13:20 – Mr Gordon Roy.

Gordon will present an overview of the resilience risks that the City of London faces, and what measures could support climate resilience. He will also describe the implementation of Cool Streets and Greening initiatives, and the preparation of a resilience catalogue and planting measures that are proposed.

13:35 – Live Q&A

14:00 – Session close