Appendix B - Parks and Open Spaces Strategy Action Plan 2020-2025 Vision The borough’s parks and open spaces and trees will be well-maintained; support good public health, local culture, social activities and biodiversity and where possible opportunities will be taken to improve access to open spaces, facilities and activities. Objectives 1. Manage parks and open spaces in line with best practice and take opportunities to improve their appearance, enhancing local character through landscaping improvements as funding allows. 2. Improve access to open space throughout the borough by removing barriers to access, providing enhanced facilities and where possible creating new open space. 3. Support residents to be physically active by promoting the use of parks, offering social prescribing and by providing a range of sports, leisure and social activities, in partnership with sports bodies and clubs. 4. Maintain parks policing and enforcement activities to keep parks safe and free of anti-social behaviour Page 203 5. Work with friends groups, the voluntary sector, sports bodies and the wider community to develop volunteering and fundraising opportunities.. 6. Manage park’s assets to generate revenue to support the service and the local economy, including through leasing, events and developing paid for community facilities and licensing businesses to deliver services. 7. Enhance the appearance and character of the borough by maintaining a safe, healthy, diverse and resilient tree population and encouraging tree planting. ​ 8. Care for plants, animals and ecosystems and help them to thrive, by promoting an understanding of nature, through the delivery of the Biodiversity Strategy. Agenda Item 7 Agenda Item 7 Item Action/Task Outcome LBS Resource Timescale Responsibility/ implications other partners 1 Objective 1: Manage parks and open spaces in line with best practice and take opportunities to improve their appearance, enhancing local character through landscaping improvements as funding allows Policy P1 Parks Management Plans will be prepared or updated for open spaces giving priority to the largest and most visited parks. The management plans will include action plans that will be updated regularly. 1.1 Prepare or update Management Plans for the To ensure parks Existing staff Plans to be Parks Team most visited open spaces: Beddington Park; and open spaces resources developed Carshalton Park, Carshalton Place and The have an agreed gradually Page 204 Spinney; Cheam Park and Rec; Collingwood management plan throughout the life Rec; Fairlands Park; Grove Park; Manor that ensures they of the strategy Park; Mellows Park; Oaks Park; Overton deliver what the Park; and for Council owned land along the community Wandle known as the River Wandle requires. Walkways. Management plans for larger parks to include adjacent smaller supporting open spaces to bring these under a documented management plan. 1.2 Prepare management plans for other large To ensure parks Existing staff Plans to be Parks Team parks or groups of parks: Corrigan recreation and open spaces resources developed Ground; Rosehill Park; Queen Mary’s Park; have an agreed gradually St Helier Open Space/Middleton Open management plan throughout the life Space/ Revesby Woods/and Poulter Park; that ensures they of the strategy Roundshaw Playing Fields/Roundshaw Park deliver what the and associated lands. Management plans for community larger parks to include adjacent smaller requires. supporting open spaces to bring these under a documented management plan. 1.3 Management plans to include information on To ensure nature Existing staff Plans to be Parks Team “Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation within parks is resources developed (SINCs) within parks and detail maintenance considered as part gradually required to deliver positive conservation of overall parks throughout the life management management. of the strategy 1.4 Participate in the national Green Flag To improve the Existing staff Plans to be Parks/Grounds scheme, London in Bloom and other quality and range resources developed Contractor/Friends benchmarking activities where this helps to of facilities, parks gradually Groups maintain and drive parks and open space maintenance and throughout the life improvements and community participation in community of the strategy parks management and maintenance. involvement. Page 205 Policy P2 An inspection programme of facilities will be carried out at an appropriate frequency to ensure compliance with best practice and legislation. 1.5 Ensure a programme of facilities inspections Continue to ensure Existing staff Throughout the life Parks/Grounds is carried out to meet legal and best practice open spaces meet resources of the strategy Contractor standards to identify issues and programme all requirements rectifications, ensuring records are for public safety maintained as required. and that issues and identified and rectified Agenda Item 7 Policy P3 The Council will adopt an integrated weed management approach to weed control and reduce dependence on chemicals Agenda Item 7 by evaluating requirements at each location, designing out weeds, and selecting alternative control methods where appropriate. 1.6 Produce an integrated weed management To provide Existing staff Throughout the life Parks/Grounds plan, identifying where and what weeds need effective weed resources of the strategy Contractor/Friends to be controlled and the most appropriate control to an Groups method, including considering if weeds can agreed standard, be designed out, and communicate using a range of arrangements to service stakeholders. techniques to reduce the amount of chemical weed control. 1.7 Identify personnel to undertake work and To ensure work is Existing staff Throughout the life Grounds Page 206 ensure they are appropriately trained. completed safely resources of the strategy contractor/Parks and efficiently. 1.8 Implement the weed control regime, following To ensure work is Existing staff Throughout the life Grounds the good practice guidance including completed safely resources of the strategy contractor/Parks monitoring and recording chemical use and and efficiently. efficacy. 1.9 Regularly review the methods used and To ensure work is Existing staff Throughout the life Grounds efficacy of weed control on each site and completed safely resources of the strategy contractor/Parks adjust methods to improve efficacy. and efficiently. Policy P4 The Council will maintain verges to enhance the appearance of suburban streets and where appropriate in more rural places and on wider verges and greens encourage wildlife through a more relaxed regime that encourages wild flowers and provides habitat for wildlife. 1.10 Review verges and identify more rural or Increase the Existing staff Ongoing through Parks/Idverde wide verges that could be managed for amount of verge (Contract Officers) life of strategy wildlife habitat. managed as under the guidance wildlife habitat of Biodiversity officers. Note verges would need 3-4 cuts per year and collection of arisings to reduce nutrients in soils and allow wildflowers to thrive in competition with grasses. This would be funded Page 207 through existing mowing contract. Policy P5 The cemeteries will be managed within the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management’s Charter for the Bereaved standards to provide the deceased and their families with respect and dignity. 1.11 Ensure the Charter of the bereaved That standards are Existing staff Throughout the life Grounds standards are adhered to through contract maintained in resources of the strategy contractor/Parks monitoring. Sutton’s cemeteries. Agenda Item 7 Item Action/Task Outcome LBS Resource Timescale Responsibility/ implications other partners Agenda Item 7 2 Objective 2: Improve access to open space and facilities throughout the borough by removing barriers to access, providing enhanced facilities and where possible creating new open space Policy P6 The Council will work with partners to increase access to public open space for the whole community 2.1 Work with Viridor and the Conservation and To increase Existing staff time Ongoing through Parks/CAMC/CSG/ Access Management Committee and access to open including new S106 life of strategy Viridor Conservation and Science Group to develop space and provide funded Warden Beddington Farmlands for nature and some specialist habitat post. public recreation. for nature. 2.2 Support creating links from Beddington To increase Existing staff time Ongoing through Parks/CAMC/CSG/ Page 208 Farmlands into Beddington Park and from access to open including new S106 life of strategy Viridor Beddington Farmlands to Beddington Lane spaces within funded Warden and required through S106 with Viridor. Beddington post. 2.3 Identify and document unmaintained Council To ensure that Existing staff Throughout the life Parks Team/Asset land that could form part of public open where appropriate resources and of the strategy Management space or highway verges and bring into Council land is consider if growth maintenance, seeking any additional funding maintained and is required to cover through the annual growth bid process. brought in to additional community use or maintenance costs as habitat. or if these can be contained within existing budgets. 2.4 Continue to contribute to the management of To ensure that Existing officer time Ongoing through Parks/ Epsom & Nonsuch Park working with colleagues from Nonsuch Park and budgets life of strategy Ewell Borough Epsom and Ewell