Lochend Park Management Plan November 2014-2019
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Lochend Park Management Plan November 2014-2019 The City of Edinburgh Council Services for Communities, North East Locality 101 Niddrie Mains Road, Edinburgh EH16 4DT [email protected] Our vision is... “To provide a natural green space that is safe and secure, enhances biodiversity and meets the needs of the local community and the wider community of Edinburgh” Formatted: Left CONTENTS 1 Introduction 4 1.1 Summary Information 6 1.2 Highlights of events in the park 19 2 Where are we now? 2.1 Wider policy context 20 2.2 Park management rules 24 2.3 Summary of management issues 27 2.3.1 Healthy, safe and secure 29 2.3.2 Sustainability 30 2.3.3 Community involvement 31 3 Where do we want to be? 3.1 Vision statement 35 3.2 Assessment 36 3.2.1 Park Quality assessments 36 3.2.2 Green Flag scheme 36 3.2.3 Tree survey 37 3.2.4 Community consultation 37 3.2.5 SWOT analysis 37 3.3 Aim of this management plan 37 4 How will we get there? 4.1 Park Improvement Plan 39 4.2 Finance 42 4.2.1 Revenue funding 43 4.2.2 Capital funding 43 4.2.3 External grants 44 5 How will we know when we have arrived? 5.1 Management plan 45 5.2 Performance measures 45 5.2.1 Park Quality Assessment 45 5.2.2 Green Flag scheme 45 5.2.3 Landscape Quality Standards 45 5.3 Survey & feedback 45 6 Appendices 1 Annual Maintenance Plan 46 2 Stakeholders and contacts lists 47 3 East Environment Team 49 4 SWOT analysis results 50 5 WOODLANDS ASSESMENT 2011 58 6 2014 Mysteria shop 2014 feedback 71 7 2014 pqa survey feed back form 74 3 1 INTRODUCTION This Management Plan sets out the future management, maintenance and development of Lochend Park and has been produced by The City of Edinburgh Council and Friends of Lochend Park to provide not only a long-term vision but also detail on both developmental and operational duties required to achieve that vision. With its distinctive natural spring fed loch in the centre of the park which provides a unique habitat for wildlife, Lochend Park provides an attractive green space in the heart of Edinburgh’s East Neighbourhood. The City of Edinburgh Council acquired the park in 1907 which covers 8.586 Ha. The management plan covers the period 2014 to 2019 and has a detailed plan of works for that period. Like any Management Plan, its purpose is to provide a framework within which all future management is carried out. It will enable anyone involved with the park to understand how the park is to be managed and improved to achieve the vision in line with our agreed policies. This plan’s target audience is the local community, park stakeholders, elected members and council officers. Its style and content should ensure continuity of purpose and consistency in service delivery. It is intended to be a flexible, working document that will be reviewed and updated annually. 4 The plan is set out in four distinct sections: The first section, “Where Are We Now?” describes the current situation with Lochend Park, which includes the policy and legal context within which it is managed and provides some basic information about the park. The second section, “Where Do We Want To Be?” develops the vision for Lochend Park and provides an assessment and analysis at the time of writing this Management Plan, and states the aims established for the park. The third section, “How Will We Get There?” describes the aims and objectives for Lochend Park. These are used to form a Park Improvement Plan, which sets out how the aims and objectives will be achieved. This section also describes the maintenance regime for the park and the proposed management structure to deliver the Management Plan. The fourth and final section, “How Will We Know When We Get There?” explains how the improvement, maintenance and management of Lochend Park will be monitored and reviewed. 5 1.1 Summary Information Grid Ref. NT27628/74942 Location Entrances to the site can be found on Lochend Road South, Marionville Road and Lochend Park. Ownership The City of Edinburgh Council. The land was once owned by the Earl of Moray with the loch being used for irrigation and at one time as a water supply for nearby Leith. The land was subsequently leased to the old Edinburgh Corporation in 1907. 6 Aerial Map Aerial map: Lochend Park with loch with detail of surrounding road network Main Derek McGowan, East Environment Team: Local Environment Manager, East Contacts Neighbourhood Darren Ryan Darren.ryan@edinburgh .gov.uk Tel 0131 529 7914 Scott Thomson, East Environment Team: Community Parks Officer, East Neighbourhood. [email protected] Tel: 0131 529 3481 Edinburgh East Local Office, East Environment Team: Park Ranger Service, East Neighbourhood. [email protected] (Local Office) Tel: 0131 529 3111 7 Stakeholders The objectives within this management plan have been and will continue to be (Appendix 4 developed in consultation with both existing and for contact possible future users. Where this is not possible or details) difficult to achieve then their likely needs should be considered by the Community Council, the local Environment Forum and the Council’s Neighbourhood Team. The park is available to any resident or visitor of Edinburgh, however the principal stakeholders and users are considered to be the residents in Restalrig, Meadowbank and Leith. The park sits between these communities and is well used by residents from these areas. The park is fortunate enough to have a local community volunteer group, The Friends of Lochend Park (email: [email protected]) The Friends group is formed of local residents who have a strong interest in the management and improvement of the park and who actively dedicate their time carrying out practical environmental improvement works within the park and support the Council in seeking external grant funding to support improvement initiatives. Hermitage Park Primary School, Holy Cross RC Primary School, Leith Academy, Leith Primary School, and Pilrig Park are schools in the area who are participants in the Eco-Schools programme. Eco-Schools are an international initiative designed to encourage whole-school action for the environment. Lochend Park has been an excellent venue for promoting this programme. Hermitage Park Primary School in particular has adopted the site visiting at least once a month with students benefiting from an outdoor classroom for learning and recreation. In particular the recently installed viewing platform facility provides a gathering area for learning and social recreation. 8 Summary of Lochend Park can proudly declare itself to being one of the most unique, natural Main Uses and versatile in the neighbourhood. The multiple entrances are commonly used by local walkers, dog walkers, joggers and cyclists as an attractive and peaceful green space located between Leith, Restalrig, Marionville and Lochend. It is a valuable recreational park with play facilities for a range of ages from the formal play area to the informal teenage area with football goal and ball hoop. It is a unique natural space for local residents and the wider community with a special accent on wildlife in an urban green space which has a wilder and a more natural setting than many urban parks. The centrepiece being the large spring fed loch and the supportive habitat this provides to waterfowl and other species. The recent addition of the wildlife viewing platform has made the park a fantastic setting for outdoor learning and schools programmes giving them the opportunity to have direct exposure and experience of wildlife with the freedom to appreciate, explore and understand biodiversity and the wider habitat. The park provides an essential green space in the heart of Lochend and is an important space for locals and visitors to the area. It provides an area for local people to observe wildlife and enjoy the outdoors. The area of Lochend is a built up residential area. Lochend Park is approximately 8.586 Ha in size. The population of the Craigentinny/Duddingston ward is 24,847 with 277 accessible Ha of significant open space The design of the park provides seating concentrated in the North of the park facing the open sided end of Lochend Pond where a number of water birds reside and with excellent views to Arthur’s Seat. The pond provides a natural habitat for a number of waterfowl and birdlife. The site is managed primarily as a facility for recreational use but natural habitats and 9 wildlife considerations are an important part of managing the site ensuring that we Summary of continue to preserve / create habitats for a range of species. Main Uses (Continued) A brief assessment of the typical users of the Park includes a wide sector Edinburgh residents: Users for passive recreation – local residents, people working in the area and school children taking lunch, walking or playing, older people taking gentle exercise through the park. Users for informal recreation – parents with young children use the park as it is a safe environment away from busy roads and like many areas of open space it is used for exercising dogs. People interested in ornithology and other wildlife The park provides an area for informal and formal play A safe place to ride a bike Football (both club level and informal), ball sports, walking and jogging Since 2008, the Parks and Greenspace Service has used a web-based questionnaire to capture the views of residents and visitors to Edinburgh’s parks and greenspaces. The questionnaire is available at www.edinburgh.gov.uk/parksurvey.