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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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. The survey asks people to give their views about what they think about the service the Council provides and their experience of Edinburgh’s parks. The management plan will include such comments to help to improve the service and the park for local residents and visitors. Please see Appendix 1 for user survey feedback details.

Assessment There is great value in the of cultural recreational use of the area for and aesthetic the user of Lochend Park and value particularly for those living in the adjacent Community areas of Lochend and Leith, Restalrig and Meadowbank. The area provides users with a generous area of green space for health and recreational use. The topography of the park provides fine views of Arthur’s Seat. The design of the park provides seating concentrated in the North of the park facing the open sided end of the loch where a number of water birds reside and more recently a wildlife viewing platform is installed. There are also two interesting historical structures, one is a doo cot which is thought to have been used to keep pigeons for the table of the Earl of Moray and his estate and the other is a small pump station for the water from the loch presumably fitted when the water served the residents of Leith. There is a circular tarmac and whin dust path around the loch and access to three entrances and exits allow access for park users. Seats are strategically placed along main path routes.

Topography, The site has a steep sided boundary on two sides with a general bowl shape Drainage and overall – the pond sits in the centre in the low point of the centre of the site. It has Soils short steep sided slopes leading to the surrounding streets and houses. The park sits at a lower point than all surrounding houses providing good views of the park to overlooking properties.

The pond water supply is provided by a natural spring from below the pond area. This is one of only a few water bodies in Edinburgh naturally supplied with water from a natural underwater spring. The drainage of the pond is through two overflow pipes. The topography means that in wet conditions the pond can occasionally overflow and flood onto the lower pathways. There is no comprehensive soil information available for this park. The soil appears to be fairly free draining.

Planting and Approx 40% of the park is made up of grass areas. Layout The majority of the grass in the park is cut for amenity use. There are some margin areas and areas within wooded areas that are left as scrub. This benefits a variety of species using the park as a natural habitat.

Approx 40% of the park is made up of a freshwater pond containing willow, birch and alder and other shrubby growth. The boundary of the pond is fringed with willow, birch, with significant (c.70%) vegetative growth including rosebay willow herb, nettles and brambles.

The remaining area, about 20% is made up of planted trees and woodlands.

Planted Bulb planting has been carried out with a variety of flowering bulbs, aquatic plants Areas in pond margins and decorative beds and wildflower beds have been created in the Park. An example of the planting throughout the site include; Crocosmia masonorum, Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora, Allium Giganteum, Eremurus robustus, Eranthis hyemalis, Erythronium tuolmnense, Agapanthus campanulata, Anemone coronaria, Geranium Beacon silver , Polygonum Donald lowndes , Geum lady strachen, Potentilla mandschurica, Astilbe fire, Salvia hot lips, Potentilla mandschurica, Buddlelia royal red, Fuchsia riccartonnii, Syringa vulgaris, Ribes sanguineum, Spirea snow mound.

There are two beds at the North end of the park near the Lochend Road South entrance. There was an amended planting scheme (changed from formal rose beds) in the bedded areas in 2011 to increase the season for flowering and to amend the type of flowering plant to those that are more beneficial to a wider range of insects, birds and butterflies over a longer time period across the year.

To the South there are shrubby margins leading in from Marionville Road entrance. Maintenance work has begun with the Park Rangers removing unwanted vegetation, such as brambles, with new seeding to create a wildflower margin to the entrance to the park from the Marionville Road entrance which should be evident and established in 2014 and beyond.

Planted In 2011 there was a joint project undertaken with the Park Rangers, Hermitage Areas Park Primary School, Friends of Lochend Park with funding from the organisation (continued) CSV (Community Service Volunteer) to create a ‘Bee Café’ to provide pollen giving plants for the benefits of bees, butterflies and increased biodiversity within the park. See plant list above for examples.

At the entrances to the park wildflower meadow have been created with annual flowers The pond margins contain a large amount of unwanted vegetation and invasive species such as thistles, rosebay willow herb and wild brambles. The management of the pond margins was started in 2011and was completed in 2013. This involved the removal of invasive species and seeding with a grass bung, there has been general thinning of loch side trees, mostly birch, willow and alder, and general management to improve sight lines across the loch and increase biodiversity with marginal beds having been created within the loch margins.

Woodlands The centre of the park is dominated by the pond area but has extensive tree & Trees planting within and on the boundaries of the park.

There are several very mature willow trees to the East of the park margins. These have been surveyed and assessed and are under the management of the Forestry Department (FD). A letter summarising the condition of these trees by the FD suggests that they may need to be considered for removal in the future. It has been established that there are concerns over the health and safety aspects of these specific trees and are considered ‘over-mature’. Willow trees at this maturity, habit, location and general condition cannot be guaranteed to be free from risk to park users or the properties within close proximity to the trees in the park margins. See appendix 7 for details of report and management assessment from FD.

Work was carried out during the summer of 2013 to ensure overall safety and health of the trees but with sensitivity to the interests of the Friends of Lochend Park who are keen supporters of these trees remaining in Lochend Park.

The pathways are lined with a number of whitebeam which have been surveyed, are tagged and are under the management of Forestry Division.

There are three stands of trees planted as part of the millennium woodland project (2000). These are not yet under the management of FD. These have been adopted by the Woodland Officer for management of Community Woodlands and a plan to selectively thin these stands and remove fending from two of the three woodlands. This will allow light and space for the trees to grow to maturity. The third woodland will remain fenced and be used as a haven for wildlife and a habitat undisturbed by easy access. See appendix 7 for full details of millennium / community woodland management.

Woodlands & The understory areas in the Trees woodland areas could (continued) support an increased number of species once the trees have been thinned and lifted allowing more light to penetrate the floor. A combination of natural growth and some planting would increase number of beneficial insects and support the native / seasonal bird population.

Perimeter planting also exists around the full margin of the park and to all entrances/exits. These are tagged and under the management of FD. There was a programme of tree planting started in 2008 with cherry planted from the entrance at Lochend Park on the higher pathway. There has been an additional number of trees planted in this location in 2009/2010, these are; c.x13 Morus Nigra (Mulberry) c.x13 Prunus Tia Haku (Hill Cherry)

There has been additional planting on the path continuing from the Lochend Road South entrance. These are; c.x 4 Quercus Robur (English Oak)

The Forestry Division This section is responsible for the health and disease control of the tree stock within the Edinburgh. The tree officers inspect and prioritise the removal of these trees

Infrastructure A database is used to manage all of the park’s assets these include:  Listed building – doo, cot  Listed building – water pump house  Wildlife viewing platform (timber)  Interpretation panels x2 featuring history of park and historical buildings  Steel post & decorative brickwork to entrance to viewing platform  Sandstone walls to East and West

 Seating (4 benches) – two benches at North end of park near play area and one about 50mtrs away to the west side of the pond circular path. One near 3G pitch.

 Bins (6 bins) - one each at entrances/exits (x3) and (x1) at North end of

pond near the play area (x1) in the play area (x1) at woodland edge on top

path leading to Lochend Park.

 Tarmac path from North of the park and round the West of the pond

 Whin dust path to link path from Lochend Road south entrance to the top

tarmac path around the West park margin

 Tarmac path from Marionville road to whin dust path around east of pond

 Whin dust path from south east of pond to rejoin main pond area at North

 Notice boards x 2

 Decorative double iron gates with LOCHEND PARK detail

 Community woodland wooden sign at South of the park

 Steel fencing around the pond

 Park Management rules x1

 Threshold signs x2  Bee Café boundary stone with lettering (repair needed)  Steel fencing around the park boundary at Lochend Park (N)  Steel fencing around park boundary and Marionville road (S)  Steel entrance gate – to Lochend Road South (N)  High level fencing on boundary to Old People’s Home at Marionville Rd through entrance to park (S)  Two planted beds of horticultural interest (N)  Play area & wooden fencing around play area  Wire and timber post fencing around millennium woodlands (x3)

Infrastructure  Wire and timber post fencing around shrub edge planting – South West (continued) entrance  Hard landscaped & Covered metal picnic benches  Football Pitch for club use : 3G ASTROTURF  Football post  Basketball hoop  Lighting

 Viewing Platform  Play area

 Wildlife Planting  Teenage area  Historical & Listed Buildings  Formal & Informal football area  Woodlands & Trees  Decorative flower beds

 Marginal pond plantings  Circular footpath  Nature trail podcast  Football Club facilities Wildlife

Heritage and Lochend Park was once meadow land belonging to the Earl of Moray, who used History the loch for irrigation. At one time it was a water supply for Leith. The area was eventually rented to the old Edinburgh Corporation in 1907 in two parts. The first being the high ground next to Lochend Road, the second was the low-lying ground around the loch site.

There are two historical buildings at the Northern end of the park.

One is the ‘Doo cot’. A beehive kiln building with a steel front gate and open chimney top – it is currently being used as a home by pigeons. It is also thought to be used to burn infected clothes there during the plague of Leith in the mid 1600’s. The other smaller heptagonal building is a water pump station. The water pump house used to channel spring water from the loch.

View over Lochend Park in early 1900’s A beehive doo ‘cot which once belonged to the castle lies at the north end of Lochend Park.

1.2 Lochend Park: Events Held in the Park

Wildlife Viewing Platform / WREN & Friends Lochend Park inside the Doo ‘cot trench Group

Hermitage Park PS Wildlife Watching with Park Hermitage Park PS Annual ‘All School’ Picnic Ranger takes over Lochend Park

Nature Hunting with local school group and Park Swan and her cygnets on Lochend Loch Rangers in amongst the Flag Iris

2. WHERE ARE WE NOW ?

Lochend Park is managed by the City of Edinburgh Council’s East Neighbourhood Environment Team. Previous management of this park has been guided by local Community Parks Officers’ and Park Rangers’ yearly work plan. The East Neighbourhood Environment Team manages 24 parks and is committed to developing the quality of its local parks and green spaces

2.1 Wider Policy Context

The creation of this document has taken into consideration a range of different policies to reflect the complex nature of green space management. The five national and local policies which influence this document include the Edinburgh Public Parks and Gardens Strategy, Parks Quality Assessment, Edinburgh Local Plan, Craigentinny & Duddingston Neighbourhood Partnership’s Local Community Plan and Edinburgh Biodiversity Action Plan amongst others.

Strategic Policy Framework

Edinburgh Partnership 2013-2016 The Single Outcome Agreement has been developed to strengthen community planning agreements in the City and deliver improved outcomes. It uses 57 indicators to monitor the delivery of outcomes. In September 2013 report ,31 indicators have been assessed as on target 11 indicators as below target but within tolerance ,and 10 indicators were below target , five indicators are provided for information purposes.

The Edinburgh partnership community plan 2013-2016

APPENDIX

7 (continued)

The Community Planning is about council and other public body’s like the police, the fire and rescue services and the NHS working with local communities, businesses, charities and voluntary groups to plan and deliver better services and improve the lives of local people

Development Plan The Development Plan for the City comprises the Edinburgh & Lothian’s Structure Plan and a number of Local Plans. These documents provide the statutory planning framework for the Council’s policies and proposals towards the protection and use of the city’s open spaces. The Edinburgh and the LOTHIAN Structure Plan was prepared jointly by the City Council with the councils for East, Mid- and West Lothian. The second Develpoment plan was approved in June 2014 . With progress towards its adoption, which should be early in 2015.

Open Space Framework The Framework acknowledges the ongoing work of both the Council and its stakeholders to improve open space across the city. There is also an appreciation of the increasing pressures and changing attitudes to open space. The Framework considers the different types of open space that the city has and should offer, looking at not just green but also civic spaces and considers how the overall protection, enhancement, provision, promotion of open spaces can be achieved and sets out a series of aims to do this.

Edinburgh core path plan 2008

This was produced, through consultation as required under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003. It identifies key routs for non –motorised access throughout Edinburgh .In essence it Supports sustainable transport objectives, contributes to better health, provides social benefits and contributes to tackling climate change

Energy Policy

The Council's current energy policy has targets to reduce energy consumption by 15% and reduce our CO2 emissions by 30% based on 1990 levels. This policy is mainly focussed on buildings. The policy is currently being revised to take account of the other Council areas that impact on energy usage. These are namely procurement, fleet services, street and stair lighting and design services. The Sustainable Development Unit in Corporate Services is the lead on this area of work.

Park and Environmental Policies

Edinburgh Public Parks and Gardens Strategy (2006) The sets out realistic aspirations for Edinburgh’s park and green space system, and shows the way forward to achieving them. The strategy also provides a policy framework for the preparation of more detailed Management Plans for individual parks and gardens.

Edinburgh’s Sports Pitch Strategy (2005) The Edinburgh Sports Pitch Strategy reviewed the provision of sports pitches for the purposes of improving provision and the development of effective planning policies around provision and forms “A Capital Commitment to Sport – Quality Pitches for All”.

Edinburgh Open Space Strategy 2010 The strategy is being developed following a comprehensive audit of open space in the city and information gathered through public consultation. It will ensure that a coordinated approach is taken to protecting and developing the city’s network of open space. It is accompanied by 12 action plans, one for each Neighbourhood Partnership area, setting out site-specific proposals for change in open spaces. They are a number of main strategic issues that it will consider, many which will relate to the Green Flag Scheme, including parks and gardens, sports pitches, play, allotment and community gardens. The details of these are not yet available.

22 APPENDIX 7 (continued)

Edinburgh Biodiversity Action Plan 2010 – 2015 The Edinburgh Biodiversity Action Plan is an initiative to conserve and enhance the Capital's natural heritage. The term "biodiversity” encapsulates all that we mean by the health of our natural environment and ultimately the quality of our lives. To this end, the Action Plan puts forward an ambitious programme of carefully targeted actions to enrich the living habitats of Edinburgh and address the welfare of key plant and animal species. There are Habitat Actions Plans for coastal & marine, rock faces, uplands, wetland and watercourses, farmland, semi-natural grassland, urban habitats and woodland. There are Species Action Plans for water vole, badger, otter, bat & pisitrelle bats, seed eating birds, roseate tern & common tern, swift, great crested newt, small pearl-bordered fritillary, juniper, maiden pink, rock white beam, sticky catchfly, adders tongue and waxcap fungi. www.edinburgh.gov.uk/biodiversity

Edinburgh Parks Events manifesto The Manifesto is intended to allow a strategic and proactive approach to the planning and managing of events within Edinburgh’s parks and green spaces. It aims to establish a set of guidelines tailored to each individual park, which provide a framework on which a balanced and sustainable events programme can be achieved, whilst ensuring that the quality of the land is maintained to the highest standard possible.

A number of Edinburgh’s corporate strategies and policies apply to the parks and green spaces in the city, aiming to deliver safety and equality of provision, safeguard and enhance local environments and neighbourhoods, and ultimately improve the quality of life for Edinburgh’s communities, enabling residents to participate fully in the City’s park life.

2.2 Parks Management Rules

Until recently the Council operated a set of management rules using powers available under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982. A review of these rules was undertaken in 2007 to remove those rules which conflicted with the Land Reform

(Scotland) Act 2003. Our new approach is to move away from administering a list of rules to a more proactive regime of encouraging responsible use of public parks. (See image below). This approach should be more manageable and provide the opportunity to better link park management issues to existing legislation available under the Environmental Protection Act and Anti-Social Behaviour legislation. Consideration is currently being given to reinstating bye-laws for issues not covered by existing legislation.

In addition, Park Rangers will have a more proactive approach in advising and persuading park users in responsible behaviour. Working alongside Environmental Wardens and the Police and using existing legislation, they’re becoming more effective at deterring (and potentially prosecuting) users who persist in irresponsible behaviour(s).

Marketing

Edinburgh Outdoors website (www.edinburghoutdoors.org.uk) and free i phone and Android app offers information on all the Council owned parks, including Lochend Park. Users can find out the location of their nearest play area, information about trees and monuments, what events are taking place and even what wildlife to watch out for every month.

The app is an easy way to explore Edinburgh’s parks on the move. People are also encouraged to take photos and upload them via the app or on the Edinburgh Outdoors website to share their experiences. We promote Edinburgh Outdoors within the park

notice boards using posters with QR codes which lead directly to the website, and a number of people have uploaded their photos and comments onto the site.

We use Twitter (@East_Team) to provide real time information on what’s going on in all the parks in the East area, highlighting any upcoming parks issues we are dealing with or wildlife we have spotted in the park. Within the park we use the notice boards to highlight activities taking place and other topics of interest. There are also interpretation panels which provide information on the history of the park

2.3 Summary of management Issues

This section provides an overview of the parks management and maintenance issues and related polices.

Lochend Park is managed by the Council’s Services for Communities Department’s East Neighbourhood Team.

Services for Communities bring together a range of ‘quality of life’ services that are aligned to meet the needs of the local community. The city is divided into six neighbourhoods and core strategic support units across the services. The aim of Services for Communities (SFC) is to create and maintain clean, safe, green, healthy, well managed and well maintained communities. SFC is very much about the day to day services that have a massive impact on all our day to day lives, from keeping our neighbourhoods clean to tackling antisocial behaviour. Each of the services that have joined SFC contribute to these key aims.

The management and maintenance of the park is carried out by the East Neighbourhood Environment Team and is strategically overseen and supported by the Parks and Greenspace Service based at the Council’s Headquarters. Lochend Park is the responsibility of the Local Environment Manager. The Local Environment Manager manages the Community Parks Officer and Park Rangers and can direct the neighbourhood’s grounds maintenance service and call on the support of other sections managed centrally by the Parks and Greenspace Service which also provides support with strategic and policy issues specifically relating to parks and greenspaces, such as the Arboriculture Team, Inverleith Maintenance Workshops and the Inch Nursery as required.

Although there is no site based staff dedicated to maintain Lochend Park, a range of staff from the East Neighbourhood Team is involved in caring for the Park, e.g.

Community Parks Officer, Park Rangers, Environmental Wardens, Community Safety Officers, Police, etc in addition to the Friends of Lochend Park. Together, this provides a more joined up management approach for the park.

Landscape Quality Standards Landscape Performance Quality Standards were introduced in 2011. These grounds maintenance standards focus on the result not the process (i.e. the length of the grass not the number of times the grass is cut), and for the first time provide a means of measuring the standard of maintenance in parks, gardens and greenspaces across the city. They do not indicate how a job or task should be performed. The Landscape Quality Standards handbook provides a standard for specific features within a park or green space (handbook available on request). Each landscape feature is measured against the tolerance as indicated for specific characteristics (e.g. litter, grass length) and the characteristics are listed in order of priority. These standards are used to manage the following landscape features in Lochend Park:  Standard amenity grass  Low maintenance grass  Meadow / Wildflower  Naturalised bulbs in grass  Wildflower seeded boundaries at N and E locations  Shrub beds  Shrub boundaries  Herbaceous perennial beds  Established woodland area  Single standard trees  Pond and water course

Random monthly assessments are carried out in each neighbourhood area, to monitor whether features are meeting the Landscape Quality Standards.

2.3.1 Healthy, Safe & Secure

The Community Parks Officer and Parks Rangers are responsible for ensuring that the park is healthy, safe and secure.

The East Local Neighbourhood has two Park Rangers working within the Environment team who oversee 24 sites within the Neighbourhood. All of these sites are patrolled on a regular basis to ensure that the sites are being maintained to a safe, clean and secure standard.

The Park Rangers monitor each site and work with a number of different departments to report issues and concerns ranging from cleansing issues (Taskforce), dog fouling problems (Environmental Wardens), infrastructure issues (workshops), tree safety (Forestry), horticultural management, Task Force (Grounds Maintenance) and that play areas are in good working order with any issues being raised with the specialist play team. General day to day maintenance and safety within the parks are tackled where possible immediately by the Park Ranger on site. Any other works that cannot be dealt with directly are recorded and formally requisitioned through the appropriate maintenance section

The Park Rangers also provide a local presence for the local community to contact either directly when on site patrolling, or through friends groups and schools who have an ongoing working relationship with the Rangers and discuss any issues that they experience or developments they would like to see in their local park.

All City of Edinburgh Council Play Areas are designed in house to meet BS EN 1176 Parts 1 – 11. Prior to 1998 all play areas were designed to meet BS 5696. All play areas are held on a database called Playsafe produced by Public Sector Software Ltd. This system holds information on all City of Edinburgh Council play areas, including; type of equipment, installation date, and type of surface, fences and bins.

Informal inspections are carried out by council employees who enter the play areas as part of their daily duties (Park Rangers, Playgrounds Maintenance Officer and Task Force staff). They report obvious hazards to the Council’s workshop engineers. In-house ROSPA trained staff inspect the equipment on a monthly basis. Any defects identified are either repaired immediately or isolated and made safe, for repair at a later date. Written records of inspections and works undertaken are held with the Workshops at Inverleith Park. Annual inspections and risk assessments, conforming to RPII, are carried of all the playgrounds by an independent Playground Inspector.

2.3.2 Sustainability

Peat use The only use of peat by the Parks and Greenspace Service is in the production of bedding plants at the Council’s Inch Nursery. Since 2004 the nursery has reduced its consumption of peat by 25% and aims to meet national targets of 90%. A number of alternatives to peat have been incorporated into the growing mixes for plant production at the nursery, including; compost derived from the Council green waste collections, the nursery own compost, worm cast, fine bark, vermiculite and sand. Trials have been run since 2007 to assess the best mix to support seedling and plant growth.

Currently, no peat is being used in the park except for new plant material and the park has no annual displays.

Herbicides A policy needs to be developed that considers the minimisation of herbicide use. Meanwhile herbicide application is only used when cultural practices will not provide adequate control. Only affected areas are treated and only then using strategies that are sensitive to the needs of the public and the environment. All operatives are trained to the approved certification level for the application of chemicals. The application of herbicides is scheduled during off-peak times of park use and signs are posted to indicate the re-entry time period if appropriate.

Waste minimisation

In order to reduce land filled waste, the City of Edinburgh Council is working to develop and extend initiatives to prevent, minimise, reuse and recycle not only the cities but also its own waste. The Council is actively collaborating with other local councils in progressing the Lothian & Borders Area Waste Plan.

Green waste (e.g. grass clippings, weeds, seasonal bedding) is taken to Braehead Recycling Centre where it is composted by Forth Resource Management. Tree limbs are chipped and used as mulch on site. Larger limbs and trunks are sold. Compost generated from this process is used by the Parks and Greenspace Service as a soil conditioner in other plantings.

The East Task Force’s Grounds Maintenance Team operate a chipper to shred all green waste material for reuse on site at Lochend Park.

Litter collected from the park and litter bins are disposed of appropriately to a licensed waste disposal site.

Arboriculture and woodland management Trees lining footpaths have been surveyed and their species, age, size and condition are now recorded on the Parks and Greenspace “Ezytreeve” GIS-database. These are identifiable on site by blue tags. Only recently planted stock are not yet included on the database. This enables a proactive approach to managing the trees and prioritising required works on defective specimens.

Elms are surveyed annually for signs of Dutch Elm disease and felled if appropriate.

2.3.3 Community involvement and engagement The Friends of Lochend Park play an active role in the park. Many members are regular visitors and live very locally to the park spending a significant amount of time in the park and therefore play an important role in keeping an eye on any problems and reporting them quickly to the Park Rangers. They also organise events including regular clean- ups, have a great interest in the park as a natural habitat and its uniqueness as a partially managed natural habitat in an urban environment.

The Park Rangers provide guided walks, health walks and support and regularly lead a number of school activities and occasional conservation volunteer work in the park. The pond and viewing platform are useful features for many activities including pond dipping and bird watching. The local primary School, Hermitage Park also take on regular projects in the park such as the Bee Café project, bulb planting, tree tube removal and sowing wildflower seeds.

Lochend Park ‘National Spring Clean’

Audio trail made by Hermitage Park Primary School

Edinburgh Council Park Rangers have been managing small groups of volunteers working on practical tasks at Lochend Park. Park Rangers have worked with Lochend Friends group, corporate payback schemes and engaged local schools in practical tasks

in Lochend Park. The tasks ranged from litter picks, bulb planting to wildflower meadow creation and tree pruning and planting. We have received a total of 419 volunteer visits adding up to around 1300 hours of practical work completed in Lochend Park from June 2013.

Over 40 separate educational and wellbeing activates and sessions have taken place at Lochend Park since June 2013. The activities ranged from outdoor education sessions with local schools, health walks, open days and nature walks working with local charities and care groups in and around Lochend Park.

A new viewing platform and planting beds have been created around the pond in Lochend Park. The viewing platform gives people greater access to see wildlife, while new planting, including yellow flag iris and water mint, will enhance the biodiversity of the pond, providing more habitats and food for the local wildlife.

Lochend Park ‘Bee café’ planting day 2010 Hermitage Park Primary – ‘On Tour’ at with local pupils and with the support of Waverly Court, Edinburgh Council CVS grant funding Headquarters to illustrate their ‘Eco Work at Lochend’

The project which cost £36K was part funded by WREN (Waste, Recycling, Environmental Limited) and capital funding provided by the City of Edinburgh Council.

Other improvements to the park include new signs and notice boards, gates and railings, bins and seats. Over the past year, pupils from Hermitage Primary School have been busy working with park rangers to create a bee café. And a range of plants have been planted to provide a food source for insects. The Friends of Lochend Park have also been involved with a number of projects including tree planting, clean-ups, thinning and carrying out woodland management within the tree plantations and the creation of a woodland walk.

Hermitage Park Primary School regarding education links at Lochend Park:

Head Teacher, Hermitage Park Primary School

Pat Brown, (retired) Deputy Head Teacher at Hermitage Park Primary School, said: "Working in the park has been a wonderful experience. Pupils and staff have been amazed at the variety of wildlife and we all look forward to continuing to help improve the park over the coming years and using it as a local outdoor resource for our classes."

Ailsa Laing, Friends of Lochend Park NEED UPDATE Ailsa Laing, from Friends of Lochend Park, said: "Back in 2009, our main request for improvements was for a better habitat for birds and better signage. The Council put a lot of work into the WREN application and we're delighted by the

outcome. We look forward to the margin planting providing an increasingly safe haven for the pond's birdlife to nest in. The viewing platform provides a great focus and will help children and adults alike get closer to the wildlife and really see what's going on in there."

Local resident and park user ‘’All the pruning and clearing that has taken place over the last year has improved the loch and visibility without negatively affecting the habitat.’’ Lochend Park – Hermitage Park Primary School ‘All School Picnic’ where over 200 pupils came to the park for their summer day out.

3. WHERE TO WE WANT TO BE

3.1 Vision statement

“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”

Lochend Park is increasingly seen as a valuable green space for the local community. The ambition of the management plan is for the Lochend Park to build on the improvements and investments in the park completed in the last few years and provide a respected, valued and well maintained park that is clean, green, and safe and enjoyed by all those who visit it. Our vision is supported by the Council’s Parks and Gardens strategy which aims to provide: A quality parks system worthy of international comparison, accessible, diverse and environmentally rich; which fulfils the cultural, social and recreational needs of the people” (Edinburgh Public Parks and Gardens Strategy, 2006, p49)

3.2 Assessment

The assessment and evaluation of Lochend Park is an on-going and continuous process. The basic evidence, which provides material for management discussion are described below.

3.2.1 Park Quality Assessments The quality of all parks and gardens in Edinburgh are assessed annually, using 19 of the 27 Green Flag Criteria. This is referred to as the Park Quality Assessment. The majority of the criteria are assessed during site visits, whilst the remaining (e.g. community involvement) are allocated scores by the Council’s Green Flag Forum.

Each site is assessed using teams of assessors consisting of an experienced officer (Green Flag judge) and two or three assistants. Additionally each site was also assessed twice by different teams and where variance outside 10% was noted in criteria that could not be explained i.e. signage then a third assessment was undertaken. The methods, variance and ultimately scores were validated by the Green Flag Forum. Awareness of the Green Flag scheme and guidance on scoring criteria is provided for all new assessors.

Park Quality Scores (bandwidths) for Lochend Park

2014: 67% 2015: 67% 2016: 73% 2017: 73% ( ( V Good) (V.Good) ( EXCELLENT) EXCELLENT )

The Park Quality Assessment in 2014 highlighted what is good about the park (well overlooked, range of facilities and quality of play area, good and safe access), gives areas requiring attention (e.g. lack of signage, graffiti, woodland management) and highlights recommendations for improvement.

3.2.2 Green Flag scheme Lochend Park was successful in 2012 in gaining the green flag status and has retained this award for the past few years. The information obtained from both our internal yearly

assessment and comments from mystery shop have helped to create a work plan for the following year.

3.2.3 Tree survey

All the trees in the park, except those recently planted, have been surveyed and their species, age, size and condition are now recorded on the Councils “Ezytreeve” GIS- database. Any trees that are considered dangerous or unviable have been allocated to the Forestry Division for removal. Management of the over mature willows was regarded as a priority but after meeting and view taken from locals these trees have undergone a crown reduction.

3.2.4 Community consultation

The Friends group help steer the management and development of Lochend Park, and provide feedback from the local community.

3.2.5 SWOT analysis Each year in spring Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis is carried out to identify the key objectives and aims for the park management plan. The results of this are summarised in appendix 6. The actions are reviewed annually to reflect works undertaken and the results of the annual Park Quality Assessments and locals residents input.

3.3 Aim of this management plan The aims and objectives for Lochend Park have been developed in line with the City of Edinburgh Council’s policies and supported by Services for Communities Department in its role of managing and being responsible for the site and through analysis of the key management issues. Based on the outcome of the analysis and assessment summarised in the previous section, the following aims have been formulated for the maintenance and further development of Lochend Park:

Aim 1: To develop the park further into a well-managed haven for wildlife:  Increasing pond marginal planting and sensitive weed management

 Wildflower meadow area created at North Entrance and bee café re-planting  Continue to increase diversity of plants and extended flowering times  Tree planting – new planting, manage existing woodlands and replace failed trees  Relaxing grassland management at appropriate locations  Creating more natural habitats by leaving one community woodland stand fenced and unmanaged (excepting safe and good woodland practices) to provide a ‘hands off’ management style and natural undisturbed habitat  Creation of a hedge row at the front of each tree belt

Aim 2: To keep the park as an attractive green space: clean, safe, and in a good state of maintenance by:  Providing a Park Ranger presence  Implementing the Park Improvement Plan  Maintain engagement with stakeholders, i.e. Friends of Lochend Park lochend boys football club , Tia chee group  Continue community and schools engagement

Aim 3: To develop the park further into a well-established open spaced site, which engages all age groups while maintaining a haven for wildlife.

Aim 4: To deliver standards to the criteria set for Green Flag and increase the annual Parks Quality Assessment score using the internal Edinburgh Park Quality Standard.

The aims underpinning this management plan have been linked to the Edinburgh Quality Standard which is based on the Green Flag Quality criteria. Each of these aims is further developed in the management plan into targets, measures and timescales. 4 HOW WILL WE GET THERE

4.1 Lochend Park: Park Improvement Plan Aim 1 : To develop the park further into a well-managed haven for wildlife Objective Action Year Who Target Date To maintain good Plants – replace as 2017 Local CPO and 2019 quality planting required Friends Group Increase planting increase wildlife friendly shrub margins, seeding margins with wildflower To explore areas relaxing cutting under 2015 CPO, Task Force On-going for reduced trees and around park Managers, grounds periphery Grounds maintenance Maintenance activity Team and PR To maintain, Carry out tree planting 2014 CPO and 2018 replace damaged Forestry and dead trees and increase tree stock To create Wild wildflower seeding at 2015 CPO and PR, annual Flower meadow appropriate areas in the Friends group Park (N, E, NE) Winter works Grounds maintenance 2014 CPO Yearly 2019 scheduling winter works schedule PROVISION OF SECURE EXTERNAL 2017/2018 Friends of park ONGOING FLOOTING FUNDING and C P O PLATFORMS

Aim 2 : To keep the park as an attractive green space: clean, safe and in a good state of maintenance Objective Action Year Who Target Date Additional Develop and install 2016 CPO 2017 signage at signage at entrances butterfly entrance Monitor Antisocial Discuss Park 2014 onwards CPO and 2019 Behaviour Improvement Plan with Community Community Safety Team Safety Address dog Develop action plan with 2014 onwards CPO, PR 2017 fouling Environmental Wardens Friends group to tackle fouling issues Install extra bins Install bins and discuss 2015 CPO 2019 with Taskforce for servicing Bird fouling Remove bird droppings 2014 cpo ANNUAL from doo cot To improve Assess and improve 2018 CPO 2019 surface of paths sections of paths that is now part of cycle way Thin millennium Mgmt plans for 20016 onwards CPO, community onwards woodlands woodlands to be updated woodlands officer and actions identified and Forestry Remove dead Remove trees assessed 2014 Forestry 2019 trees as dangerous Investigation Carry out investigation dig 2015 Cpo 2015 works for pond to locate if possible new outlet outlet pipe

Aim 3 : To develop the park further into a well-established open spaced site, which engages all age groups while maintaining a haven for wildlife Objective Action Year Who Target Date Develop further Provide interesting and 2014 - onwards CPO and PR to Yearly programmes of d challenging play and work with schools activities in the learning opportunities and communities park with community and schools To encourage Help Provided events in 2015 Cpo friends group Yearly events the park organised by the friends group Police box Work with friends group to 2014 Cpo friends group 2016 establish purchase and park rangers development of police box To work with local Improve the area open 2014 CPO Unknown developer to area up improve planting improve the south entrance To engage with Run series of activities in 2014 - onwards PR yearly local schools park To support Attend Friends of 2014 PR & CPO yearly Friends of Lochend Park meetings Lochend Park To engage with Carry out park user 2018 PR 2018 park users and surveys local community

Aim 4 : To deliver standards to the criteria set for Green Flag and increase the annual

Parks Quality Assessment score using the internal Edinburgh Park Quality Standard Objective Where and/or How Year Who Target Date To achieve an By implementing the 20014 – onwards East Environment Annual annual Parks Parks Improvement Plan Team Assessment (aims 1-3 as detailed score of 75% or above) above Carry out annual PQA 2015 CPO and PR Annual recommendations Obtain external Heritage lottery fund 2015 Friends group 2016 funding

Reference Key

CPO Community Parks Officer

PR Park Rangers

Grounds Gardeners & Grounds Maintenance / Maintenance Taskforce

Forestry Forestry Division

4.2 Finance

Two main sources of finance are available to the Local Environment Team for the management of the park:

4.2.1. Revenue funding

The provision of revenue funding for the Park consists of work undertaken at present by the local Grounds Maintenance Task Force. The current maintenance is based on the former Grounds Maintenance Contract that now serves as a guide to what works should be undertaken.

In addition the Local Environment Manager and Community Parks Officer have a budget for small scale repairs and maintenance improvements.

It is recognised that the Friends of Lochend Park and the local community have and continue to devote their own time and resources including grants to improve the park.

The East Neighbourhood Team will continue to support the local community and work with them to attract funding from internal and external sources towards maintaining and improving the park.

4.2.2 Capital funding

The capital budget is administrated by the Parks and Greenspace Service. The budget is generally allocated in advance and the role of developing management plans contributes toward the better planning of financial resources required so that they can be included in future bids.

Wherever possible capital bids should be match funded and the input from the local community can assist with this.

In 2009/10 a small capital budget allocation of £25,000 and additional funding by a WREN grant enabled the development of the viewing platform and marginal planting.

4.2.3 External grants

The Parks and Greenspace Unit have a small grants fund that Friends groups can apply to for small items or to assist in developing their group or the sites they have adopted.

In addition, Friends of Lochend Park in partnership with the Council have utilised third party grants from organisations to develop the park. E.g. a grant to create the wildlife viewing platform was obtained from WREN (Waste Recycling Environmental Limited) in 2010.

5 HOW WILL WE KNOW WHEN WE HAVE ARRIVED?

5.1 Management Plan

This Management Plan provides a working document for all those involved in the management and maintenance of the park to ensure that we achieve our vision of maintaining Lochend Park as a unique, attractive and well cared for space and to continually improve the quality of the park for the enjoyment of citizens and visitors alike. The Management Plan and the Park Improvement Plan will be reviewed annually.

5.2 Performance Measures/Monitoring

5.2.1 Park Quality Assessment The quality of Lochend Park is monitored annually via the Park Quality Assessments. These scores will be used to help assess the success of the management plan and help with the review of the action plan.

5.2.2 Green Flag Scheme Measuring the park against the Green Flag criteria will help shape further improvements, both to the Management Plan and to our management processes.

5.2.3 Landscape Quality Standards The quality of the grounds maintenance in the East Neighbourhood area is assessed monthly against the Landscape Quality Standards. This can be used to highlight an areas of improvement required within the park.

5.3 Survey & Feedback

Regular meetings are held with the Friends of Lochend Park, Community Parks Officer and Local Task Force Manager. This has facilitated issues to be addressed and actioned within a reasonable timescale and has also improved the coordination of various projects within the park.

APPENDIX 1

APPENDIX 1: Annual Maintenance Plan

Task Who Location Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Litter Taskforce Across site Collection - bins Ad hoc site Park Staff Across site litter collection Taskforce Amenity grass Taskforce / Across site cutting grounds maintenance Vegetation cut Park staff / Pond back around Grounds margins pond maintenance Thin & prune Park staff / Community community volunteers woodlands woodlands Thin & lift Woodlands Community crowns contractor woodlands community woodlands Mixed Shrub Grounds Planted maintenance maintenance beds Path Park staff / Path maintenance workshops / networks (as required) Taskforce Other Park staff / Across site maintenance Workshops (as required) structure Workshops Benches, maintenance Signs, (as required) Fences

APPENDIX 2

APPENDIX 2: Stakeholders and Contact List

Stakeholders  Friends of Lochend Park  Lochend boys club  Craigentinny – Meadownbank Community Council  City of Edinburgh Council

Contact List  Friends of Lochend Park FACEBOOK Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Friends-of-Lochend- Park/109797945756275?v=info#info_edit_sections Email: [email protected]

 Craigentinny – Meadowbank Community Council Chair: Giacomo Modica Email: [email protected]

 City of Edinburgh Council Darren Ryen- Local Environment Manager, East Neighbourhood Team East Edinburgh Local Office, 101 Niddrie Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH16 4DT Tel: 0131 529 7914 e-mail: [email protected]

Scott Thomson – Community Parks Officer, East Neighbourhood Team East Edinburgh Local Office, 101 Niddrie Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH16 4DT Tel: 0131 529 3481 e-mail: [email protected]

Contact List (continued)  City of Edinburgh Council

Park Rangers - East Neighbourhood Team

Natalia Navarro Gonzales / Russell Linton East Edinburgh Local Office, 86 Niddrie Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH16 4DT

Tel: 0131 529 3111

Alan Bell – Parks and Greenspace Manager Parks and Greenspace, Waverley Court, 4 East Market Street, Edinburgh

Tel: 0131 529 7715 e-mail: [email protected] Formatted: French (France)

James Galloway – Play Technical Officer Parks and Greenspace, Waverly Court, 4 East Market Street, Edinburgh Tel: 0131 529 7972 e-mail: [email protected]

Steven Webley – Forestry Manager, Forestry Division Parks and Greenspace, Inverleith Farm House, 5 Arboretum Place, Edinburgh Tel: 0131 311 7077 e-mail: [email protected]

James Carlyle – Inch Park Nursery Manager Inch Park Nursery, Old Dalkeith Road, Edinburgh Tel: 0131 664 4135 e-mail: [email protected]

APPENDIX 3: East Environment Team Structure Chart

To follow

APPENDIX 4

APPENDIX 4: SWOT Analysis Initially Completed 2014 – Updated Autumn 2019 A Welcoming Place: Lochend Park is an accessible green space for the local community. In the assessment the following aspects have been taken into account:  Announcing the park  Physical access  Social access  Design Strengths Weaknesses  Main entrance inviting and football  Secondary entrances (particularly pitch entrance much improved from Marionville Rd) currently  A number of entrances surrounding unappealing. park  Sightlines poor from secondary  Notice board with information close entrances – East entrance to main entrance perceived as very unsafe.  Interpretation & signage improved  Could fence around pond prohibit  Dropped kerb, wide paths and fence rescue? around the pond all providing secure  Some paths could do with and safe access improvement  Some good paths  South end of park underused and  Striking views – play area, bin, not well maintained – has few benches at pond edge – busy at the facilities North end of the park  vegetation encroaching around  New links to cycle routs pond  Positive response from developers  Some dog fouling to improvements at Marionville  Moderate litter entrance

Opportunities Threats  Monitor incidents of dog fouling with  Whindust paths require more Env.Wardens maintenance & could be unstable  Improve path surfacing surface for buggies / wheelchairs /  Improve Marionville road and vulnerable

Lochend Park entrances

Healthy, Safe and Secure: The following factors were taken into account:  Health and well-being – is the park being used to promote healthy life-styles?  Equipment and facilities  Security

Strengths Weaknesses  Used on a regular basis for informal  Poor lighting, not wholly overlooked, play lots of hidden areas  Overlooked by houses  Dog fouling problem  Open area gives sense of security  Woodlands not managed during daylight hours  Teenage equipment very poor  Local residents regularly use the  Some pathways could be upgraded park for walking dogs  Play area busy with children and families and in reasonable condition  Cycling and jogging evident in park  Benches provided for passive enjoyment of park & views  Fair network of paths for different routes around the park  Opportunities Threats  Look at improving entrances &  Elements of the site is perceived as lighting a place where antisocial behaviour  Improve secondary paths & and underage drinking occurs at sightlines night particularly at the covered  Develop areas currently underused benches in the teenage zone in park – additional planting /  Pond area has inherent safety risks seating feature - fence helps to reduce direct access to water body  Antisocial behaviour and vandalism

Well Maintained and Clean: The garden is maintained and cleaned according to a tight maintenance schedule. The following aspects were analysed:  Litter and waste management  Ground maintenance  Infrastructure Strengths Weaknesses  Main entrance reasonably inviting  Dog fouling can be a problem  Good fence around pond  Litter is a problem -  Signage in reasonable condition  Area near 3G football pitch needs  Benches and bins all fairly new landscaping attention condition  Areas of the park has no grounds  Amenity grass cut regularly management  Planted beds fairly well maintained  Entrance from Marionville and add horticultural interest 

Opportunities Threats  Remove graffiti from stone walls  Re-occurrence of vandalism a high  Remove overgrown vegetation from risk pond margins  Antisocial behaviour and  Community woodlands – actively behavioural misuse of opened up manage and bring into use in the woodland areas park  Improve teen zone infrastructure & equipment  Resite existing or install new bin at hotspot for litter near teen zone  Community clean ups work with  Local schools

Sustainability: In design and maintenance of the park , sustainability issues have played and continue to play an important part:  Environment management  Pesticides, herbicides and materials  Horticulture and arboriculture Strengths Weaknesses  Design elements such as use of  Grass cutting frequency perennial planting to increase  Desperate need for crown lifting, colour and lengthen flowering dead trees and limbs periods  Community woodlands require active  Use of unusual species of plants management  Peat use is restricted to  Replacement planting of failed and replacement plant material damaged trees required  Trees have been surveyed and information is held electronically on the EzyTreev database  Woodlands provide useful and beneficial habitats  Opportunities Threats  Improve visibility around pond & secondary entrances by pruning  Opening up pond visibility may foliage & remove unwanted encourage people to access the planting – encourage desirable open pond edges plants in pond margins  Woodland opened up could  Planting additional flowering encourage antisocial behaviour plants for the benefit of wildlife &  Vandalism to young trees biodiversity  Increase horticultural planting features in other areas of park (most formal planting at N entrance)

Conservation and Heritage: The following aspects were considered:  Habitats  Cultural landscapes

Strengths Weaknesses  Winter seed heads left on plants  Over mature trees are used by birds such as House  Lack of evergreens Sparrows  Repairs to doo ‘cot required  Large amount of native plants  Vandalised boundary walls  Proximity to private gardens  More planting to support wildlife enables exchange of wildlife, species would be beneficial especially birds and insects, contributing to a larger habitat  Varied habitats for wildlife – large site with variety of planting supports lots of species. E.g. woodlands, scrub and grasses, pond, single trees.  Historical significance of buildings  Historical site  Unique water supply to pond

Opportunities Threats  Monitor and replace planting when  Vandalism of habitat / trees necessary.  Vandalism to structures  Plant more of horticultural interest to support wildlife species

 Provide pond roosting sites on water for waterfowl  create more natural habitat areas  Carry out archaeological investigation of Doo cot and pumping station  Time line tree to show historical events

Community Involvement: The following aspects were considered:  Patterns of use  Community involvement  Play and educational value  School groups

Strengths Weaknesses  Friends group setup & established  Formal play area is limited 2008 active in park  Almost no formal play for toddlers  Regular meetings and motivated  Little quality formal play for older group with focus on improving site for teenagers biodiversity and wildlife  Ensure park improvements benefit  Local school groups engaged & all users where possible interested in using the park as educational resource  Informal play and young families use the park widely during the week and weekends

Opportunities Threats  Educational opportunities for the park  Ensure as wide a catchment of should be developed community as possible get  Increase community events taking opportunity to input into park place at park development & community needs  Encourage friends group to arrange activity days in park for general park users to get involved  Work with schools in park as educational resource  Raise awareness of friends group to wider community  Local clubs, charities or organisations could be contacted to get involved in health walk / park activities  Upgrade elements of formal play

APPENDIX 4 (continued)

Marketing: The following aspects were considered:  Information provision  Events  Promotion  Local press Strengths Weaknesses  Information and interpretation  Continued vandalism and damage boards in Park to notice board results in negative  Main gates to display park name impression of notice board provision  Friends face book page  Increased use of notice board to  Council website communicate Parks work to  East neighbourhood also has a community required twitter account a face book page account and Go outdoors  Recently articles run in local newspaper  Parks Officers contact details are displayed within the park  ‘Caring for Edinburgh’s Parks’ signs are displayed Opportunities Threats  Improve use of notice board  Continued vandalism and damage  Ensure vandalism to notice board to notice board results in negative fixed quickly impression of notice board provision  Widely advertise any events  Difficult to read through damaged organised in park through notice Perspex on notice board board and wider community  Events should be positively reported to local news and community papers & newsletters  Newsletter could be produced & posted in park

Management: The park is managed by the City of Edinburgh Council and local volunteers.

Strengths Weaknesses  Local community involved  Frequency of grounds maintenance  Friends group tasks  Management plan in production for  Limited funding 2014-19  Low number of overall staffing for  Friends group actively engaged on parks department reduces the future projects for site amount of dedicated time available  Green flag assessments will provide from staff for each site feedback on areas that require focus or investment  Parks quality standards will also highlight any major problems  Local volunteers carry out a variety of jobs

Opportunities Threats

 Working with local groups  Lack of overall funding for parks &  Working with the friends group to greenspaces develop improvements projects  site management cannot be  More active management of achieved without adequate staffing sections of the site, such as and grounds maintenance support community woodlands a positive contribution to the site and it’s usage  Working with developer for long term improvements to entrance at Marionville road entrance

APPENDIX 5: Woodlands Assessment 2011

Site Name: Lochend Park Site Number: 60 Located in the north east of Edinburgh in the Craigentinny area

Total Area: 9.2ha Grid reference: NT 276750 Original Area 1.15ha Date of Original March 2006 Current Area Planted: 0.60ha Date Planted: December 2000 Planted: Plan:

Landowner: City of Edinburgh Council, Services for Communities.

Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivations Lochend Park ranks in the lowest 30-40% in the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) based on the local status of housing, crime, employment, income, health, education and geographic access. The area to the east has a SIMD rank within the lowest 10%, with the area in the west within the lowest 50-60%.

This means that access to green space is likely to be valued by local residents who may not have the use of a car and who may not have access to gardens of their own.

Forestry Commission Scotland Agreements

WGS contract ref: 0350001599/0 Obligations until: 15.03.1 Outstanding Yes Contract stocking density: unknow 01 1 payments: n

SGRPID Lochend Park has an IACS registration code of NT/27655/74763 and field number 33.

Context / Linkage

An important public green space including a large pond, set within in an urban city location.

Other millennium projects in the area include Craigentinny Primary School, Logan lea Primary School and Logan lea Avenue.

Description

A medium sized urban park consisting of regularly mown amenity grassland with scattered trees throughout and a large shallow pond surrounded by willow trees which occupies a large area in the middle of the site.

Surfaced paths lead around the park providing pleasant circular walks and short cuts across the park.

The park is not highly visible as it lies within a natural bowl, though it is visible from nearby roads and local housing. There is an industrial estate and a railway line to the south west of the park. The ground of Hibernian FC at Easter Road lies to the west of the park.

Original Objectives

 To improve the biodiversity of the park linking with the existing mature trees in the park.  To link with other sites being developed in the area.

 To incorporate standard trees already planted in the area.

 To provide further shelter to the park and a buffer from the railway line running to the south of the park and the industrial estate in the west.

ASSESSMENT

Present Condition

The trees are well established and in good condition though there are a few gaps in the planting and there is one area where a small amount of replacement planting is

APPENDIX 5 (continued) recommended. The woodland edges are dense and where these are close to the surfaced paths there may be a public perception of danger due to poor lines of sight into The trees. The weld mesh fencing has provided adequate protection and can now be removed from most of the planting. Litter does not appear to be a serious problem.

Protection The original planting was fenced to help to protect it from vandalism and there is still weld mesh fencing in place. The trees are now sturdy and the fencing could be safety removed from all compartments except for compartment 6, where there are still young trees present.

Access There is good access to the park with a network of surfaced paths running through the site. Car parking near the park is poor with no off street parking, however most users of the park access on foot.

Landscape The park has a northerly aspect fairly high on a slope but is not very visible locally as it is hidden behind buildings, for the same reason the views out from the park are restricted.

Signage & Interpretation There is no signage present.

Recent Management Some brashing and fence removal has been done to open up the edges of the woodland groups and to allow clearer lines of sight.

Evaluation and Assessment Although the trees suffered from vandalism in the early years they are now forming robust groups and provide well defined features which add physical structure to the park. The tree groups also provide a degree of shelter from the prevailing wind and screening form the urban surroundings. The tree groups now successfully merge with the more mature trees that were within the park prior to the Millennium Woodland initiative.

Most of the tree groups have dense edges and brashing would help to promote a feeling of public safety and provide better lines of sight. The majority of the protective fencing

APPENDIX 5 (continued)

Could now be removed as it has served its purpose. Weed growth at the woodland edges is unsightly and would look better if it was cut.

Current Objectives

 To allow the tree groups to develop and gain in biodiversity value.  To manage the trees so that lines of sight at the woodland edges are clear, to promote a feeling of public safety and to discourage anti-social activity.  To continue to provide shelter to the park and a buffer from the surrounding urban environment.

Woodland Condition Summary Table

Location Sub-cpt 1 Area 0.10ha Spacing 2m x 2.5m 2000/ha

Species Ht, m DAFOR Species Ht, m DAFOR Aspen 8 F Birch 7 F Beech 5 F oak 5 F Pine 4 F Alder 5 F Bird cherry 4 F

Condition Well established with few gaps present. Has been brashed to 1.5m. Tall weed growth APPENDIX 5 (continued) round the edges impede the lines of sight.

Location Sub-cpt 2 Area 0.24ha Spacing ~2m x 2.5m 2000/ha

Species Ht, m DAFOR Species Ht, m DAFO R Alder 6 A Bird cherry 6 F Aspen 10 A Beech 4 F Birch 6 F Pine 4 F Oak 4 F Lime 3 O Ash 6 F Elder 5 O

Condition This is the largest of the tree groups and is well established. The broadleaved species have been brashed. Rank weed growth at the woodland edge restrict the lines of sight.

Location Sub-cpt 3 Area 0.10ha Spacing ~2000/ha

Species Ht, m DAFOR Species Ht, m DAFO R Aspen 10 F Lime 3 F Birch 7 F Holly 3 O Alder 7 F Pine 5 O Rowan 6 F Oak 5 F Ash 7 F Condition Well established and growing well. Some thinning has been done together with partial fence removal. Metal guards round some standard trees are cutting into the trees and damaging them. Tall weed growth at the woodland edge is impedingAPPENDI lines of sight.X 5 (continued)

Location Sub-cpt 4 Area 0.02ha Spacing 2m x 2m A small cpt. at the southern edge of the park.

Species Ht, m DAFOR Species Ht, m DAFO

R Silver birch 2-3 F Hawthorn 2-3 O Scots pine 3-4 F Wild cherry 4-5 O

Condition The trees in this cpt. are growing well and now form a cohesive group. The trees are unfenced and there is thick weed growth at the woodland edges.

Location Sub-cpt 5 Area 0.06ha Spacing 2m x 4m Located at the southern tip of the park near to the railway embankment.

Species Ht, m DAFOR Species Ht, m DAFO R Alder 3-4 O Rowan 2-3 O Oak 3-4 O Wild cherry 3-4 O

Condition This group has a varied spacing due to gaps left by failed trees.

Location Sub-cpt 6 Area 0.06ha Spacing 2m x 3m Located towards the southern end of the park next to a busy surfaced path.

Species Ht, m DAFOR Species Ht, m DAFO R Alder 5-7 F Beech 2-3 O Ash 1-5 F Hawthorn 1-2 O Oak 1-3 F Holly 1 R Silver birch 4-7 F Yew 1 R Condition Generally a successful group with some trees healthy but still small in size. The larger birch trees have been brashed to 1.5m to give clear stems. The original fence is still

in place and provides protection for the trees less than 2m tall. The trees at the eastern edge of the group are beginning to encroach onto the adjacent path.

Contract Compliance Two of the original compartments were abandoned due to vandalism (one to the north and one to the east of the pond). This reduced the planted area from 1.15ha to 0.95ha. In 2007 cpt. 7 with an area of 0.35ha was lost due to the development of a new sports pitch. This area was to be fully replaced as part of the development though this was not picked up on during the survey.

The WGS contract does not end until 15.03.11 and currently there is an outstanding payment. Of the known plated areas generally the stocking density is between 1,600 and 2,000 stems per ha, which should be adequate for the contract although the agreed contract density is not known.

PROPOSALS

Cpt. 1 and 2 Brash remaining unbrashed trees (~70no.) Remove all arising. Year 1. Remove weld mesh fence. (170m + 190m) Year 1. Strim woodland edge. 360m. Year 1-5. Thin and chip, to remove 25% of stems. Year 3. Aim to open up the woodland edges. Year 3.

Cpt. 3 Brash to 1.5m. Remove all arising. Year 1. Remove weld mesh fence, 140m. Year 1. Remove metal guards from standard trees. Year 1. Strim woodland edge. 140m. Year 1-5.

Cpt. 4 Brash to 1.5m. Remove all arising. Year 1. Strim woodland edge. 80m. Year 1-5.

Cpt. 5 Plant 75no. trees to boost the tree coverage. No shelters. Year 1. Brash to 1.5m. Remove all arising. Year 2. Strim woodland edge. 50m. Year 3-5.

Cpt. 6 Remove weld mesh fence, 180m. Year 3. Strim woodland edge, 180m. Year 3-5.

Community Involvement Opportunities

The local community were involved in the original planting in the form of the Lochend Working Group. Pupils from Hermitage Park Nursery, St. Ninian’s Primary School and Prospect Bank Special School all took part in a community planting event. Members of the Community Council and local residents, helped by volunteers from the Scottish Wildlife Trust also took part. Local Councillor , Cllr Ewan Aitken planted a ‘Parliamentary Pine’ on behalf of local MSP Susan Deacon.

Future Development It is hoped that the initial community interest in the site could be regained through community participation in simple practical tasks such as brashing and litter picking. In the long term the trees should become a well established feature of the park and should continue to give landscape, wildlife and habitat benefits.

Estimated Costs and Timings See spread sheet.

APPENDIX 5 (continued)

MILLENIUM WOODLANDS – Schedule of Rates (LOCHEND)

Lochend Park

Operation Spec Cpt. Quantit Unit Price . y

Thin and chip 25% of stems 1.1 1 0.1 ha Brash thinned area 3.1 1 0.1 ha

Thin and chip 25% of stems 1.1 2 0.24 ha Brash thinned area 3.1 2 0.24 ha

Under-storey planting n/a 1, 2 0.34 ha

Remove metal guards from n/a 3 n/a each standard trees Brash compartment 3.1 3 0.10 ha

Supply and plant 4 x 16-18cm 8.1 n/a 4 each tree standards

Thin and chip 33% of stems 1.1 n/a 8 each (small branchwood, remove larger timber from site) APPENDIX 5 (continued)

n.b. thin and chip 25%, promoting long lived species brash stems to 1.5 metres

under-storey planting in compartments 1 and 2: species mix Viburnam opulus, Prunus spinosa, Crataegus monogyna, Ilex aquifolium (plant at 3 metre spacings in gaps) thin and chip 33% in compartment 8. Trees are semi-mature and will be marked up when thinning will go ahead. Chip small branchwood, remove larger timber from site. supply and plant 4 x tree standards: species – Quercus robur. there are stakes, guards and irrigation pipes from previously failed trees that can be re-used, dead trees to be removed from site.

Specifications 1.0 Thinning Thinning has been proposed to promote the growth of the retained trees, and to prevent slower growing species from becoming overshadows.

1.1 Thin and chip Thin out trees to the specified intensity. Thinning intensity will be 20%, 25% or 50%. An initial test compartment will be marked for thinning. Target dead dying and poorly formed trees and particular species as indicated. Remove from site any arising above 15cm diameter. Chip all arising from thinning operations as per specification 1.2.

2.0 Chipping

Chipping has been proposed on all sites to limit the potential risk of fire.

2.1 Chip all arising less than 15cm diameter (continued) Do not leave piles of chips. Disperse chips evenlyAPPENI within the woodlandX 5 area, in a layer with a depth not exceeding 100mm.

3.0 Brashing

This operation is proposed to improve lines of sight and to allow vision into the edge of the woodland groups. This is to improve the appearance of the trees and to promote a feeling of safety.

3.1 Brashing – remove branches to give 1.5m of clear stem. Remove whole branches back to the branch collar and bark branch ridge on the stem, or cut the lower branches back to lateral or sub-lateral buds or branches without leaving stumps. Chip all arising from brashing operations as per specification 1.2.

3.2 Cut back suckering Cut suckers to ground level, leave arising on site at least 5m from the woodland edge and path edge.

4.0 Fence removal

4.1 Removal of Weld mesh fence 1m Height Dismantle fencing where indicated on proposal maps and as specified. Removing all posts, wires, metalwork and other debris to an authorised tip.

4.2 Removal of Post and Wire Fence Dismantle fencing where indicated on proposal maps and as specified. Removing all posts, wires, metalwork and other debris to an authorised tip.

4.3 Removal of Derelict Fence (fence posts and partial wire) Dismantle fencing where indicated on proposal maps and as specified. Removing all posts, wires, metalwork and other debris to an authorised tip.

4.4 Removal of chespale fencing (continued) Dismantle fencing where indicated on proposalPPENDI maps and as specified.X 5 Removing all posts, wires, metalwork and other debris to an authorised tip.

8.1 Supply and plant tree standards 16-18cm air-pot

 The trees are to be heavy standards 16/18, air-pot, 3.0-4.0 metres in height, 500 mm minimum root ball and 0.50 metres minimum crown spread.  The tree species for the site will be 4 x Quercus robur.  The planting locations are mapped, with a site visit required to confirm the planting locations. A site assessment is undertaken to take account of access, overhead and underground services plus general safety to operatives and members of the public. The trees will be planted into existing planting locations (failed trees to be removed from site).  The planting site shall be naturally or physically drained or raised to prevent the trees from being waterlogged at any time. The soil texture and structure will retain and release moisture and nutrients to the trees and have a structure that will promote root growth. The planting site will be improved with the addition of peat-free compost, water retaining polymer and fertiliser.  The excavated hole shall be of sufficient size to accommodate the root-ball (air pot), allowing approximately 500mm clearance. Before planting the sides of the pit shall be broken up and the base dug over to a depth of 150mm to improve drainage. Backfill will be firmed in around the root-ball to prevent any air pockets.  The trees will be protected using a 1.8m weld mesh guard, and 3 x 2.1m round softwood stakes with three tree ties looped around the tree attached to one stake (these will be provided from previously failed trees).  An irrigation system will be installed comprising of a 35mm diameter, perforated subterranean irrigation pipe around the root-ball (air pot) 100mm below the surface (there should be irrigation pipes at the location from previously failed trees).  A planned maintenance programme should be undertaken for a period of two years after planting to ensure successful establishment of the trees. This will include watering when necessary, checking of the support systems and weed control around the base of the trees.  All the trees shall conform to the British Standard for Nursery Stock - BS 3936, parts 1,2, 3, 4, & 5, as published by the BSI. They shall beAPPENDI "nursery grown"X and 6 “root - balled” unless otherwise specified.

APPENDIX 6:

Mystery Shopping - Interim Quality Assessment

Answer the questions below providing detailed feedback that will benefit the site.

Name of Site: Lochend Park Managing Organisation: City of Edinburgh Council Date, time and duration of visit: 15 September 2017, 3.30pm -4.30pm Weather conditions: Dull and cloudy with rain showers

1. Was the site easy to find e.g. directional signage?

Yes

Comments: No external signage but used CEC website.

2. On approaching the site were you encouraged to enter?

Yes

Comments: Large, visible entrances with info boards about Park. Meadow flower planting around fence was colourful. Gates open.

3. Were entrance signs visible announcing the site and did they provide contact details for complaints/praise?

Yes

Comments: Telephone numbers and email contact details on name plaques. Not all entrances had Park name or contact details particularly on western side.

4. Were entrances safe and accessible to people of differing abilities? Yes

Comments: Very wide entrances and paths.

5. Were entrances and car parks clean, litter free and well maintained?

Yes

Comments: No car parking on site. Some litter at entrance but appeared to be fresh.

6. Were signs throughout the site of good quality, well maintained, and displaying up to date and relevant information?

Yes

Comments: Lots of info about Park’s history on noticeboards, which were of good quality. Number of smaller signs around park e.g. bird identification poster at pond. Up to date information about events within noticeboard e.g. bat walk. Information about Friends Group Facebook page.

7. Were paths in good condition, clean, unobstructed and accessible to people of different abilities?

Yes

Comments: Very wide, well surfaced paths. Some grass cuttings across path which may have caused possible slipping. (see photos 1 & 2).

8. Were any staff on site easily identifiable to the public, knowledgeable and approachable?

N/A

9. Were facilities such as toilets, cafés etc. clean, well maintained and open as advertised?

N/A

10. Were buildings, structures and features such as walls fences etc in good condition and free from graffiti?

Yes

Comments: All railings in good condition. Some graffiti on smaller stone building (not Doo Cot).

11. Was all children’s play equipment well maintained and clean?

Yes

Comments: Was relatively new or very good condition.

12. Were benches, bins etc. well located, clean and in good condition?

Yes

Comments: There were a number of bins and seats throughout the Park, which were all in good condition.

13. Was safety equipment present, fit for purpose and in good condition (if provided)?

N/A

14. Was lighting, CCTV and other security measures in good condition (where provided and able to be assessed)?

Yes

Comments: Only lighting on site was around “caged” pitches. Visited during day so unable to say if working.

15. Did litter bins appear to be emptied regularly and was the site litter free?

Yes

Comments: Bins did not need emptying. Some litter around site, however, the vegetated/woodland areas were very clean.

16. Was dog and other animal fouling adequately controlled?

Yes

Comments: There were some fouled areas within Park but these appeared to be “fresh”.

17. Were horticultural standards being maintained?

Yes

Comments: Pictorial meadow seeding gave colourful displays. Use of shrubs and perennials for colour and variety.

18. Did trees appear to be safe and in good condition?

Yes

Comments: Some trunk damage to trees going uphill from north-east entrance but generally in good condition. Weeds around base of some trees (see photo 3)

19. Were features requiring or undergoing maintenance made safe with appropriate signage?

N/A

20. Did you feel safe during your visit?

Yes

21. Was the site flying its Green Flag, and was the flag in good condition and recognisable and was a certificate displayed?

Yes No N/A

Comments: No flag visible. Empty flag pole near pond (photo 4). Certificate for 16/17 on noticeboard.

22. Did you obtain feedback from park users and/or staff?

N/A

23. Would you like to make any additional observations?

Yes

Comments: There was a lot of good information about the Park’s history on site. Liked pictorial meadow planting. A good balance of Park management for people (paths, info and colourful planting displays) and wildlife (pond, plants and woodland).

2017 PQS FEEDBACK / Site Name: Lochend Park

PQA 2017 Provisional Result - Lochend Park.pdf