Green Spaces, Green Places
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Green Spaces, Green Places Doncaster’s Greenspace Strategy 2008-11 1 CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................3 1.1 What is Greenspace?.................................................................................5 1.2 Why Does The Council Need A Greenspace Strategy?..........................5 2. SNAPSHOT OF DONCASTER’S GREENSPACE............................................6 3. NATIONAL DRIVERS .......................................................................................7 3.1 Key Local Strategies ..................................................................................7 Doncaster’s Right of Way Improvement Plan ...................................................8 4. VISION...............................................................................................................9 5. DONCASTER’S GREENSPACE PRINCIPLES ..............................................10 6. GREENSPACE PROFILE ...............................................................................10 6. GREENSPACE PROFILE ...............................................................................11 6.1 Audit Findings: Summary.......................................................................11 7. STANDARDS ..................................................................................................11 7.1 Four Acre Standard (Formal) ..................................................................12 7.2 Two Acre Standard (Parks and Gardens) ..............................................12 7.3 Children and Young People Play Equipment ........................................13 9. GREEN FLAG .................................................................................................14 11. CROSS BOUNDARY WORKING..................................................................15 13. ACTION PLAN .............................................................................................16 2 1. INTRODUCTION Doncaster is the largest Metropolitan Borough in England. The area of Doncaster covers some 224 square miles (144,000 acres) and has a population exceeding 285,000. Doncaster forms part of the South Yorkshire sub-region. The Borough includes the town of Doncaster (population 129,000) and a number of large settlements including Mexborough, Conisbrough, Thorne, Askern and Rossington. Doncaster has a long history and has been settled from Roman times due to its location at a strategic crossing point on the River Don. Primarily an agricultural area and well known for being the home of the first classic horserace, the St Leger, it did not become an industrial power-base until the coming of the railways and the exploitation of coal in the 19th century. Since the 1980s, the Borough suffered from a major decline in the heavy industries traditionally associated with it - coal, engineering and steel production in Sheffield, Rotherham and Scunthorpe. Taken in the regional context, the decline of these industries has led to a marked economic downturn; the South Yorkshire sub-region, including Doncaster, has suffered a significantly lower Gross Domestic Product (GDP) than the regional average. Clear actions have taken place over the past few years drive and deliver Doncaster’s transformation, building upon the work of the past five years. Doncaster has pursued a policy of developing catalytic transformation of our urban landscape and invested heavily in developing employment sites alongside a programme of soft side regeneration activity designed to develop the capacity, engagement and activity rates of our communities, including those in our most deprived communities as outlined within our work skills and enterprise programme. These projects have helped to raise the aspiration, ambition and put in place the quality of life offer to support growth and have led to a substantial increase in commercial land and property values and tangible economic growth. Doncaster experienced considerable economic growth since 2000 over £1.3 billion worth of investment in Doncaster was been invested and it has been projected investment is set to continue at this rate. Employment growth has significantly outstripped regional and national averages and the average earnings gap of Doncaster residents has continued to narrow against our Yorkshire and Humber and national comparators Doncaster Council recognises that high quality greenspace and good access to open space within neighbourhoods can significantly impact on people’s lives, this was integrated throughout our 2002 Greenspace Strategy and this has continued within this refreshed strategy. 3 It has been demonstrated that access to green space can reduce stress and promote well being. This importance is reflected in the fact that parks and open spaces are amongst the most valued features when people are choosing places to live. Doncaster has two Green Flag standard greenspace sites: Cusworth Park and Sandall Beat Woods. This award recognises the quality of the site and also the quality of the conservation and management of these sites. The benefits of good quality and readily accessible greenspace significantly contributes to health, education, economic and environmental benefits. Greenspace provides extensive opportunities for recreation and leisure for the people of Doncaster. There is substantial provision for active and passive recreation, including sports grounds used for formal organised competitive games, places for children to play, opportunities for everyone to exercise, areas and routes for walking or cycling, ponds and lakes for angling, areas for water sports, to areas for events, or simply areas to sit and relax, all of which contribute to people’s physical health and mental well being. The Borough’s woodland and nature conservation areas provide areas where bio-diversity is protected and can flourish. These areas can bring wildlife into the urban areas and provide opportunities for residents to experience nature on their doorstep. Greenspace can help to promote a better understanding and awareness of environmental issues through community participation. Also, greenspace can provide an extensive environmental education resource that can be utilised to provide opportunities for training and work. Doncaster’s recreation grounds and parks are often at the heart of community life and activity, and many sites also play a much wider community social welfare role. Well-designed greenspace makes a positive contribution to the quality of life in our urban areas. It provides an attractive setting for development and in some cases a screen to noise or pollution. Linear parks and route ways such as the Trans Pennine Trail provide major opportunities for sustainable transport corridors, not only for recreational use but also commuter routes. Parks provide areas of historical, landscape, horticultural and conservation value. Greenspaces are valuable assets for the Borough and in Doncaster it is recognised that environmental enhancement and a high quality environment, in which greenspace plays an important part, assists in the economic regeneration of the Borough and makes a major contribution to delivering an urban renaissance, by increasing the attractiveness of Doncaster Borough as a place to invest, live and work. Greenspace provides employment opportunities and there is potential for job creation through the development of greenspace, woodlands and rural diversification. Greenspace can provide substantial leisure opportunities that can attract visitors to the Borough and can generate tourist income. There is a real and unique opportunity to develop green tourism within Doncaster’s boundaries with exceptional greenspace sites such as Thorne and Hatfield Moors, the Don Gorge, Potteric Carr, Denaby Ings and the Trans 4 Pennine Trail. This aspiration to become a major green tourist destination works towards achieving the Borough Vision: “By 2025, Doncaster will be a city of international significance able to attract and retain a growing population with world-class skills in the creative and technological industries that drive the regional economy”. 1.1 What is Greenspace? Greenspace can be defined as referring to green areas that are publicly accessible, which are used for recreational, educational and social purposes and which make a significant contribution to the different landscape in any area. Greenspace includes parks, open/green space amenity sites in and around residential, commercial and industrial developments, sports pitches, children’s play areas, countryside areas, woodlands, long distance green corridors, nature reserves and allotments. 1.2 Why Does The Council Need A Greenspace Strategy? This Greenspace Strategy provides an update compared to the original strategy (published in 2002) will assist the Council, communities and partners to protect and improve the greenspace in our neighbourhoods and the Borough by: Providing a structure that will balance greenspace provision with community needs and aspirations; Helping us to determine planning and development issues: Securing sustainable, well-designed and attractive greenspaces that are safe, easy to reach and are accessible to everyone by following recommendations embodied in the strategy; Using the Action Plan to prioritise improvements to sites; Establishing an accurate impression of the quality and quantity of greenspace; Strengthening community involvement in greenspace provision. 5 2. SNAPSHOT OF DONCASTER’S GREENSPACE Within Doncaster there