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1 Foreword by Councillor Colin Hall
This document is the latest in a number of management plans for our parks, and I am very happy to say that they have helped to maintain and raise the high standards in our flagship parks.
The London Borough of Sutton’s parks make an important contribution to the borough being considered to be one of the greenest urban areas in the country, and in Sutton we are lucky to have nearly 1500 acres (just over 400 hectares) of parks and open spaces borough wide.
Parks are central to people’s quality of life and play a vital role in improving health, providing places for children to play and learn, increasing the economic value of a town, providing space for wildlife and in making our communities safer and stronger.
The 2006/07 Council survey carried out by IPSOS MORI showed that 80% of people in Sutton are satisfied with our parks and open spaces. This tells me how vital and important our parks and open spaces are to the people of Sutton, and that is why we have produced a series of management plans for key parks sites.
The eventual aim for this park is to achieve the nationally recognised Green Flag award for excellence in provision of public parks. At the time of writing this, the Council holds three of these awards for The Grove Park, Cheam Park and Recreation Ground, and Oaks Park. This management plan sets out the actions required to bring this park to that level.
Our vision for Manor Park is to provide a welcoming, high quality open and accessible park, to protect its unique historical character and to provide play facilities which meet the needs of our children and young people.
An important part of producing this plan was extensive consultation with stakeholders, which has helped us to identify the key issues that are important to people and this is reflected in the plan. I would like to thank all those who took part.
Sutton prides itself on its excellent parks and open spaces. I am confident that by implementing this management plan, we can ensure that Manor Park continues to improve and help to raise the profile of Sutton as an excellent borough to live and work in.
Councillor Colin Hall Lead Councillor for the Environment
2 Contents
Where are we now? Introduction …………………pg 4 Purpose of this Management Plan …………………pg 5 Wider Policy Context …………………pg 6 Local Context …………………pg 11 Sutton Parks Service Visions and Objectives …………………pg 12 Site Policies …………………pg 14 Site Description …………………pg 17 Site Facilities …………………pg 21 Staff Resources …………………pg 29 Maintenance Procedures …………………pg 30 The Arboriculture Section …………………pg 33 Key Partners …………………pg 34 Key Events …………………pg 35 Marketing …………………pg 36 Surveys …………………pg 38
Where do we want to get to? Vision for Manor Park …………………pg 41 Assessment and Analysis …………………pg 42 Aims and Objectives …………………pg 44
How will we get there? Action Plans …………………pg 45 Finance and Resources …………………pg 49
How will we know when we have arrived? …………………pg 50
Appendices Appendix 1 London Borough of Sutton Byelaws Appendix 2 Grounds Maintenance Schedule Appendix 3 Site History Appendix 4 Benches Policy Appendix 5 Organisational Structure Appendix 6 Rules and Regulations of Event Hire Appendix 7 Events List 2007/ 2008 Appendix 8 Tree Sponsorship Scheme Appendix 9 Postal Survey Appendix 10 Key Stakeholders Appendix 11 Questionnaire Results Appendix 12 Revenue Expenditure
3 Section 1. Where Are We Now?
Name of site: Manor Park Manor Park Road Sutton Surrey SM1 4AF
What is a management plan? “The primary reason for developing a management Plan is to aid the efficient and effective management of the site ”
A management plan is a tool to look at how the park is managed now, and for gaining consensus on its future management and development. All key stakeholders should be involved in the consultation process in producing the plan, in order to help shape the future management to their expectations. The plan must hold relevant technical information addressing site management and control issues.
The plan presents an opportunity to collate a wealth of information that Sutton’s Park Service possesses about a site into one comprehensive document.
This management plan will allow residents to access information and understand the management of the park. It will allow anyone reading it to assess whether short and medium term objectives have been met.
Author: Dominic Aslangul, Assistant Parks Manager
People responsible for this management plan:
Mark Dalzell Dominic Aslangul Head of Parks and Highways Assistant Parks Manager London Borough of Sutton London Borough of Sutton 24 Denmark Road 24 Denmark Road Carshalton Carshalton SM5 2JG. SM5 2JG
Tel: +44 (020 8770 5070) Tel: +44 (020 8770 5070) Fax: +44 (020 8770 4101) Fax: +44 (020 8770 4101) Email: [email protected] E: [email protected]
Writing Timescale: June 2008 to February 2010 Approved: Adopted: To be reviewed: Provisional March 2015
4 What is the purpose of this management plan? The plan will inform all stakeholders on the management approach of the site and highlight how the local community can work in partnership with the Parks Service to maintain and improve the park.
In writing this management plan, the Parks Service can ensure that all relevant information regarding the site is accessible in one concise document. The plan will provide a framework for decisions to enable management to react proactively and positively to a changing world. This management plan will provide a set of parameters in which the Parks Service can operate within to ensure that opportunities for improvement can be acted on promptly.
This plan will evaluate the quality of data that the Parks Service has on Manor Park, and will encourage discussion about issues facing the park and establish support for a way forward on each issue. It is hoped that this management plan will promote and stimulate interest and support for Manor Park.
Furthermore, the Parks Management team will be able to identify future requirements to further meet the needs of the community. Improvement works will be listed in an action plan, which will help achieve the aims and objectives of the plan.
Monitoring and Review of Management Plan The Manor Park Management Plan will become a working document for the site. With continuous updating, monitoring and review it will become a comprehensive document, which can chart the history of the site as well as providing a vision and a direction for the park. In more practical terms it will provide an action plan for site management and it will provoke a continuous review of working practises and expenditure. SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time -Specific) targets will be set to achieve the aims and objectives of the management plan.
This is the first management plan for Manor Park. It is hoped that by documenting the management of the site, it will provoke discussion on how to effectively allocate resources to maintain and improve the park and recreation ground.
To maintain this document as an effective management tool, it must be updated annually to ensure it continues to reflect the realistic aims of all stakeholders and helps make informed decisions.
5 Wider Policy Context
Sutton Council’s Vision for the Borough
‘To build a community in which all can take part and all can take pride.’
- Manor Park Management Plan can support this vision by providing a management tool for the park that can be reviewed regularly to ensure that the park is meeting the aims and objectives of local, regional and national policies and strategies.
Sutton’s Parks Service and the management of the parks operate within a framework of national, regional and local strategies and policy statements. They directly impact upon the aims and objectives of the London Borough of Sutton, which are reflected in the strategic documents that have been produced. Council strategies and policy statements set out aims and objectives for service delivery, which feed down to more localised strategies for example the Open Spaces Strategy and individual management plans. Listed below are the main documents that directly impact upon Manor Park.
London Borough of Sutton’s Key Corporate Documents
Cultural Strategy / Community Strategy The vision of the Community Strategy is ‘to improve the quality of life for all the people in the London Borough of Sutton, now, and for future generations.’
The Council has developed five Core Values which are set out below and all of which have implications for the development of the Open Space Strategy:
• Working in Partnership with people who live and work in the Borough • Making our services open and accessible so that everyone is listened to and treated with Respect • Seeking Innovative approaches in order to provide better services • Promoting Diversity and ensuring that we recognise and celebrate difference with the context of fairness and equality • Empowering everyone so that we can all ‘take part and take pride’ as active citizens and staff
The strategy states that ‘the work of the Parks Service provides a good example of helping to create active communities.’
The management plan for Manor Park can support this vision by providing a management tool for the park that can be reviewed regularly to ensure that the park is meeting the aims and objectives of local, regional and national policies and strategies.
Open Spaces Strategy The London Plan (GLA, February 2004) states that the London Boroughs should prepare Open Spaces Strategies to understand the supply and demand of open spaces and identify ways of protecting, creating and enhancing them and improving the quality through better management. The 6 five principles of an Open Spaces Strategy as advised by The Greater London Authority Guide to Preparing Open Spaces Strategy are as follows:
§ Protect and improve open space provision in terms of quality / quantity / accessibility and safety.
§ Improve linkages within and between the open spaces network
§ Ensure open spaces meet the needs of all local people and promote greater social inclusion
§ Ensure open spaces enhance the quality of the local environment
§ Provide a clear framework for investment priorities and action
Sutton Strategy and Sutton Plan 2007-2010 The Sutton Strategy is Sutton Partnership’s Community Strategy for 2007- 2010. It sets out a shared vision of bringing together thoughts and ideas identified through a comprehensive programme of consultation and engagement.
The Sutton Partnership comprises the key public sector organisations in the borough, together with a wide range of local voluntary and community groups and businesses.
The Sutton Plan sets out the Council’s key priorities for improvement over the next three years to help achieve the themes which form the centrepiece of the Sutton Strategy:
1. Ensure the council is efficient and effective 2. Develop a cleaner, greener environment 3. Create safer communities 4. Invest in the borough’s children and young people 5. Value the borough’s older people 6. Develop active and inclusive communities 7. Encourage enterprise and employment 8. Improve health and well-being 9. Improve housing
Successful implementation of the plan will bring a wide range of positive outcomes for people who live and work in the borough, across the spectrum of the council’s activities.
Biodiversity Action Plan A biodiversity strategy was developed in 2004 with the aim to conserve, protect and enhance wildlife in the London Borough of Sutton. A Biodiversity Action Plan has therefore been produced to achieve this aim, which includes the setting of measurable targets for priority habitats and species over the next five years.
7 The Action Plan is a culmination of partnership work involving innovative means to incorporate the views of a wide range of partners including statutory and non-statutory organisations and people living in Sutton. The Biodiversity Action Plan (BAO) will achieve its aims by engaging local people, through inspiring and supporting local ownership and local action. It will stimulate, encourage and publicise the many efforts being made at all levels to halt biodiversity decline.
Biodiversity or biological diversity simply means the ‘variety of life’. This includes all life, in its various forms such as animals, plants and fungi. One of the priority habitats is in a park. Priority habitats were selected, as there are national, regional and local habitats at risk, areas important for rare species, as well as culturally valued and characteristic habitats in Sutton.
The Parks Service will encourage a positive attitude to the local environment from individual residents, groups and organisations and encourage the expansion of environmental education.
Sport & Physical Activity Strategy 2005 – 2008 The aim of this strategy is to utilise existing resources more effectively. The management plan supports this by putting in place a maintenance / work plan to maintain and improve identified key facilities to encourage an increase in physical and sporting activity in the borough. This strategy ties in with the Open Spaces Strategy as well as other overarching documents, such as Sutton’s Unitary Development Plan, in its aim to improve recreational facilities to improve the quality of life of residents of the London Borough of Sutton.
Currently, participation rates in sport and physical activity show inequality across a range of indicators including those relating to gender, ethnicity, disability, age and socio-economic status. We must recognise that these inequalities exist and seek to change them. As Sport England put it:
‘Sports equity is about fairness in sport, equality of access, recognising inequalities and taking steps to address them. It is about changing the culture and structure of sport to ensure that it becomes equally accessible to everyone in society’
Barriers to participation include a lack of transport, financial constraints, attitudes and perceptions including peer pressure and inappropriate planning of activities. We will examine these barriers in relation to our current provision and implement measures, which will seek to minimise the effect they have on levels of participation.
Environmental Policy Sutton Council has adopted a set of policies, which reflects its concern for the quality of the local environment and the need to conserve the finite resources of our planet. These policies also establish a proper balance between short- term economic and the longer term environmental needs of our community. Sutton Council is committed to operating a management system called Eco- Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) throughout all Council Groups.
8 This means that the Council implements policies aimed at continuous improvement of environmental performance Borough wide and complies with all relevant environmental requirements including the partnership Local Agenda 21 goals. These policies also ensure that suppliers to the Council recognise and address environmental matters relating to their products and services. The Council aims to prevent, or limit, environmental accidents where possible and contingency procedures are in place to minimise the effects of these if they do happen.
Accreditations
Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) The Eco-Management and Audit Scheme has been voluntarily adopted by the London Borough of Sutton. Its aim is to improve environmental performance within organisations and, with regular monitoring, continuously improve performance. It does this by operating above and beyond the minimum legal compliance.
The London Borough of Sutton produces a public environmental statement that reports on its environmental performance, which is independently audited, to ensure that it is accurate and a reliable record, and that attaining EMAS recognition is acknowledged for true achievement. With regards to the Parks Service, the policy affects the purchase of any products containing timber. These items such as park benches must either carry the Forest Stewardship Council trademark (FSC) or be proven to have been manufactured from timber from sustainable managed supplies. Where possible, recycled products including recycled timber and plastic are used.
Care is also taken when installing children’s play equipment to ensure that it follows these guidelines. When installing safety surfacing, consideration for what happens at the end of the product’s life is taken into consideration and its ability to be recycled.
Minimising waste produce, reducing the energy used and using all resources efficiently can greatly reduce costs, whilst having a positive impact on protecting and enhancing the environment.
EMAS also affects the purchasing of plants and is an effective evaluation tool. The Parks Service wishes to limit the use of peat. Unfortunately the economic viability of requesting plant stock without peat results in no guarantee being provided for the plants. The Parks Service researches the market and aims to put pressure on suppliers, but the economic limitations prevent an outright ban of peat.
The Council Fleet management is currently trialling Bio Diesel and is negotiating with the vehicle owners (the Council has a supply contract with a lease hire firm London Hire). Front Line vehicles are using a 5% mix and other vehicles are using up to 30% mix. The costs of maintenance on vehicles using Bio Diesel are higher.
9 ISO 9001: 2000 – Quality Management System Quality Management System ISO 9001: 2000 is used by organisations to manage their activities and resources to guarantee a quality service. This management system is based on eight quality management principles:
• Customer Focus • Leadership • Involving People • Process Approach • System Approach to management • Continual Improvement • Factual Approach to decision making • Supplier relationship, which benefits both sides.
The Parks Service, including the Parks Grounds Team has achieved this accreditation since October 2005. The Parks Grounds Team previously attained ISO 9001: 2000 in 2003.
Legislation / Legal Compliance The legislation listed below may impact upon the services provided by the Parks Service:
• Health and Safety at Work Act, 1974
• Work undertaken by trained personnel • Using approved methods and equipment approved by the Health and Safety Executive
• Disability Discrimination Act, 1998
• Local Government Act 1972, 1999 (established Best Value Authorities) and 2000 (established promotion of economic, social or environmental well-being);
• Local Government and Rating Act 1997
• Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996
• Environmental Protection Act 1990
• Litter Act 1983
• Open Spaces Act 1906
• Bye-Laws – Following recent changes, these are currently being assessed by the home office (See Appendix 1 for list of bye-laws)
• Alcohol Consumption in Public Places Order 2003 - See Alcohol Exclusion Zone, Page 16
10 Local Context Sutton is an Outer London Borough bordered by London Borough of Merton, London Borough of Croydon, Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and Surrey County. The Borough is approximately 5 miles east to west and 4 miles north to south.
Population The population totals just over 187,600 (in 78,000 households), of which over 37,500 are aged below sixteen. Unemployment is 4.4% compared to Outer London at 5.7% and Greater London at 6.9%. The working population is typical of Outer London Boroughs with over half employed in the service sector, 23% in distribution and catering, 7% in transport and communications, 6% in manufacturing and 7% in construction. 15.2% of Sutton’s population belongs to an ethnic minority group, compared with 29.3% for all Outer London and 31% for Greater London as a whole.
Sutton’s Parks Sutton's parks and open spaces total some 400 Hectares offering picturesque and tranquil escapes from the busy life of this London suburb.
Many parks in Sutton were devastated during the 1987 gales, but through an extensive tree-planting programme, Sutton still remains the most densely tree-covered borough in London.
Many parks offer sporting facilities, from football, rugby and cricket pitches to tennis courts, crazy golf to bowling greens. Parks have even more on offer including cafes, a heritage trail, 11 teenage ball parks, 23 children's playgrounds, organised events, orienteering and a skate park.
11 Sutton Parks Service
Vision To work with our partners to maintain accessible, high quality and sustainable Open Space networks which ensure that the social, environmental and economic benefits of open space are enhanced for current and future generations of our community.
Objectives In order to realise the Vision for Sutton’s Parks, the following four objectives have been established on which the Action Plan has been based:
1. To encourage healthy lifestyles by ensuring there is a network of accessible open spaces which provide a range of sporting and recreational activities including walking, cycling, allotment gardening and observing wildlife 2. To enhance the quality of the open character of the Borough in order to engender pride of place and contribute towards economic prosperity and meet our biodiversity commitments 3. To target existing resources and seek to secure additional funding to ensure sustainable open spaces which offer Sutton’s residents and businesses best value 4. To develop effective working relationships with our Partners to secure the above Objectives
The Parks Service contributes to achieving these corporate objectives by undertaking the annual work programme detailed below:
• Maintaining and enhancing Sutton’s tree stock • Managing and maintaining Bandon Hill and Sutton Cemeteries • Managing and developing the borough’s allotment sites • Maintaining attractive parks and open spaces by effective and efficient use of the Grounds Maintenance Team • Implementing a refurbishment and development programme for Sutton’s parks and park facilities • Completing strategies, revising procedures and updating documentation • Working with partners on joint projects of mutual benefit and interest
12 How Manor Park can benefit the community and help contribute to the Parks Service’s Vision and Objectives
It is important to establish the role of the site and realise the value it has within the borough and the immediate surrounding community:
Recreational Manor Park plays a vital role in providing a venue for physical activity. The playground helps deliver the council’s objectives of encouraging physical activity, which can act as a preventative measure against illness. The facilities also promote child developmental skills of all ages through play, sporting activities and interaction with others.
Cultural The open space offers the opportunity for communities to gather to celebrate the arts and cultural diversity in the local area. The park is a venue for community led events, including a celebration of St George’s Day. Along with the park’s facilities, this provides users with the opportunity to learn and inspire.
Social Manor Park is and will continue to be an attractive meeting point for communities. Located so close to Sutton Town Centre, it is very popular with workers who use the park at lunchtime. The play area contributes to the vision of providing a park that promotes community involvement and community cohesion.
Psychological The varied nature of Manor Park allows individuals to interact with the surrounding environment and other users. The park provides the opportunity to benefit from exercising in an open space, with a greater sense of well- being. Such an environment allows users an escape from the pressures of modern living. Providing a visual break from the suburbs and a chance to relax and reflect on problems can in turn reduce anxiety and stress levels.
Aesthetic The park has ornamental flower and shrub borders within the park which provide seasonal colour. An attractive feature of the park is the water fountain.
13 Policies Relating to Manor Park
1. Parks Security & Locking Policy
This report sets out five new policies relating to the locking of parks in the Borough. It is hoped that by adopting this new approach the Council will be more responsive to local needs and incidents, thus helping park users, neighbouring residents, local partners and the wider community.
Policy 1 - Temporary locking of parks
Policy 2 - Priorities of the Parks Police
Policy 3 - Review of locking arrangements for a park
Policy 4 - Permanent arrangements for securing Parks during the hours of darkness
Policy 5 - Securing vehicle gates, barriers and height restricting barriers.
All gates at Manor Park are secured at dusk by the Council’s Civic Security team.
2. The Manor Park Pesticides and Chemical Use Policy
The London Borough of Sutton’s Parks Service is committed to reducing the use of pesticides and chemicals. In some cases, this is done by evaluating current usage and investigating whether less harmful alternatives, such as mechanical or biological controls can be found. However, chemical use is sometimes still the best option open to the Council, and in these instances, the parks service will ensure that the most appropriate chemical for the task is used and that it is applied to the manufacturer’s guidance, and under the strict legislation, as laid out in the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (CoSHH).
In addition, works are carried out that reduce the need for chemical controls. This might be in the form of regular scarifying and over seeding to reduce weed, moss and fungal infestations on a bowling green.
The pesticides and chemicals which could be used currently within the Manor Park are as follows:
o Glyphosate : a contact, total weed killer used for killing weeds on footpaths and tarmac areas. It can also be used to clear areas of weeds prior to carrying out cultivation works. o Graffiti removers : Various products depending on the type of surface the graffiti is on and the type of paint, marker pen etc. used. o Cleaning Materials : For use in the mess room and toilets
14 3. Recycling Policy Since October 2007, all recyclable litter collected in the park is taken to two separate recycling containers in the Council’s Grounds Maintenance Depot. One container is for glass, and the second is for cans, plastic, cardboard and paper. The Council’s Waste and Recycling Division empty the two containers as and when required.
We are also currently rolling out a project across the Borough’s parks to install separation bins in the children’s playgrounds, including at Manor Park, which will further increase the amount of litter recycled. Consideration will also be given to include the future café area for patrons to use.
Green and woody waste collected in Sutton’s green spaces is chipped either on the site from where it came, or at the Grounds Maintenance Depot, and is rotted down and used as mulch on parks and open spaces around the Borough.
4. Policies aimed at reducing Antisocial Behaviour
Graffiti and Vandalism Policy To rectify graffiti if it is of an offensive or racist nature within 24 hours of being identified / reported to the Parks Service. Other graffiti will be removed at the earliest opportunity, either by on site staff or Council mobile teams (see Grounds Maintenance schedule Appendix 2).
Alcohol Exclusion Zone Manor Park has been added to the Home Office’s list of public sites included in the ban of alcohol consumption. This allows the Metropolitan Police to enforce the removal of alcohol from the site. Alcohol is already banned in the park.
Park Patrols Safer Sutton Partnership Service, the Parks Service and Sutton’s Safer Parks Teams are working together to reduce antisocial behaviour in the park. As part of this initiative, the Metropolitan Police’s Safer Neighbourhoods Team patrol designated wards.
Bi-Weekly Problem-Solving Meetings A problem-solving meeting takes place bi-weekly at Sutton Police Station which a representative from the Parks Service attends, looking at hot spot sites, and what can be done to collectively reduce crime and anti-social behaviour that affects the park, local businesses, and residents. Other attendees include representatives from the Safer Parks Teams, Safer Neighbourhood Teams, the Civic Security (who lock the parks), the Youth Service and the Crime Prevention Office.
15 Site Description
Manor Park Manor Park is situated in Sutton town centre, in close proximity to the High Street. Manor Park has been identified through consultation (by Leisure Net Solutions in 2003/4) as the fourth most visited in the borough, out of 89 parks and open spaces.
Location Map
Transport
Bicycle: The Sutton Cycle Network runs north to south on the east side of the park along Throwley Way, and on the west to east on the south side of the park along Carshalton Road.
Buses: Manor Park is very accessible by London Transport – 14 bus routes in total currently stop outside the park in Throwley Way.
Train: Sutton Station – located at the top of Brighton Road (B2230), as indicated on map.
Car: There is no free car parking within the park. Short term pay and display parking is available in Manor Park Road.
The User Survey Report carried out in December 2004 as part of the Open Spaces Strategy showed that, of 22 people interviewed in Manor Park, 19 walked to site, 2 drove and 1 got the bus.
16 Site Information
Ownership of Land: London Borough of Sutton Land Designation: Public Open Space as stated by Sutton’s Unitary Development Plan and a Local park under the Sutton Open Spaces Strategy
London Planning Advisory Committee (LPAC) designation: Local
Map Reference: X: 526000m, Y: 164200m Grid Reference: TQ260642 Area of Site: 2.33 hectares
Site Quality Rating: (based on Sutton Open Spaces Study survey) Score 76%- Overall quality - Good
Public Rights of Way: There are no public rights of way through Manor Park
17 History The Ordnance Survey Map of 1913 shows that the greater part of the Park was formed from the grounds of three houses which stood along Carshalton Road, and fourth in Manor Park Road. The latter, and largest, was called Manor Park House. The other three houses were The Croshams, which stood next to Manor Park House, Little Russells and the Chestnuts (later Manor Lodge).
In 1914 the Sutton Urban District Council acquired Manor Park House and its grounds (3 acres). The park was opened by Dr. G.H. Hooper, the Chairman of the Urban District Council, on 25th May. The War Memorial Committee then bought the two houses to the east of the park (Croshams and Little Russells), demolished the buildings and erected the war memorial on the site. The Council agreed to accept the memorial on behalf of the town and 'maintain the ground for the benefit of the inhabitants in perpetuity'.
Manor Park House was built around 1870. In the early 1920s it was let to Surrey County Council and was used as a school. Part of the building was used to house Sutton Library from 1937. The library gradually expanded and eventually occupied the whole building, and extensions built on the west and north sides. The house was demolished soon after the completion of the new central library in 1975. For a detailed history of the park, please refer to Appendix 3.
Photo taken c1930 showing bandstand with Manor Park House in the background
Soil Type The underlying geological strata are chalk. A well mixed topsoil overlays the chalk. However, the plant community is influenced by the chalk substrate.
Ecology The Park is formally managed with areas of close mown grass, ornamental trees, some shrub cover and formal flowerbeds comprised of traditional “park” species. In 2006 the Greater London Authority carried out a ten year re- survey of habitats as part of a rolling programme of survey of London’s open space to keep the information on London’s habitats updated. The Park was surveyed and species and habitats identified. The information contributes 18 towards the Boroughs target to monitor trends in the changes to habitats in its parks, and to steer management based on environmental characteristics.
Biodiversity and Habitats Species and habitats found are typical of an early 20 th century park comprising a mix of ornamental and native tree species such as evergreen oak, horse chestnut, tree-of-heaven, London plane, wild cherry, yew and common lime. The presence of box is characteristic of calcareous soils. Typical close-mown amenity grassland flowering plants such as daisy, dove’s foot crane’s-bill, ribwort and greater plantain, selfheal, dandelion and white clover are present. Birds are represented by typical species common to small urban parks including blackbird, pied wagtail, carrion crow, wood pigeons, and flocks of greenfinch, great and blue tits. Dense shrubs provide breeding opportunities and mature trees offer all-year round feeding, roosting and perching habitat for passerines. The grassland developed through the practice of amenity mowing, but a respectable eight species of grass can still be found at the site.
In 2008 the Biodiversity team provided advice to the Parks Department to promote the positive conservation management of the site. It is also an aim of Sutton’s Biodiversity Action Plan to diversify and increase the extent of wildlife habitats within Parks.
Water Gardens Bank Site of Importance for Nature Conservation is 60 metres east of the site. This offers the potential to act as a seed source and ‘stepping stone’ for species of nature conservation interest.
Positive conservation management for biodiversity could include: • Planting native trees of local origin to provide seeds and berries for a wide range of fauna in the north western field to simulate wood pasture; • Adjusting mowing regime to allow a meadow to develop within this area; • Planting spring bulbs of native local origin to add interest; • Erecting house sparrow boxes along parks buildings, provide bird and bat boxes on suitable trees; • Where appropriate to do so, utilising specialist tree pruning methods include rip cuts and coronet cuts to encourage decaying wood habitats.
19 Manor Park Facilities The site plan below shows the defined areas of Manor Park and the location of facilities:
This map is reproduced from Ordnance Survey material with the permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of the controller of Her majesty’s Stationery Office © Crown Copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown Copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. London Borough of Sutton 1000008655X 20 Overview All the historical features of the park, ie the war memorial, the fountain and pond, Manor Park Lodge, and the Crazy Path, are located towards its southern end. In addition, the flower beds and rose beds, the shrub and mixed borders and the playground are also located here.
In contrast, the northern end of the park consists of predominantly open grassland, some trees, and a shrub bed located along its northern most edge.
Signage There is a welcome sign at the entrance from Throwley Way, another sign inside the Greyhound Road entrance, and a further sign at the junction of Carshalton Road and Manor Park Road.
Buildings The Parks Service is reviewing the use of the stock of more than sixty buildings within parks. The intention is to establish which buildings provide essential services for park visitors and which are required for operational purposes. Funding will be targeted at these buildings to ensure they meet visitor expectations, either by refurbishment or replacement. Alternative uses or disposal will be considered for the remaining buildings.
The Council’s Estates and Valuation Team and Construction and Property Team are assisting with this review.
Café A café with public toilets was formerly located by the Throwley Way entrance into the park and remained open until November 2005. The building was demolished in early 2008, having been condemned with dry rot.
In June 2009, it was agreed by the Sutton Local Committee that £116,000 of internal capital funding, and £10,000 of Section 106 funding allocated to the park from the Aspects development in Throwley Way, be used to fund a new café with public toilets in the park. This is due to be built in May 2010, and will subsequently be run on a lease basis to an individual or business. The 21 Council has a fair trade policy in place, and the café would be required to stock six fair trade label items.
Fountain This fountain was presented to the town by Councillor Chas Yates, Chairman of Sutton U.D.C. in1924-5, and is a key focal point for the park. It has recently attracted antisocial behaviour - two years ago, a bottle of detergent was maliciously poured into the pond which killed many fish.
War Memorial The war memorial is of Portland stone and was unveiled by Sir Ralph Forster at a service in June 1921. The plaque contains the following inscription: ‘This sign of the great sacrifice is raised in honour of our heroic dead who gave their lives for England in the Great War. Their name liveth for ever more.’
22 Yard Area Buildings The yard area, which is accessed from Manor Park Road, is closed to the public as it is a working area and risk assessments require the public to be excluded. It consists of four sheds, which are used to store grounds machinery and materials, and a mess room. Behind the yard, there is private parking and a composting area.
Manor Park Lodge This Lodge was sold to the then sitting tenant about 20 years ago. The purchaser was also given access rights through the parks depot to a parking space at the rear of the house.
The archives store attached to the Lodge (see photo below with Manor Park Lodge in the background) has the character of a small chapel, and is structurally a wing of Manor Park Lodge. It was not included in the above sale and is therefore owned by the Council and is currently used to store archives. The adjacent lean-to shed (in the right corner of the photo below), also owned by the Council, currently houses the market pitches for the market traders in Sutton High Street.
23 Garage Located further down Manor Park Road, the park’s recycling containers are stored here. In addition, all the black bags of waste collected in the park are kept here until they are picked up by the mobile litter gang.
The Children’s Playground “Play is an essential part of every child’s life and vital to the processes of human development. It provides the mechanism for children to explore the world around them and the medium through which skills are developed and practised e.g. physical & emotional growth, intellectual & educational development, social & behavioural skills” – RoSPA
In 2008, the playground was extended and is now twice its former size. The new area contains a set of junior swings, a roundabout and three picnic tables.
The playground is designed for children of all abilities, between the ages of 3 and 12. The equipment falls into two categories: infant and junior. The play area includes swings, slides, a climbing frame, rotational items and springers.
The Manor Park playground is designated as a ‘Borough Playground’ as it attracts people from a wider area and provides a larger and more varied range of equipment for all ages and abilities. The playground equipment and surfacing has an anticipated life expectancy from the date of manufacture. This generally varies between 10 – 15 years for equipment and 8 –12 years for surfacing.
Various factors affect the life expectancy of the equipment, for example, vandalism, poor installation, over use, site conditions. Because of these variable factors, a regular (usually annual) safety inspection is carried out by a RoSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) accredited inspector. The information from this report is fed into the Parks Service business plan, which helps determine which playground should be refurbished, providing funding is available.
24 Sensory Garden There is a bed within the playground which contains various sensory plants, including lavender, scabious, chives, catmint, lemon balm and the curry plant.
Planted Beds There are spring and summer seasonal bedding displays, rose beds and large mixed shrub and herbaceous borders in Manor Park. In recent years, the beds at the south end of the park have been greatly enhanced each year with additional planting. The photo below shows one of these beds:
At the northern end of the park, the shrub borders are dry and shady due to the amount of overhanging vegetation from the trees above. Geraniums were planted in the borders here last year with mixed success.
25 Hedging In recent years, yew hedging has been planted adjacent to the bow top railings located approximately 20 metres to the north of the pond and fountain. Further to the east of the park, Pyracantha hedging has been planted alongside the fence to the north of the playground and on both sides of the fence to the north of the adjacent car park extension. These boundary fences and hedges effectively divide the northern end of the park from the southern end, with one central pathway providing access between the two.
Grassland Areas In the park, the grass is mainly composed of short mown grass and a variety of mature ornamental trees.
A view of the south end of the park looking west from one of the beds around the fountain
The Crazy Path This is aligned more or less east - west in the position shown on the plan. As the name suggests the path is of crazy paving, which is edged with overburnt brick and some concrete. A second path to the south incorporates a rounded area which was the site of a seat no longer present.
The southern side of the area is bounded by a wall of rough granite blocks with brick piers as shown in the photo overleaf. Many years ago, climbers grew up the trellis panels which were fitted between each of the brick piers. The trellis panels have long since gone. Unfortunately, in recent years, many of the brick piers have been pushed over by vandals.
26
The Crazy Path
Footpaths Many footpaths run through the park. They are mostly level and have a smooth surface of tarmac. They are suitable for disabled access and those with restricted mobility.
Dog Bins Since the introduction of The Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996, it has become an offence not to clean up after your dog.
The 4 dog bins in the park and the park are emptied on a regular basis.
Litter Bins There are currently 20 bins in the park
Benches There are currently 23 benches in the park. These are mostly older, wooden benches, but also some ‘Evergreen’ benches made from recycled plastic which are now the standard type used in the Borough’s parks and open spaces. Sutton, like many other boroughs, offers a service where members of the public can purchase a bench to be sited in one of the Borough’s Parks. See Appendix 4 for more details.
27 Staff Resources
Office Based Staff The Assistant Parks Manager has operational responsibility for Manor Park. This includes specific responsibility for the Grounds Maintenance Team. The Manager is supported by a Senior Parks Supervisor and two Parks Supervisors. For organisational chart please see Appendix 5.
Onsite Staff The maintenance of the park is carried out by the Parks Service Grounds Team.
The park currently has one full time on-site Grounds Maintenance operative, a Grade 5 Head Gardener.
There are also tasks that are carried out by mobile grounds maintenance teams such as ride-on grass mowing and graffiti removal.
This method of working gives the flexibility needed to maintain standards and to deal with unforeseen problems that can occur in a busy park.
Leisure Link is a customer focused booking and administration service that can be used by any resident or person wishing to participate at or book a variety of leisure services, events or facilities across the borough.
Appendix 6 shows the Rules and Regulations of Park Event Hire. Appendix 7 shows the list of events for 2007 and 2008.
28 The Maintenance Procedures of Manor Park
Playground Health & Safety Inspections On site staff carry out a daily visual inspection of the play equipment looking for litter or glass as well as any obvious faults with the equipment. They also carry out a more detailed and documented monthly inspection, which covers wear and tear to the play items. A form is filled in and sent to the Parks Service Technical Assistant who compiles the forms and issues any repair work required, to the maintenance contractor.
The Parks Service is responsible for the health and safety standards of the play area. As part of a health and safety inspection regime, LBS follows RoSPA’s (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) recommendations.
Frequency of Type of Who conducts Inspection Inspection the Inspection Daily Inspections Visual inspection Parks Grounds & litter clearance Team Monthly Nuts & bolts Parks Grounds Inspection check, e.g. Team identify swing chain wear. Quarterly Conditional report Technical Inspection as above, but to Assistant (play) include checks on attenuation of safety surface (IAS) Annual Inspection As above, but to To be carried out include by a RoSPA compliance with accredited European Safety inspector & Standard EN1176 member of the & EN1177. Register of Play Safety Inspectors
When a RoSPA approved inspector annually inspects a site, a written report is produced, which is held on file for 20 years. Each fault is given a risk categorised as low, medium or high. These faults are then acted upon depending on the risk.
Level of Risk Action Timescale High Immediately Medium 1 to 6 weeks Low As and when resources allow / Monitor for further deterioration
29 Grounds Maintenance Operations (For further details see Appendix 2)
Locking and Unlocking The on-site Grounds Maintenance staff open the first park pedestrian gates no later than 07:30am. The Civic Security lock all gates at dusk.
Grass Cutting Ride-on mowing on the larger areas is carried out approximately every two weeks between March and October. Other grass is cut with smaller machinery and at the same frequencies. The aim to complete all the grass mowing in each area within 24 hours to give a tidy finished appearance.
Shrub Beds To be kept weed free at all times. Operations also include winter pruning and mulching with woodchip produced within the Borough, and pruning back of any shrub material through out the year if it starts to grow across any path or causes an obstruction.
Hedge Cutting All hedges are cut twice per year in June and September, and a check is made for nesting birds before cutting.
Flowerbeds Summer bedding is planted in June and spring bedding is planted in October. Officers of the Parks Service design the planting schemes. Flowerbeds are weeded and deadheaded as required. Appendix 2 shows the annual work programme for bed maintenance.
Litter Picking, and Litter Bin / Dog Bin Emptying Litter picking and bin emptying are carried out daily. On-site litter recycling has recently been introduced. Recyclable litter is sorted into two Euro bins which are kept on site - one stores the glass, the other stores the card, paper, cans, etc.
Sweeping Apart from general litter picking and any build up of detritus which will be dealt with during litter picking, the path areas in the parks are swept using a mechanical sweeper five times per year: February, April, June, October, December. Spraying of hard standing areas is usually carried out twice yearly.
Leaf Raking This operation takes place between November and January each year. All areas are cleared at least once but busy paths are kept free from accumulations by more frequent sweeping.
Graffiti Cleaning The Borough aims to remove all graffiti within 3 days of it being reported (See Service Standards). It is either cleaned off or painted over. If the graffiti is racist or abusive it is removed within 24 hours. Larger items of graffiti on walls are dealt with using a Jet Sprayer, which is located in the Grounds Team’s Depot at Cheam. 30 Fountain The pond is currently well-stocked with fish. The pond has to be topped up regularly as it has a leak. The Parks Service needs to seek funding to drain and re-line it. The fountain is scrubbed annually and the hard standing area around the outside of the pond is kept weed-free.
Disposal of Rubbish Rubbish from Manor Park and any green waste contaminated with litter is collected from the site by mobile gangs along with rubbish from other sites and deposited at Sita UK, Benedict Wharf, Mitcham, Surrey.
The main part of the green and woody waste is chipped either on site or at the Grounds Maintenance depot, and is rotted down and used as mulch on parks sites around the borough.
The Euro bins containing the recyclable litter are emptied free of charge on a weekly basis by lorries working for the Waste Management Dept.
War Memorial Specialist contractors employed by Democratic Services maintain the memorial.
31 The Arboriculture Section
The Arboricultural Section of the Parks Service Trees in Manor Park are inspected and maintained as part of the Council’s four-year cyclical management programme. Tree planting to replace losses is undertaken within the limits of available budgets, or when members of the public offer to sponsor the planting of a tree on the site.
The Arboricultural and Woodlands team along with the Council’s Arboricultural Contractor maintain all trees in Manor Park. Trees are inspected once every four years unless a problem is identified. Inspections take the form of a visual assessment of the mechanical and biological features of the tree. Necessary works are undertaken based on risk assessment and good practice.
Any decisions regarding the planting of new stock are made in conjunction with the Assistant Parks Manager. The planting of new trees is in keeping with existing surroundings and landscapes. This site has been heavily planted over the years and the original landscape and density of planting has rarely been taken into consideration. Sponsored trees are now only planted where there is a need.
A borough wide Tree Policy and strategy was published in 2009.
Gristwood Toms & Sons has held the Borough’s tree maintenance contract since April 2008. LBS monitors the contract by conducting borough wide inspections on pruning and general maintenance to ensure standards are met.
Due to budgetary constraints, the management approach is from a health and safety perspective. Works are conducted to ensure that hazardous trees are inspected and pruned accordingly. Each ward in the borough is surveyed and pruned on a four-year cyclical programme, which is continuously monitored by the Arboriculture and Woodlands Team.
Tree Sponsorship Scheme Similar to the Sponsored Bench Scheme, Sutton offers a service where members of the public can sponsor a tree to be sited in one of the Borough’s Parks. The Parks Service decides upon the location and the type of tree to be used, to ensure that all planting is in keeping with its surroundings. See Appendix 8 for more details.
32 Manor Park’s Key Partners
• Safer Sutton Partnership Service Sutton, in partnership with the Metropolitan Police, is the first Council in the country to integrate its community safety staff with local police under a single management structure. Headed by the local Police Superintendent, it brings together everyone involved in community safety, from both police and the Council, to form a single unit for the benefit of local people.
More than 60 council staff and police officers are located in Sutton Police Station. The teams working together include police safer neighbourhood teams, drug and alcohol abuse services, neighbourhood wardens, parks police, domestic violence services, police community support officers, special constables, police volunteers, schools, youth crime and truancy liaison officers.
• Safer Neighbourhood Teams There are 18 Safer Neighbourhoods Teams and a Town Centre Neighbourhood Team in the Borough. Safer Neighbourhoods is about local policing, police and partners working with residents to identify and tackle issues of concern in neighbourhood wards.
Each team is normally made up of six police and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs). Their aim is to listen and talk to residents, and find out what affects their daily life and feelings of security. These might be issues such as anti-social behaviour, graffiti, noisy neighbourhoods, yobs or vandalism.
• Safer Parks Teams Two dedicated Safer Parks Teams were set up in Summer 2007 to replace the old Parks Police Service. There are now 12 officers dedicated to parks policing compared to the previous seven. They run along the same lines as the Safer Neighbourhoods Teams each consisting of one sergeant, two police constables and three Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs). The teams work closely with the Police Safer Neighbourhood Teams and operational policing units giving effective 24-hour cover of all parks and open spaces.
• Sutton Town Centre Partnership The Assistant Parks Manager is a member of the Town Centre Transport Access Environment Group, which discusses environmental issues relating to the Town Centre, including the park. A key part of the renewal of the town centre, which commenced in 2009, is to encourage visitors to the town centre to use the park. As part of this, the appearance of Throwley Road will be greatly enhanced. Works will include the laying of a new, self-binding gravel surface between the Millennium Gardens and Manor Park, a green wall on the side of the Wilkinson’s shop, and new street furniture.
33 Key Community Events in the Park
Move it in the Manor For the last three years, Smarter Travel Sutton has held a large one-day event in July called ‘Move It at the Manor’. The event is organised by Smarter Travel Sutton, a partnership between Transport for London and Sutton Council. The theme of the event is sustainable travel and focuses primarily on walking, cycling and public transport. The event has been deemed a great success on each occasion, and has attracted up to 10,000 visitors every year. The following activities took place in 2009:
• Live music • A daredevil bike show • Photo exhibition • Giant snakes and ladders game • Children's arts corner • Fun for kids- bouncy castle, face painters and balloon twisters! • Exciting competitions for the whole family - bike lock challenge, cycle challenge, cycle obstacle course and distance challenge • Smartwater- free security marking for your bike • Farmers market
Marketing The Parks Service provides relevant information on Manor Park through various media, including leaflets (see below), web pages and articles that are regularly published in the residents’ magazine, Sutton Scene.
It is the Parks Service’s current practice to publish all information on the London Borough of Sutton’s website, as it is thought that this is the most cost effective and environmentally sustainable approach. Through publishing Parks Service information on the internet, it meets the Local e-Government Programme, which aims to support local government in its aim of achieving electronic delivery of services in ways which put the customer first. The Communications Team has recently completely re-designed Sutton’s website to make it more user friendly, and it is being updated constantly to ensure that
34 the information contained within it is accurate, comprehensive and relevant. The Parks Service Homepage is shown overleaf.
There is no marketing budget for the Parks Service, however the Service’s aim is to make all information it publishes user friendly. Also, any leaflets which may be produced in the future will be published on the internet to download and print.
In addition, the Parks Service maintains a micro site which contains contact details and location maps of each park facility in the borough along with information on the Arboricultural Team and other frontline services that the Parks Service provides.
The Parks Service Homepage
An annual marketing plan is not produced for the Parks Service. Instead there is a procedure that all parks staff follows. If there is an upcoming event, then the information is submitted to the Council’s Event Database where all the information is available online.
In the event of any parks improvements or new initiatives, the projects manager for that particular piece of work will submit a press release to the Council’s Communications Team who then issues it to local newspapers and the Council’s own publication, Sutton Scene, as well as posting the release on the Internet.
Information within the park is limited to the welcome signs and fingerposts, as other types of information are not practicable to display in the park.
35 Other Information available:
Service Standards Leaflet Parks web pages (www.sutton.gov.uk)
London in Bloom Each year London in Bloom invites all London Boroughs to enter the annual competition. It is run by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), and is a Borough-wide assessment of floral displays, permanent plantings, the environment and sustainable development, the cleanliness and presentation of the local environment, and also looks at how the community is involved in contributing towards the appearance of the Borough. It covers everything from parks to business frontages, from roundabouts to residential areas, nature areas to schools. (For further information see http://www.londoninbloom.com)
Manor Park is often shown to London In Bloom judges in support of the borough’s London in Bloom entry. The Parks Service won a Silver Gilt Award in the 2009 competition, its best result in nearly twenty years.
Each Borough also runs its own annual competition supported by the local communities with the best entries going forward to London in Bloom.
Photo of a rose bed and flowerbed in Manor Park located near to the War Memorial
36 Surveys As with any public service, it is a necessity to understand the users of Manor Park. Without this information, the management team cannot set aims and objectives for the site’s improvement.
User and non-user research is essential to gain the views of people who already visit the park as they can voice local and site-specific information. Non-user data is equally important to discover why people do not access green and open spaces. Endemic problems, such as the fear of crime, may contribute to non-use. These would therefore need to be addressed to encourage people into parks.
SURVEY RESULTS
1. Manor Park Postal Survey 2008
In April 2008, 1704 questionnaires in total were sent out to local residents in the vicinity of the park. Appendix 9 shows a copy of the questionnaire distributed. 400 were sent to businesses in Sutton Town Centre, 30 were sent to key stakeholders (see Appendix 10), and a further 20 were distributed in the park itself.
A total of 279 questionnaires, returned by Friday 9 th May, were included in the results. This represents an overall response rate of 13%. The questionnaire results are shown in Appendix 11.
Results Summary A majority of park users visit the park at least two or three times a week, with most spending less than an hour in the park, particularly in the winter. Most visitors either walk or jog to the park and their journeys take 10 minutes or less.
Only 14% of respondents said that they feel unsafe when using the park, and a similar percentage said that they feel less safe than one year ago. By far the most common reason given for feeling unsafe is the presence and/ or the behaviour of youths. Meanwhile, the most common reasons given for feeling safe are that the park is busy, close to the police station, its openness, and the visibility of patrols.
The main reasons for visiting the park are to take a short cut, to walk and get some fresh air, to sit and relax, to use the play area or to accompany children.
The views of the physical appearance of the park, the standards of maintenance and the infrastructure are mostly very positive, and over 80% of visitors feel that, overall, the park is either very good or fairly good. However, over 20% of users felt that the seating was either poor or very poor, and a similar number felt the same way about the park security. People view litter collection as by far the most important aspect of the park, with park security, litterbins and dog bins also a high priority. Meanwhile, only 19.5% felt that the information and signage was a high priority.
37 Only a small percentage of respondents have made a complaint to the Parks Service about the park, and of these, a majority have had the problem resolved to their satisfaction.
68% of respondents would like to see more events in the park. The most popular suggestions for improvements in the park were for a new café, more police/ security presence, provision of toilets, more events, more seating, and improvements to the condition/ appearance of the fountain. Concerns about youths behaving badly/ hanging around/ drinking were again raised in the additional comments box, along with their presence in the play area. A number of people also suggested that more youth facilities such as a shelter, or youth activities should be provided. Concerns about schoolchildren playing football in the park at lunchtime were also raised.
Finally, 43 people expressed an interest in joining a Friends Group for the park.
2. Market & Opinion Research International (MORI) Interviews were carried out face-to-face, in the home between 20 June and 12 August 2005, and at randomly selected sampling points across the borough. MORI interviewed 1,013 residents aged 16+.
Within each sampling point, quotas were set for gender, age and working status using 2001 Census data to reflect the population profile. The data has been weighted at the analysis stage by gender and age to Sutton Residents 2005 for London Borough of Sutton.
The Sutton Residents’ Survey 2005 The Parks Service monitors all data that is collected and collated by the Corporate Centre and, where possible, it feeds into the decision making process.
How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the quality of the following services? (Scored highly on services that were most important to residents.)
Year Satisfied Dissatisfied Parks & 2005 % 76 12 Open Spaces 2003 % 73 13
In 2005, 76% of Sutton’s residents stated that they were satisfied with the quality of service in parks and open spaces. Although the Parks Service has suffered declining budgets in recent years, its aim is to maintain existing standards and programme improvements in Manor Park where budgets permit. In general terms, this satisfaction rating is in line with other local authorities.
In addition, parks and open spaces were rated as joint highest of all council services as most benefiting the residents of Sutton. Recycling also received a 72% rating.
38 3. Leisure Net Solutions Ltd Survey
Methodology Leisure Net Solutions Ltd conducted a survey relating to parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Sutton in March 2004. They carried out face-to-face interviews in Sutton High Street with a sample of 660 people, of which 385 people were park users and 275 non-users.
In terms of the demographics of the sample, more women participated in the survey than men (55% against 44%) and there was good representation from all age groups. 7% of respondents indicated that they had a significant disability. Over 90% of the sample described their ethnicity as White British, 2% White Irish, 3% White other, 1% Black British or Black African, and 1% Asian or Asian British, Indian and other.
From the sample, 58% of respondents were park users, while 42% were non- users of parks. The most frequently used parks are shown in the table below:
Parks or Open Space Respondents Using site (%) Beddington park 29 Cheam Park 11 The Grove Park 9 Manor park 7 Oaks Park 5 Collingwood Rec 4 Rosehill Park 3 Roundshaw Park, Down & Playing 2 Fields The Grange 2 Don’t know which one 2 Cuddington Rec 1 Poulter park 1 St Helier Open Space 1 Other, please specify 22
The table shows that Manor Park was rated as the fourth most frequently visited park in the borough (11%). The main reasons given for visiting London Borough of Sutton’s parks were:
§ Children’s Play § Walk § Exercise the Dog § Relax
39 Section 2. Ambitions and Expectations - Where Do We Want To Get To? a) Parks Service’s Vision for Manor Park
To provide a welcoming, high quality open and accessible park, to protect the unique historical character, and to provide play facilities which meet the needs of our children and young people.
The Parks Service can realise this vision by:
- Providing high standards of cleanliness and horticulture - Improving the standard and maintenance of the floral displays - Providing high quality play facilities for children - Reducing the environmental impact of the park’s maintenance - Providing facilities relevant to today’s park visitors - Reviewing the current provision of buildings, and improving the condition and maintenance of those which are retained - Promoting the site’s heritage - Promoting biodiversity
40 b) Assessment and Analysis
(i) SWOT Analysis
Strengths Weaknesses
• Accessible to local population • No Friends Group • In the heart of Sutton, close to the High • Not actively encouraging biodiversity St • Insufficient budget for a comprehensive • Good quality park maintenance and refurbishment • Well liked programme. • Good standard and range of playground • The area surrounding the former café is equipment unsightly and needs to be re- • Playground extended significantly in landscaped 2008. • Lack of funding for infrastructure and • Historical Interest (Heritage) maintenance, especially paths. • On site staff • Increase in potential risks to parks • S106 monies recently secured for park visitors due to lack of maintenance. improvements • Limited range of facilities/ interests on • Funding secured to build new café and site toilets in the park in 2010. • No refreshments or toilets have been • Sensory garden in playground provides provided on site since the café building added interest for visitors. closed in 2005. • No parking on site • No free parking in surrounding area • Antisocial behaviour in evenings.
Opportunities Threats
• Apply for external funding • Lack of funding to maintain present • Look for further section 106 standards opportunities • Overall pressure on Parks Service - • Further enhancing flower and shrub budgets may have an effect on this site beds (visually striking) • Revamp or restore existing planted areas. • Greater emphasis could be made on historic past of site • Renewal of Sutton Town Centre – enhancements to Throwley Road opposite the Throwley Way entrance into the park should encourage more people to visit the park.
41 (ii) Site Issues
Sport & Recreation Manor Park provides opportunities for children’s activities in the playground. It also provides for all residents to participate in walking and an opportunity to enjoy the open space. It is felt that the current provision meets the needs of the local community and to develop it further would compromise the balance of the park for the users.
Management Manor Park is managed by the Parks Service as one of over eighty parks and open spaces within the borough. Although it is given a higher status as it has recognised strategic significance, it is funded from a pooled budget for all parks, and financial resources are limited.
With regard to day-to-day management, including staff, machinery and daily duties, there is little scope to increase revenue budgets. This is bound to impact on the improvement of the overall service. While prioritising works gives opportunity to improve some services, it is always to the detriment of other works.
Visitor & Community Needs Manor Park is identified within the Open Spaces Strategy as a site of local significance. This designation is given because the park has a range of facilities that attract visitors from a local catchment area. It is, and will continue to be, a positive talking point for communities.
The playground provides a range of equipment for all ages. It acts as a focus point for the community, and is regarded as a safe and welcoming place. Ornamental flower and shrub borders within the park provide seasonal colour. A range of mature specimen trees provides screening from the built environment and also provides the opportunity to experience nature.
The well-kept nature of Manor Park allows individuals to interact with the surrounding environment and other users. The park provides a peaceful and varied environment to exercise, relax and socialise.
The Parks Service has a good relationship with the local community and is aware and responsive to its needs. The management team recognises that the park should remain clean and safe, to maintain the equilibrium that currently exists for all users. Any future improvements to the park should be analysed to see how they impact upon the park user groups.
In the comprehensive park survey carried out in April 2008, 43 people expressed an interest in joining a ‘Friends of Manor Park’ group. These people were invited to a start-up meeting in October 2008, however due to a lack of interest, the meeting was cancelled.
42 c) Aims and Objectives for Manor Park
Aims • To provide and maintain a high quality, accessible and sustainable site which enhances the environment and quality of life for the community
• To maintain the site as a Local Park (LBS Rating) and to recognise that it has a catchment area predominantly for local people
• To move towards a more planned approach to parks management
• To ensure that the park reflects the needs of its users and the surrounding community, and to ensure this continues
• To continue the use of surveys and regular communication with local partners
Objectives § To produce a maintenance and development plan for Manor Park
§ To enhance and develop the character of the park and recreation ground, and to provide facilities and services of a suitable standard that encourage use by the local community
§ To continue to work closely with Sutton Police’s Crime Prevention Office and the Safer Parks Teams to address antisocial behaviour problems
§ To remove graffiti promptly from the playground to improve its aesthetic appearance for visitors
§ To continue to seek ways of making the children’s playground more accessible as well as more interesting for children or parents with disabilities.
§ To develop strong links between all Council sections and other partner organisations with an interest in increasing opportunities for a diverse flora and fauna
43 Section 3. How Will We Get There? a) (i) Residents’ Consultation Action Plan
The comments within the table below are the 30 most commonly suggested improvements which respondents gave in Question 14 of the postal survey conducted in April 2008. If the comments are actionable by the Parks Service, they are transferred to the action plan.
Is this going to be carried over Suggested improvement Action to the Action Plan? The former café was demolished in early 2008. Budget New café Yes constraint. External funding to be sought.
No provision since the café was condemned and Provision of toilets subsequently demolished. Budget constraint. External Yes
funding to be sought.
Manor Park is located adjacent to the Sutton Police Station. The Safer Parks Teams and Safer Neighbourhood Teams patrol this park. There is one More police/ security presence No full-time park keeper sited here. Gates are locked at night. There are no plans for the current policing arrangements to change.
Teenagers behaving See above action. No plans for current policing No badly/drinking/gangs arrangements to change.
One large event currently held each year in the More events Yes summer.
Review the current locations and look for gaps in More seating Yes provision.
Improve condition/ appearance of Look at ways to improve fountain, including pond Yes fountain No persons aged 14 or over are permitted to use the Concern about teenagers in play play area, as stated in the parks bye-laws. Safer Parks Yes area Teams responsible for enforcing the bye-laws. Put up signs. No lighting currently provided in the park. The park is locked between dusk and dawn, and there are no plans Poor lighting/ more lighting to review the current park locking arrangement. Two No years ago, all overgrown vegetation was substantially reduced in order to improve visibility.
Since the survey was conducted, the play area has More play equipment/ replace doubled in size, with the provision of four new swings Yes existing and a roundabout.
Concern about school lunchtime The school ensures that pupils using the park pick up No football/ unsupervised/ rubbish their litter at the end of lunchtime.
More teenage activities/ shelter No youth facilities/ activities currently provided Yes
44 Is this going to be carried over Suggested improvement Action to the Action Plan?
Safer Parks Teams, Safer Neighbourhood Teams and Restrain dogs/ dogs out of control the dog warden employed by LBS are responsible for No
enforcing byelaws relating to dogs.
Park is litter picked two or three times a day by the park Litter in play area/park Yes keeper.
Procedures in place to remove graffiti within 3 days of Concern over reporting, same day if offensive. Broken glass is No vandalism/graffiti/broken glass removed on a daily basis by the park keeper. No persons aged 14 or over are permitted to use the Maximum age sign play area play area, as stated in the parks bye-laws. Safer Parks Yes Teams responsible for enforcing the bye-laws. Consider putting sign up in play area stating this. Three new picnic tables are due to be installed in the Provision of picnic area/ tables play area extension in March 2010. Review the current Yes
locations and look for gaps in provision.
Improve path condition/ edgings Budget constraint. Some paths resurfaced in 2007. Yes
No budget provision to provide CCTV i n parks and open CCTV spaces. Policing arrangements in place to deal with No security issues.
Safer Parks Teams, Safer Neighbourhood Teams and Concern about dog fouling the dog warden employed by LBS are responsible for Yes enforcing byelaws relating to dogs.
Welcome signs recently erected at the Greyhound Rd Improve signage No and Throwley Way entrances.
Grass area used as a desire line between Throwley Way entrance and bottom section of park renovated in Poor condition of grass Yes Spring 2008. Lawn in southern section of the park given a feed treatment in Spring 2009.
Ball games are permitted in the park. The playground Restrict ball games No is free from ball games.
Review the current locations and look for gaps in More litter bins Yes provision.
Substantial additional planting incorporated into the More shrubs/ flowers Yes shrub borders at the Carshalton Rd end in 2007.
All new playground signs will ask users to not smoke in Yes No smoking in play area here. This will be on a voluntary basis as it is not
enforceable. No such activities currently provided in the park. Speak Artwork/ sculpture/ crafts Yes with Heritage Section.
Dog free area The playground is dog free. No
Former café area currently fenced off. Decision needs Improve Throwley Way entrance to be made on what this area should be used for in Yes (former café) future. Maintenance problems associated with sandpits, Sandpit particularly removal of broken glass. Consequently, No there are no plans to provide a sandpit in this park. 45 a) (ii) The Manor Park Action Plan This section sets out the actions that are required over the next five years based upon the information gathered from various sources including consultations shown within this plan.
Timescale for Action Required Responsibility Work Status Funding Source Completion
Construction £126,000 of Build a new café with public toilets 2010/11 and Property Outstanding internal capital Team funding secured Hold one event in the park – Move It at Smarter Travel 2009 Complete Revenue the Manor - in July 2009. Sutton
Supply and install 7 new benches to Revenue or When funds allow Technical Team Outstanding replace existing dilapidated ones. Capital
Clean up the fountain 2009/10 Grounds Team Complete Revenue
Put biological control in pond to clear 2009/10 Grounds Team Outstanding Revenue algae.
Safer Parks Teams to attend training in Safer Sutton order to enforce dog fouling and littering 2009 Partnership Complete SSP in the park. (SSP)
Enhance appearance around pond – When funds allow Technical Team Outstanding Revenue or paint railings black and add finials. Capital Renovate existing mixed beds around pond, replacing with box hedging and 2009/10 Grounds Team Complete Revenue herbaceous plants. Playground - upgrade safety surfacing in Capital or When funds allow Technical Team Outstanding original section. Revenue Discuss options for providing youth Parks facilities in the park with local When funds allow Outstanding Capital Management councillors, and seek funding.
Provide 4 more litter bins and review When funds allow Technical Team Outstanding Revenue locations. Funding to be sought.
Erect new signage in playground, stating that no persons aged 14 or over are 2009 Technical Team Complete Capital permitted, and to request that persons do not smoke. Increase the number of picnic tables. Three new picnic tables to be installed in 2009/10 Technical Team Outstanding Capital March 2010.
Resurface all dilapidated tarmac paths. Capital or When funds allow Technical Team Outstanding External funding to be sought. Revenue
Assistant Parks Insert police contact numbers on new Capital or When funds allow Manager / Safer Outstanding parks entrance signs. Revenue Parks Team
46 Timescale for Action Required Responsibility Work Status Completion Funding Source
Remove large area of tarmac where old Capital or library car park was, and replace with a When funds allow Technical Team Outstanding Revenue new shrub/herbaceous border/ lawn.
Resurface vehicular entrance by former library car park area or remove existing Capital or tarmac and replace with grass and When funds allow Technical Team Outstanding Revenue shrubs.
The paved area inside the pedestrian gate on Manor Park Road needs Capital or removing and area surfaced with tarmac When funds allow Technical Team Outstanding Revenue or mulched with bark chippings. Funding to be sought. Heritage Section to look into the Herit age Team/ possibility of holding an 2010/11 Parks Outstanding Revenue arts/crafts/sculpture event in the park. Management Introduce new flower beds around war 2009/10 Grounds Team Complete Revenue memorial. Paint perimeter railings along Manor Park Road and Greyhound Road. Funding to be sought. Alternatively, put When funds allow Technical Team Outstanding Revenue forward as a Community Payback scheme.
Repair the walls of the old bays in the parking area behind garages. Construct Capital or new composting bays using railway When funds allow Technical Team Outstanding Revenue sleepers.
Replace downpipes in parking area and When funds allow Technical Team Outstanding Revenue paint all pipes black. Install pcc edging along right hand side of path leading into centre of park from When funds allow Technical Team Outstanding Revenue Manor Park Rd entrance.
Inside the pedestrian gate entrance on the Manor Park Road side, remove top end of first path beyond the benches Capital or When funds allow Technical Team Outstanding adjacent to large shrub beds, and Revenue remove the second path completely.
New planter to replace existing near play Capital or area. When funds allow Technical Team Outstanding Revenue
Soil up edges of paths to bring up levels to in line with kerbs. When funds allow Grounds Team Outstanding Revenue
Repair brick pillars which are original feature of the park and install new sturdy Capital or When funds allow Technical Team Outstanding trellising, or remove and put to lawn. Revenue
Create new meadow area at the 2010 Grounds Team Outstanding Revenue northern end of the park.
47 b) Finance & Resources
• Overall Financial Management of the Site The park is maintained to a good standard and provides for a variety of visitors’ needs. Its central location in Sutton increases the likelihood of S106 funding from building developments.
• Current Financial Resources Available
(i) Expenditure Although financially the management of all parks is from centralised Parks Service budgets, some calculations on cost can be worked out, and these can be found in Appendix 12: Revenue Expenditure.
(ii) Income Currently no income is generated from this site. This situation is unlikely to change until the new café has been built and leased out to a suitable tenant.
• Sources of Funding As there is currently insufficient funding available within the Council’s budgets to achieve all the actions set out in the work plan, alternative sources of funding will need to be found.
In June 2009, it was agreed by the Sutton Local Committee that £116,000 of internal capital funding, and £10,000 of Section 106 funding allocated to the park from the Aspects development in Throwley Way, would be used to help fund a new café with public toilets in the park. This is due to be built in May 2010, and will subsequently be run on a lease basis to an individual or business, which will generate income for the park.
£3.35million of ‘Public Realm’ funds (made up of capital and S106 monies) has become available between 2008/09 and 2011/12 to improve the Borough's towns, district and local centres, including parks and playgrounds. The money is allocated by local people through the Borough's six local committees. During 2008 and 2009, Sutton’s Parks Service secured approximately £1.5 million of this money to implement various improvement projects across its parks and open spaces, including an allocation of £17,000 for improvements to Manor Park. It is anticipated that this funding will be used to help deliver the actions set out in the work plan.
A total of £25,000 of Section 106 funding has been allocated to spend on improvements in Manor Park from the Aspects development. Although £10,000 of this is being used to help fund the new café and toilets, it is anticipated that the remaining £15,000 will be used to help deliver the actions set out in the work plan.
48 Section 4. How Will We Know When We Have Arrived?
Key officers and stakeholders will continue to be involved in the management of Manor Park, and regular meetings will take place to oversee the delivery of the action plan, to monitor progress, and to ensure that its aims and objectives are achieved. Success will be celebrated as and when these are achieved.
There will be a need to keep a working document copy of the Management Plan within the parks office so that issues and changes that arise can be recorded.
The Green Flag Award criteria will be used as a method of measuring performance from year to year, along with further user surveys and community consultation.
Manor Park will be fully reviewed and updated every five years by the Assistant Parks Manager responsible for the Park.
The date of the next full review of the Management Plan is: Provisional March 2015
49