North Ely Park a Landscape Vision 19 February 2015 Contents 2

www.sheilsflynn.com North Ely Park A Landscape Vision 19 February 2015 Contents 2 1. Introduction 03 Phased growth of the park 31 Park identity and area 31 1.1 Project scope 03 Responsibility and accountability 31 1.2 Structure of the report 3 Partners and Stakeholders 31 Security of funding 32 2. Landscape context 06 Skills and resource 32 2.1 Green infrastructure 06 2.2 Landscape character 07 4.2 Park Governance Options 32 Land Trust - management options 33 3. Design 13 Land Trust - added value 34 3.1 Design evolution 13 4.3 Park Management Structure 35 Ely’s landscape setting 13 Surface water attenuation 14 5. Consultation 36 Routes 15 5.1 Stakeholders 36 Landscape structure 16 5.2 Local community 36 5.3 Design revisions 36 3.2 Landscape masterplan 18 6. The Next Steps 37 Biodiversity 18 6.1 Phasing 37 Sustainable urban drainage 18 6.2 Phase 1 37 Access 18 6.3 Remaining phases 39 East side 21 North side 26 Appendices 41 West side 28 Appendix 1 North Ely Park - 3.3 Capital costs 30 Order of Cost Estimate Final 42 Appendix 2 Outline landscape management prescriptions 43 4. Management 31 Appendix 3 Public exhibition 4.1 Park Governance Considerations 31 - summary of responses to questionnaire 47 1 Introduction 3 1.1 Project scope undertaken in two stages. Stage 1 focused on masterplan for North Ely Park. This section developing an over-arching vision for the park, also summarises the estimated capital costs of Sheils Flynn has been appointed by East balancing priorities, establishing creative design the park, with reference to Appendix 1 (provided Cambridgeshire District Council (ECDC) to principles and developing a concept design as a separate report by quantity surveyors, WT develop and deliver a vision for a new country park which could be costed. Stage 1 was completed in Partnership). as part of housing development in North Ely. The September 2014 and the resulting concept design • Section 4, Management - provides Sheils Flynn team includes quantity surveyors, and cost plan was used to inform the ongoing recommendations for the sustainable WT Partnership and landscape management viability work and Section 106 negotiations. management and governance of North Ely Park consultants, Land Management Services. (with reference to Appendix 2, which provides Stage 2 incorporated more extensive consultation, detailed landscape management prescriptions. The project will explore how the new country so that the emerging design could be shaped • Section 5, Consultation – describes park, known as North Ely Park, can contribute to by discussion with developers, landowners, the extensive stakeholder consultation that the development of an attractive and distinctive stakeholders and local communities. This final has shaped the masterplan, with reference to landscape setting for Ely. It shows how this Stage 2 report is a Landscape Vision which Appendix 3, which summarises responses from new park can be designed to reinforce historic illustrates and describes balanced proposals the public consultation. patterns of land use on the Isle of Ely and the for a mix of uses alongside a strategy for the • Section 6, Next steps – explains the surrounding fenland, ‘knitting into’ existing green implementation and long term sustainable anticipated phased process for the implementation infrastructure (GI) networks so that it extends and management and maintenance of the park. The of North Ely Park and recommendations for the enhances connections across and onto the fringes report incorporates a capital cost plan and an implementation, management and governance of of the fen island. estimate of future maintenance costs. phase 1. It is important to note that this project provides a vision for North Ely Park which has been shaped 1.2 Structure of the report Appendix 1 - Estimate of capital costs for North by extensive consultation with statutory agencies, Ely Park (separate report by WT Partnership) local organisations and the local Ely community. Following this introductory section, the report is Appendix 2 - Detailed landscape management It is a long term vision which will not be delivered structured as follows: prescriptions for North Ely Park at once but over a number of years in conjunction Appendix 3 - Summary of responses to the public with the adjoining housing development. • Section 2, Landscape Context - describes consultation how the site for the new park can contribute Figure 1 shows the context for North Ely Park to green infrastructure on a sub-regional scale in relation to existing settlement and the and how it fits within the distinctive landscape planned new developments in North Ely led by character context of the Isle of Ely. developers, Endurance Estates and the Church • Section 3, Design - traces the evolution Commissioners. of the design and describes how the key strands The project for the design of North Ely Park was of design thinking come together in the overall 4 Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2014 Sheils Flynn Google Licence - JCPMB8T1Z8S2M11 Proposed North Ely Country Park Open water/river ‘A’ roads Littleport ‘B’ roads Ouse Washes Public right of way Railway lines National cycle route 11 (on roads) A10 National trail/promoted long distance route Little Downham Ely Station New housing development North Ely Ely Cathedral Country Park Ely Country Park Witchford Rivers Ouse 0 400 1200 2400 3600 Figure 1 - North Ely Country Park - site context The slopes of the Isle of Ely form a backdrop to views from Kettleworth Drove, on the edge of the fenland to the north. The water tower is a striking landmark 2 Landscape context 6 2.1 Green infrastructure Figure 2 shows how the site for North Ely Park fits within the wider GI context for the Isle of Ely at a sub-regional scale. The existing Ely Country Park is a popular riverside destination to the east of the Isle of Ely. The newly refurbished play area and adjacent meadow off Willow Lane are fully accessible, but public access to the more extensive wetlands and water meadows to the east is limited because of their exceptionally high nature conservation value. The new North Ely Park has the potential to divert existing and additional recreational pressure away from more sensitive wildlife areas including Ely Pits and Meadows Site of Special Scientific Interest. To achieve this, it must include multi- functional GI of sufficient area and quality to be attractive to people, offering significant areas of informal open space for quiet enjoyment of the countryside and wildlife as well as appropriately located areas offering more formal recreation opportunities. The relatively limited extent of existing public open space means that the new country park to the north of Ely is a much needed recreational resource and will provide a valuable addition to the GI network. Footpath and cycleway connections between the greenspaces provide important recreational Views to Ely Cathedral opportunities for more extensive outings and from footpaths within Ely ECDC’s wider vision is to enable footpath access Country Park, to the east right around the perimeter of the Isle of Ely. of the Isle of Ely. 7 North Ely Park contributes to the Cambridgeshire existing Ely Country Park and between North Ely Green Infrastructure Strategy1, which sets out Park and the existing network of long distance objectives, targets and projects for a strategic promoted national trails (Hereward Way, Fen GI network. The Strategy specifically identifies Rivers Way and the Ouse Valley Way) and cycle the further development of Ely Country Park routes (National Cycle Route 11). and Ely North to provide additional locations for Given the relatively high proportion of railway outdoor activity in the urban-fringe. It identifies commuters in Ely (and the likelihood that many of opportunities to restore Chettisham Meadows and those arriving to live in the new development will create a strategic habitat link joining Ely Country also travel by train, new cycle routes should be Park, Chettisham Meadows, Little Downham LNR provided, connecting the new North Ely housing and the Ouse Washes and to develop new, and developments to Ely Railway Station. enhance existing open spaces to form a connected and multi-functional network of spaces that links homes, work places and leisure facilities. 2.2 Landscape character The GI Strategy identifies a priority GI corridor between Chatteris and Ely, part of which is The distinctive landscape character of the Isle of illustrated on Figure 2. This opportunity for Ely reflects the landform of the fen island, one of enhanced countryside access could potentially be the largest island of higher land in the fen basin. developed along the lines of the old drove roads. The Isle of Ely is capped by Boulder Clay left by ice age glaciers, so the historic settlements that Figure 3 shows the local GI context for North Ely developed on the higher land was supported by Park. In particular it highlights the important agricultural land with very different soils to those local public rights of way - Clayway Drove along of the surrounding waterlogged fen. the eastern margins of the site, and Kettlesworth Drove to the north. Both routes are historic rights The drawing opposite is taken from the of way which run alongside the catchwater drains Environmental Impact Assessment for the which define the outer margins of the Isle of Ely. housing development to the north-west of Ely. It highlights local variations in landscape character There are opportunities to enhance the local GI at the scale of the Isle of Ely, which reflect the Settlement Scale network by providing or enhancing public rights higher land and the underlying soils. To the north- Landscape Character of way between the new North Ely Park and the west of the Isle of Ely, the historic village of Little Extract from North Ely Downham is also sited on an ‘island’ of slightly Environmental Impact 1 Cambridgeshire Green Infrastructure Strategy, higher land overlooking the fen.

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