Open Spaces and Sports Facilities Assessment Technical Study
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EAST HERTFORDSHIRE COUNCIL OPEN SPACES AND SPORTS FACILITIES ASSESSMENT TECHNICAL STUDY Part 4: Open Spaces Assessment October 2017 Nortoft Partnerships Limited 2 Green Lodge Barn, Nobottle, Northampton NN7 4HD Tel: 01604 586526 Fax: 01604 587719 Email: [email protected] Web: www.nortoft.co.uk TABLE OF CONTENTS SUMMARY OF THE METHODOLOGY 8 OPEN SPACES ACROSS EAST HERTS 12 PARKS AND GARDENS 14 AMENITY GREEN SPACE 27 COMBINED PARKS AND GARDENS AND AMENITY GREEN SPACE 43 NATURAL AND SEMI NATURAL GREEN SPACE 50 CHILDREN’S PLAY AND TEENAGE PROVISION 68 ALLOTMENTS 90 CEMETERIES AND CHURCHYARDS 105 IMPLEMENTATION 108 Nortoft Partnerships Ltd East Hertfordshire Page 1 of 111 Open Spaces and Sports Facility Assessment Technical Study Part 4: Open Spaces Assessment TABLE OF FIGURES Figure 1: Open space typologies 6 Figure 2: Protected open space sites 7 Figure 3: Parish and wards in East Herts 10 Figure 4: Current levels of open space by typology 12 Figure 5: Current levels of children’s play and youth provision 12 Figure 6: Open spaces in East Herts – all typologies 13 Figure 7: Parks and Gardens across East Herts with existing accessibility 15 Figure 8: Existing adopted standards for Parks and Gardens 16 Figure 9: Existing standards testing for Parks and Gardens 17 Figure 10: Parks and Gardens quality scores 19 Figure 11: Parks and Gardens with quality issues 20 Figure 12: Comparators for Parks and Gardens 21 Figure 13: Proposed standard testing for Parks and Gardens 24 Figure 14: Parks and Gardens proposed accessibility standards 26 Figure 15: Amenity Green Space across East Herts with current accessibility 29 Figure 16: Existing adopted standards for Amenity Green Space 30 Figure 17: Existing standards testing for Amenity Green Space 32 Figure 18: Average quality scores for Amenity Green Space 34 Figure 19: Amenity Green Space with quality issues 34 Figure 20: Comparators for Amenity Green Space 37 Figure 21: Proposed standards testing for Amenity Green Space 40 Figure 22: Parks and Gardens and Amenity Green Spaces – Large sites 44 Figure 23: Proposed quantity testing for combined Parks and Gardens and Amenity Green Space 45 Figure 24: Amenity Green Space proposed accessibility standard 47 Figure 25: Large Natural and Semi Natural Green Space sites 50 Figure 26: Existing adopted standards for Natural and Semi Natural Green Space 51 Figure 27: Natural and Semi Natural Green Space average quality 53 Figure 28: Natural and Semi Natural Green Space existing accessibility 54 Figure 29: Natural and Semi Natural Green Space existing accessibility standards 55 Figure 30: Comparators for Natural and Semi Natural Green Space 57 Figure 31: Geographical comparators for Natural and Semi Natural Green Space 58 Figure 32: ANGSt standard – 2 ha within 300m 60 Figure 33: ANGSt standard – 20 ha within 2km 61 Figure 34: ANGSt standard – 100 ha within 5km 62 Figure 35: Proposed accessibility standard for Natural and Semi Natural Green Space 64 Figure 36: Natural and Semi Natural Green Space proposed accessibility standards 66 Figure 37: Children’s Play sites in East Herts 71 Figure 38: Provision for teenagers in East Herts 72 Figure 39: Existing adopted standards for Children and Young People 73 Figure 40: Testing the existing standards for Children’s Play and teenage provision 75 Figure 41: Children’s play and teenage provision with quality issues 78 Figure 42: Comparators for Children’s Play and Youth provision 80 Figure 43: Proposed accessibility standards for Children’s Play 82 Figure 44: Proposed accessibility standards for Teenage Facilities 83 Nortoft Partnerships Ltd East Hertfordshire Page 2 of 111 Open Spaces and Sports Facility Assessment Technical Study Part 4: Open Spaces Assessment Figure 45: Proposed accessibility testing for Children’s Play and Teenage provision 84 Figure 46: Existing adopted standards for Allotments 92 Figure 47: Existing accessibility standards for allotments 94 Figure 48: Testing the existing standards for allotments 95 Figure 49: Allotments – vacancy and flagged quality summary 97 Figure 50: CIPFA Comparators for Allotments 99 Figure 51: Allotments across East Herts – proposed accessibility 101 Figure 52: Testing of proposed allotment standards 102 Figure 53: Churchyards and cemeteries within East Herts 106 Figure 54: Quality scores for Cemeteries and Churchyards 107 Figure 55: Proposed planning standards for open space 109 Nortoft Partnerships Ltd East Hertfordshire Page 3 of 111 Open Spaces and Sports Facility Assessment Technical Study Part 4: Open Spaces Assessment APPENDICES APPENDIX 1: Site audit templates APPENDIX 2: Open spaces maps for Towns and Group 1 Villages APPENDIX 3: Existing standards testing APPENDIX 4: Proposed standards testing APPENDIX 5: Fields in Trust play definitions Nortoft Partnerships Ltd East Hertfordshire Page 4 of 111 Open Spaces and Sports Facility Assessment Technical Study Part 4: Open Spaces Assessment INTRODUCTION This Open Spaces Assessment Study is part of East Hertfordshire Council’s Open Space Sports Facilities Assessment and Strategies study, which covers open spaces and both indoor and outdoor sports facilities. The Background and Context report (Part 1) applies to all of sports facility provision and open spaces. The structure for these reports is: Part 1: Background and context Part 2: Built facilities strategy Part 3: Playing pitch strategy Part 4: Open Spaces Assessment East Hertfordshire Council requires this Open Spaces Assessment to assess the existing provision of open space in East Herts, building on, and updating a previous study published in 2005 (East Herts Council, 2005), but also having regard to changes in national planning policy. The study makes an assessment of future needs within the timescale of the new Local Plan to 2033. The findings and recommendations will: Provide a robust evidence base for strategy development. Support the drafting of planning policy for the East Hertfordshire Local Plan (Part 2). Determine future provision needs (e.g. protection, enhancement, surplus to requirements). Inform the determination of planning applications. Prioritise East Hertfordshire Council’s and its partners’ capital and revenue investment, including S106 and any future Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) receipts. The East Hertfordshire PPG17 Open Spaces Strategy 2005 uses the Government definition of open space, and this has been carried forwards in this study: Government guidance defines open space as: “all open space of public value, including not just land, but also areas of water such as rivers, canals, lakes and reservoirs which offer important opportunities for sport and recreation and can also act as a visual amenity”. The study uses well established categories of open space which originated in the national planning policy guidance note (PPG17). These are: Nortoft Partnerships Ltd East Hertfordshire Page 5 of 111 Open Spaces and Sports Facility Assessment Technical Study Part 4: Open Spaces Assessment Figure 1: Open space typologies Parks and Gardens These range from major parks to small memorial gardens – often used for informal recreation and community events. These may include paths, benches, footpaths, tree and shrub planting, formal gardens, close mown grass for ball games / picnics etc, play areas, facilities for young people, and toilets. Examples of these sites include: Pishiobury Park, Sawbridgeworth and Panshanger Park, Hertford. Amenity green Most commonly found in housing areas. Includes informal space recreation green spaces abd village greens. Used for informal activities close to home or work, children’s casual play, enhancement of the appearance of residential areas. Examples include: Lower Bourne Gardens, Ware and Brickendon Green, Brickendon. Natural and semi These include publicly accessible woodlands, as well as natural green space urban forestry, scrub, grasslands (e.g. commons, meadows), wetlands and wastelands. Uses include wildlife conservation, biodiversity and environmental education and awareness. A high proportion of these will be in the countryside rather than the urban areas. Examples include: Kings Mead (Water Meads) in Hertford/Ware and Broxbourne Wood Nature Reserve in Brickendon Liberty. Children and young Areas designed primarily for play and social interaction people’s facilities involving children below age 12, specifically designed as equipped play facilities. And Areas designed primarily for play and social interaction involving young people aged 12 and above, specifically designed for use by young people (e.g. youth shelters, skateboard parks etc). Allotments, Sites laid out for people to grow their own vegetables, fruit community gardens and flowers as part of the long‐term promotion of and urban farms sustainability, health and social inclusion. Cemeteries & Including closed churchyards or other burial grounds. churchyards Nortoft Partnerships Ltd East Hertfordshire Page 6 of 111 Open Spaces and Sports Facility Assessment Technical Study Part 4: Open Spaces Assessment Open space sites can be formally protected, either because they are village greens or because they are protected by the Fields in Trust. These sites are usually well used by their communities and are not therefore usually under threat from development. The protected sites in East Herts are listed in Figure 2. Figure 2: Protected open space sites Location Protected site Designation Hertford Hartham Common Fields In Trust Ware The Bury Fields Fields In Trust Ardeley Ardeley – School Lane Fields In Trust Ware Ware Fields In Trust High Wych