Porchester Square Gardens Management Plan 2008 – 2013

Porchester Square Gardens Management Plan 2008 – 2013 FORWARD Westminster is one of the most densely populated cities in the United Kingdom, if not the World, with around 90% of its residents living in flats. Hence Westminster’s parks and open spaces are enormously valued by its residents, as well as those who work and visit the city. It is, therefore the Council’s policy to work towards maintaining all of its parks to a Green Flag standard; to renew the infrastructure and to ensure that our parks and open spaces are something we can all be proud of. I am keen that all our residents and visitors should have an opportunity to become involved in the future development of our green spaces. We need to ensure that we are providing a full range of facilities and services that local residents and visitors would like to see, which will clearly vary from park to park around the City. In pursuit of excellence, the City Council wants each of the parks entered for the prestigious Green Flag award not only to gain but retain the award. This management plan for Porchester Square sets out our proposed plans for the park over the next five years. The plan is intended to enable us to achieve the highest horticultural and environmental quality, to ensure continuous top quality maintenance and provide facilities for residents and visitors to play, walk, exercise and relax. All this needs to be managed to ensure that there is something for everyone in the City’s parks and open spaces. If you have any comments you would like to make about the content of this plan, please send them to: The Parks Service, Victoria Embankment Offices, Charing Cross, London, WC2 6PB or email Councillor Audrey Lewis Cabinet Member for Customers and Neighbourhoods Contents Page How to Get To Porchester Square Gardens 3 History of the Gardens 4 Plan of Gardens 6 Action Plan 8 Executive Statement 9 Open Space Strategy 10 A Welcoming Place 11 Clean and Well maintained 12 Horticultural Management 14 Conservation and Heritage 20 Marketing 22 Healthy, Safe and secure 23 Sustainability 26 Community Involvement 29 Management 30 List of Appendices Appendix 1 – Health and Safety Policy statement and Site Inspection 34 sheet Appendix 2 – Patrolling Attendance – Duties and Problems Encountered 42 Appendix 3 – Environmental Policy 44 Appendix 4 – Maintenance Duties 47 Appendix 5 - Continental Landscapes Ltd. – Compliment / Complaint form 48 Appendix 6 – Maintenance request Form 49 Appendix 7 –- Incident Report Form 50 Appendix 8 – Contractors Proposals for Complying with the City Councils 52 Environmental Charter Information to be supplied if required Habitat Survey and Protected Species Assessment September 2006 Example Annual Playground Inspection Report Example Copy of Contractors last Annual Report Example Copy of Contractors Monthly Report 2 How to Get to Porchester Square Gardens Site address: Porchester Square Gardens Porchester Square London, W2 Access by car: Access by car is possible but you should be aware that it is resident parking with limited parking meters in the area. Access by Underground and Mainline Train Services: The nearest tube is Royal Oak and Paddington Tube/mainline rail stations, both of which are at least ten minutes walk from the garden along Bishops Bridge Road and then along Porchester Road. Access by Bus: The No: 36 bus runs along Porchester Road and Bishops Bridge Road. The No 18 Bus runs along Harrow Road (there are stops at the end of Porchester Road) 3 History of Garden Completed between 1855 and 1858, Porchester Square was one of the last areas of Bayswater to be built. Eight different builders were involved with different parts of the square as can be seen from a variety of exterior details on the houses. The architect most closely concerned with Porchester Square was George Wyatt, but the final word on both the general layout and the architectural detail would have been with George Gutch who in 1822 became the surveyor of Bishop of London’s Paddington estate and so supervised the overall development of the whole of Bayswater. In 1955 when the Church Commission offered the leases of Porchester Square for sale, the northern side and some of the surrounding area was bought by the London County Council with a view to the complete rehabilitation of these fine Victorian houses. This was successfully carried out by the Greater London Council during the ten year period from 1964. The name Porchester comes from one of the Hampshire estates of the Thistlewaites who with only two or three other families had been chief lessees of the Bishop of London’s land in Paddington since before 1750. The Porchester Centre, which can be seen to the west of the square, dates from 1925 when the baths were opened. Porchester Hall and the Paddington Library were added in 1929 and 1930. The gardens themselves were acquired by Paddington Borough Council and first opened to the public in 1955. The principle species of tree that can be found in this garden is the London Plane (Platanus x hispanica). Double Gean (Prunus avium ‘Plena’) and Indian Horse Chestnut (Aesculus indica). The London Plane was the species widely planted in Victorian London as it thrived in a polluted atmosphere. The Indian Horse Chestnut is of interest in this garden, as it was planted to replace trees damaged in the 1987 storm. All of Westminster’s Parks Gardens and Open Spaces have byelaw boards at the entrances and we are also now installing notice boards for use by local user groups and residents associations and also other council departments. The signage for all the sites is currently under review with a phased and funded replacement programme planned to start in 2007 / 08. 4 The garden comprises of: 1. Formal bedding and lawn area 2. Shrub borders 3. Children’s playground 4. Circular seating area with seasonal bedding 5. Benches are also positioned around the garden. 5 Plan of Gardens. 6 7 Action Plan for Porchester Square Gardens: Although it is intended that the action plan below will be carried out it is subject to the necessary funding being provided by the City Council. Task: Work type: 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 Mulch shrub areas Environmental Ongoing Ongoing Ongoing Ongoing Ongoing The greater use of mulches from our own Environmental Ongoing Ongoing Ongoing composting facility Plant more native species to encourage Biodiversity Ongoing Ongoing Ongoing wildlife. Encourage more community events in the Events Ongoing Ongoing Ongoing garden Replacement of onsite staff facilities Infrastructure Est. £25k Installation of water storage tanks as part Infrastructure £2k of the replacement of the staff facilities Railing painting Infrastructure completed. Create seating area opposite formal Infrastructure Est. 3k bedding area Replanting of selected shrub areas Horticultural Est. £2k Est. £2k 8 Executive Statement The Council enjoys a high reputation for the quality of its Parks, Gardens and Open Spaces. During 2006 the City Council re-tendered the Grounds Maintenance contract. The new contract has higher levels of staffing, dedicated horticultural teams and a defined patrolling service. The Council and the re-tendering team decided early on in the process that the Green Flag Standard should be at the heart of the new contract and that all its Parks, Gardens and Open Spaces should be maintained to this standard irrespective of whether they were to be entered For a Green Flag. In general, what is required is the best horticultural practice; the creation, and maintenance of visually pleasing horticultural features, and the maintenance of rigorous standards of discipline, cleanliness and tidiness, despite the intensive levels of use. Their primary function is as places of relaxation, enjoyment and beauty and the primary aims and objectives are that they shall be safe, clean and aesthetically pleasing. The City Council has ensured that a staff patrolling presence has been retained throughout all opening hours. Westminster has more tourists, day visitors, and commuters than any other local authority in the country. The population increases to over a million during the day. Its open spaces include some of the most famous squares and gardens in the country. These and the landscaping in the streets have a back drop of over 12,000 listed buildings, again far in excess of any other local authority. Consequently these prestigious sites in the heart of London must be maintained to the highest possible standard. 9 Westminster Open Space Strategy Over the last few years Westminster City Council has been developing an Open Space Strategy for the City based on a comprehensive study of all open space within the boundaries of the City. Extensive public consultation was undertaken during summer 2006 and the strategy document amended accordingly. The Westminster Open Space Strategy was adopted by the City Council following Cabinet approval in January 2007. It will act as a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) as well as forming a framework for management and improvement of public open spaces across the City. The Strategy's Action Plan will be updated annually, capturing all improvements happening in open spaces in the City. It will also feed into the management of these spaces, and will guide the Management Plans for all the City’s Green Flag sites. The Open Space Strategy can be viewed online at: http://www3.westminster.gov.uk/publications/publications_detail.cfm?ID=1614 Aims and Objectives The City Council has always ensured that adequate funding is available to maintain the quality and the fabric of the gardens to high standards recognising the value of its open spaces. This Management Plan sets out how these high standards are being achieved and the current management policies and proposals for the future.

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