Recreation and Access ~

Masterplan Topic Paper ~ RECREATION AND ACCESS ~ Contents Background...................................................................................................................2 Purpose of this paper.................................................................................................2 Existing provision of green space in Plymouth.....................................................2 Current levels of recreational use ..........................................................................3 Current provision for access and recreation .......................................................4 Opportunities to enhance access and recreation..............................................18 This is one of five topic papers that have been prepared as reference material to accompany the Masterplan Report for Saltram Countryside Park on behalf of The National Trust, Plymouth City Council and Natural England. The other papers cover the following topics: • Farming and Landownership • Landscape Character • The Historic Landscape • Biodiversity Copies can be downloaded from www.plymouth.gov.uk/saltrammasterplan Land Use Consultants, Bristol. 15 February 2011 1 BACKGROUND The Countryside Park is made up of a number of areas of distinct character, which provide interest and add to the recreational value and offer of the site. Some parts of the Countryside Park, the National Trust Estate in particular, are currently extensively used for recreation by a diverse range of user groups. However, other areas are only occasionally used and some such as Chelson Meadow and land under private ownership have not been used for recreational activity due to their current land use. Most visitors to the areas currently used for recreation arrive by car, as public transport provision and walking and cycling links to the surrounding communities from the Park are poor. Within some areas of the Countryside Park there is a good provision of recreational walking and cycling routes, especially around the National Trust Estate. However, there are no areas of open access land (as defined by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000) anywhere on the Countryside Park site, with much of the Countryside Park being characterised by working farmland. The developments at Sherford and at Plymstock Quarry will significantly change the character of the area and the demand for recreational opportunity and access to (and through) the countryside will significantly increase as communities who live within walking and cycling distance of the Countryside Park increase. A key long term objective for the management of the Countryside Park is to provide new opportunities for public recreation and enjoyment and development of a network of high quality recreational routes. As the area changes in light of new planned developments, opportunities will be created to improve the cohesiveness of the Countryside Park, the connectivity between the distinct areas and visitor orientation and experience. This will help foster a new identity for the Park. PURPOSE OF THIS PAPER This paper provides information about public access and recreation in the Countryside Park to provide context to the Masterplan and the actions that will deliver it. The paper is split into the following sections: • Existing provision of green space in Plymouth • Current levels of recreational use • Current provision for access and recreation • Opportunities to enhance access and recreation EXISTING PROVISION OF GREEN SPACE IN PLYMOUTH The Neighbourhood analysis of Plymouth green spaces carried out to support the Green Space Strategy 2008 – 2023 provides a helpful summary of the green space provision in the neighbourhoods surrounding and covering the Countryside Park site. The key findings of relevance to the Countryside Park are given below: Plympton St Maurice exceeds the Plymouth quantity standard and the majority of the accessible green space is of good quality. Notably only two spaces fail, being of fair quality; these are Plym Valley Walk and Marsh Mills (speedway track). A large area of the neighbourhood has a deficit for play provision, which is something that the Countryside Park can help to address. 2 The audit identified the following areas for improvement along the Plym Valley walk: “disability access, information availability, boundary, path and seating maintenance, provision of litter and dog waste disposal facilities, horticultural management, biodiversity enhancement, sustainable management and promotion of the space as a community and educational resource in order to increase community use and address the vandalism and littering currently occurring within the space.” Hardwick Wood is identified as a greenspace of city wide importance, being the largest accessible green space within the neighbourhood. The audit identified accessibility for all users, information availability and entrance location and maintenance as in need of improvement. There are no allotments within Plympton St Maurice. Elburton and Dunstone fails the Plymouth accessible green space standard and therefore every accessible greenspace in the area is of high importance. The Countryside Park should help to address this. The A379 acts as a significant barrier to people moving north. The northern half of the neighbourhood is predominantly inaccessible agricultural land. Lack of play provision is also an issue for this area. Plymstock exceeds the quantity standard for accessible green space, although there is a deficit of play provision. Saltram Park and Billacombe open space are two of the most important open spaces in the area. Generally open space is of a good quality. The audit identified that improvements could be made to the Plym Estuary to make it more welcoming and improve information and signage. Yealmpstone fails the Plymouth quantity standard of accessible green space although the quality of the space is good. There is also a deficiency of play provision. The Countryside Park can help to address both these issues. Lipson and Laira neighbourhoods fail the green space standard and the river forms a major barrier between it and the proposed Countryside Park. Along with the adjacent neighbourhood Efford they both have play deficits. CURRENT LEVELS OF RECREATIONAL USE The majority of existing public access in the Countryside Park takes place on the National Trust’s land and this section draws on information collected by the National Trust in a survey of summer and winter visitors in 2009.5 It estimated that there are currently approximately 350,000 visitors to the Estate. Key points about the profile of visitors are listed below: • In the winter almost 100% of visitors are from Plymouth and the surrounding areas, in the summer this reduces to a more even 40% – 60% split between visitors from Plymouth and the surrounding areas and those from further afield. • About three quarters of visitors claim to visit every month. • 90% of visitors travel to Saltram by car (including the locals) • About 15% of visitors visit the house and gardens when open. • Dog walking and walking are by far the largest activities on the Estate, especially during the winter months. • The majority of summer visitors were with one other person. • The majority of people stayed between 1 – 2 hours. 75% of visitors stay between 1 – 3 hours. 3 To help understand visitor behaviour further, national findings on walking show that1: • Almost half the adult population participate in recreational walking. • Walking is one of the two most popular activities undertaken on a leisure day trip; the other is eating and drinking. • Most people travel quite short distance to go walking and associated party size and expenditure levels are relatively low. • Walking is a component of the majority of domestic holidays. • Short walks of up to 2 miles are twice as popular as longer walks. CURRENT PROVISION FOR ACCESS AND RECREATION Walking, cycling and Horse riding routes Existing walking and cycling routes are shown in below in Figures 1 & 2. The South West Coast Path long distance foot path touches on the southern edge of the Countryside Park as it crosses over the Laira Bridge. There is a good provision of walking and cycling routes around the existing National Trust Estate and linking into it. 1 The National Forest Trail – An assessment of potential use and impact. The Tourism Company. September 2008. 4 Figure 1: Existing walking routes 5 Figure 2: Existing cycle routes Figure Error! No text of specified style in document..1: 6 The eastern end of the site has a network of sunken green lanes which provide much historical interest but are in varying states of repair and not always easy to find or access. The green lanes that are not public highways have no formal status as rights of way (i.e. they are not recorded as public footpaths, bridleways or restricted byways). The network of green lanes is disjointed in places and improved connectivity would help improve their recreational function as well as providing alternative through routes for walkers, cyclists and horse riders. Kennet Hill sunken green lane Sustrans National Route 2 of the National Cycle Network is a proposed long distance route between St. Austell and Dover which will cross Devon between Plymouth and Seaton. It is likely to link in with the cycle ways provided by the Sherford development and possibly cut across the bottom of the Countryside Park then continue over the Laira Bridge. The Plym Valley cycle route which passes along the western edge of the Countryside Park makes up a section of the Sustrans

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