Cheshire West and Chester Open Space Assessment A Final Report January 2011 Contents Executive Summary Section 1: Introduction 1 Section 2: Methodology 8 Section 3: Parks and Gardens 18 Section 4: Natural and Semi Natural Open Space 40 Section 5: Amenity Green Space 65 Section 6 – Provision for Children (12 and Under) 88 Section 7 – Provision for Young People 108 Section 8 – Allotments 130 Section 9 – Outdoor Sports Facilities 150 Section 10 – Cemeteries and Churchyards 186 Section 11 – Green Corridors 198 Section 12 –Civic Spaces 208 Section 13 – Summary and Planning Overview 214 Appendices Appendix A – Assessment of Open Space Need – Consultation Report (June 2010) Appendix B – Wider Benefits of Open Space Appendix C – Site Assessment Matrix Appendix D – Standards Setting Documents Appendix E – National Policy Context Appendix F – List of Sites Appendix G – Maps Appendix H – Summary of Data by Ward Cheshire West and Chester PPG17 Assessment 5 1. Introduction Introduction 01 This audit and assessment of open space, outdoor sport and recreation provision across Cheshire West and Chester has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of Planning Policy Guidance Note 17 (PPG17) and its Companion Guide (September 2002) as well as the Best Practice Guidance for the preparation of open space strategies (CABE Space and Mayor of London May 2009). The key aims and objectives of the assessment are to: - provide an overview of existing open spaces across Cheshire West and Chester; - recommend local standards of provision in terms of quality, quantity and accessibility; - evaluate the adequacy of the existing provision (in terms of quality, quantity and accessibility) to meet both current and future demand; and - consider the implications of the issues arising for local policy and to provide information to support the collection of contributions towards open space, sports facilities and play facilities. This assessment will form an important component of the evidence base for the emerging Local Development Framework (LDF), including the Core Strategy, and will inform policies within future Development Plan Documents. The study will also facilitate informed decision making with regards proactive strategy and policy for open spaces and will support the creation of specific service delivery plans and the emerging Green Space Strategy and Playing Pitch Strategy that are currently in progress. The study draws upon the findings of the local needs assessment undertaken by pmpgenesis in January – May 2010. This document is set out in full in Appendix A. It has been prepared alongside the development of Playing Pitch Strategy, which covers issues relating to playing fields for football, cricket, rugby and hockey in more detail. Why provide open space? The Government strategy on the quality of place World Class Places (May 2009) sets a vision that all places are planned, designed and developed to provide everyone, including future generations, with a decent quality of life and fair chances. It sees green infrastructure as a core ingredient of this vision. This message and vision is consistent with a number of other cross- Government initiatives. Reflecting this, the profile of open spaces, outdoor sport and recreation facilities is becoming increasingly high on the national stage and effective consideration of open spaces is therefore essential in the achievement of both national and local objectives. PPS12 (Local Spatial Planning 2008) reinforces the importance of spatial planning in creating strong and prosperous Cheshire West and Chester Open Space 1 PPG17 Assessment communities and the role of open space in the creation of such communities is highlighted in many of the current Planning Policy Statements and Guidance notes. The Localism Bill (published December 2010) seeks to empower neighbourhood communities, and give them real power to shape the way that the areas in which they live develop. Open Space, outdoor sport and recreation facilities are central to community life and their profile is therefore likely to increase further. Evidence collated by CABE Space (Urban Green Nation, Building the Evidence Base 2010) confirms the importance of parks and Open space has never been more open spaces to local residents, indicating important than it is today. In the face of that: new environmental, social and economic challenges, it is essential to • 9 out of 10 people use parks and green our quality of life, our health and well- spaces and value them; being and to ensuring a more sustainable future for all. Creation, protection and improvement of a high • satisfaction with local parks is linked to quality open space network should be satisfaction with the Council; at the heart of every authority’s vision for an area.’ • the provision of parks is worse in the Guide to the production of Open deprived areas in comparison to the Space Strategies (Mayor of London and affluent areas; CABE Space 2009) • people from ethnic minority groups tend to have less local green space and it is of poorer quality; and • the higher quality the space, the more likely it is to be used. Recent research evaluating the impact of the provision of quality local green spaces on the health and wellbeing of people in deprived and ethnically diverse areas shows that good quality local green space is an effective way to tackle inequality. The research (set out in Community green: using local spaces to tackle inequality and improve health, CABE Space July 2010) concludes that: • green space is a public resource with a proven track record in improving people’s health, but too many local green spaces remain unused; • people’s concerns about safety affect their use of local green space and vary by ethnicity; • improving the quality of spaces will encourage more active use and exercise; and • local people are best placed to know what they want from green space. PPG17 emphasises that the value of open space is not just recreational. The strategic contribution that open spaces can make to the wider environment includes: • defining the local landscape character and providing an appropriate context and setting for built development and infrastructure; • helping to achieve a softer interface between urban and rural environments; • emphasising the presence of particular natural features within the landscape such as river Cheshire West and Chester PPG17 Assessment 2 valleys; • supporting habitats and local wildlife; • promoting and protecting biodiversity and habitat creation; and • mitigating climate change and flood risk. The benefits of open space are further outlined in Appendix B and are illustrated overleaf in Figure 1.1 (extracted directly from Consultation Summary Report, PMP Genesis). Cheshire West and Chester PPG17 Assessment 3 Figure 1.1 – Benefits of Open Space, Outdoor Sport and Recreation Provision Creating community Defining local landscape cohesion character and providing Improving health and context for built development levels of physical activity and infrastructure through the provision of recreational opportunities Achieve an interface between Preserving the rural and urban historic character of environments the environment Effective Provision of Open Space, Sport and Recreation facilities Emphasising Mitigating and maximising climate change the presence of and flood risk natural features Cheshire West and Chester PPG17 Assessment 4 Cheshire West and Chester – the context Cheshire West and Chester has a population of 327,500 (2006) and is the fourth largest unitary authority in the North West. The authority contains a mixture of both urban settlements, including Chester City, Northwich, Ellesmere Port and Winsford, and a large number of smaller rural villages. Nearly a third of the population live within wards that can be described as rural. A large proportion of the authority (42%) falls within the North Cheshire Green Belt and residents benefit from access to the countryside as well as from open spaces within settlements. Open spaces are perceived to contribute significantly to the character of the area and the distinctiveness of the landscape of the Borough was highlighted as a key strength throughout the study process. Open spaces were perceived to be important not just to residents, but also to visitors to the area. Long term population forecasts indicate that the population of Chester West and Chester is expected to increase by 9% (18,200) between 2008 and 2027 (Source: Cheshire West and Chester Council Population Forecasts, report published September 2009). Designation of West Cheshire as a Growth Point for the period 2007/08 – 2016/17 means that pressure on existing open spaces is likely to further increase and concurrently population growth is also likely to generate demand for new open space, outdoor sport and recreation facilities. As well as experiencing population growth, the profile of residents in the Borough is also expected to change. The authority already has an ageing population and this is likely to be further exacerbated by 2027, with the number of people aged over 65 increasing by more than 50%. Projections indicate that up to 2017, the number of older people (aged 65+) will increase in every Area partnership Board in the Borough, with the largest increases in Northwich & Rural North (36%), Winsford & Rural East (35%) and Rural West (30%). The number of children is forecast to increase in Chester (5%) and Ellesmere Port (2%), remain stable in Northwich & Rural North and decrease in Winsford & Rural East (10%) and Rural West (19%). The change