Bessingby Park, Cavendish Park and Pine Gardens Management Plan 2015 – 2020 Bessingby Park Complex Management Plan 2015 - 2020 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 1. Table of Contents page 1. Table of Contents 2 2. Introduction 3 3. Site Summary 4 Map 1 - Key Features of Bessingby Park Complex 7 Map 2 - Aerial Photograph of Bessingby Park Complex 8 Map 3 – Location of Cavendish in London 9 Location 9 Access 10 Map 4 – Access Points for Bessingby Park Complex 11 History 12 Ecology 19 Recreational Facilities 21 Present Use 23 Management Arrangements 23 Community Contacts 23 4. Vision for Bessingby Park Complex 25 5. Site Aims and Objectives 25 6. Management Actions and Maintenance Plan 42 Appendices Appendix A – Introduction to the London Borough of Hillingdon 47 Appendix B – Site Grounds Maintenance Standards 50 Appendix C – Site Tree Survey 52 Appendix D – Site Marketing Analysis and Plan + Evidence 65 Appendix E – Council Plan – Commitment to Green Flag Awards 68 Appendix F – Playground Inspections 69 2 Bessingby Park Complex Management Plan 2015 - 2020 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Introduction to Bessingby Park complex For the purposes of this plan the chain of parks consisting of Bessingby Park, Pine Gardens and Cavendish Park will be referred to as Bessingby Park Complex, or simply shortened to the Parks. Together these parks serve as a hub for both passive and active recreation, hosting lawn bowls, tennis, cricket and football. The park is also very popular with cyclists, young families who come to use the playgrounds, and dog walkers. The parks are also home to a children’s day nursery and The Cavendish function venue. The parks are supported by an active “Friends” group, which host events such as quarterly tidy-up days and hugely popular Easter Egg Hunt. The Cavendish attracts visitors to the Parks The Friends help to take care of the Parks 3 Bessingby Park Complex Management Plan 2015 - 2020 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Site Summary Details Site Name Bessingby Park Complex Address (Main Entrance) Bessingby Road, Ruislip Postcode HA4 9AN Grid Reference 510725.27; 186687.21 Ownership London Borough of Hillingdon Name of Lead Officer Neil O' Connor Lead Officer’s contact details Postal: Green Spaces Team Civic Centre 4W/08 High St, Uxbridge Middlesex, UB8 1UW Phone: 01895 556 000 Email: no'[email protected] Date site acquired Bessingby Park – 13 Feb 1914 Cavendish Park – 9 Aug 1948 Pine Gardens – 1950 PPG17 designation Park and Garden London Parks typology designation Park and Garden Access points Bessingby Park Main Entrance: Bessingby Road (HA4 9AP) Other Entrances: Via alleyway beside 41 Whitby Road Via alleyway beside 123 Whitby Road From Pine Gardens Cavendish Recreation Ground Main Entrance: Opposite 363 Field End Road (HA4 9NS) Other Entrances: Via alleyway beside 384 Field End Road Via alleyway beside 330 Field End Road Via alleyway beside 51 Southbourne Gardens From Pine Gardens 4 Bessingby Park Complex Management Plan 2015 - 2020 ____________________________________________________________________________________ Pine Gardens Main Entrance: Corner Pine Gardens & Springfield Gardens Access – Public Transport Bessingby Park 114 Bus Cavendish Recreation Ground 282, 398, 975 Buses Eastcote London Underground Station is 520m from the entrance to Cavendish Park Pine Gardens 398 & 975 buses Key features Historic features Cavendish Pavilion Horticultural features Flower and shrub beds Wildflower meadow Sporting features 3 x Senior Football pitches 4 x Junior Football pitches 1 x Multi-games ball wall 2 x Bowling Greens 5 x Tennis courts 1 x Cricket table Other recreational / leisure facilities 2 x Children’s Playground Resting points Several park benches Other designations Conservation Area Yes Tree preservation orders No Playground/s designations Local Area of Play 5 Bessingby Park Complex Management Plan 2015 - 2020 ____________________________________________________________________________________ Description: Bessingby Park Complex is made up of three adjoining green spaces: Bessingby Park, Pine Gardens and Cavendish Park. The parks feature numerous sports facilities including 5 tennis courts, 7 football pitches, 2 bowls greens, 1 grass cricket square and 1 multi-games ball wall. These facilities are supported by 2 bowls clubs, 1 cricket pavilion and 1 football pavilion. There is also a restored cycle training track. The parks are also home to The Cavendish function rooms and a day nursery. Children visiting the site can enjoy two playgrounds; one traditional at Pine Gardens, and one modern ‘playbuilder’ style in Bessingby Park. The parks are also popular with local residents and dog walkers, as well as being a popular cut- through. The parks are supported by an active ‘Friends of’ group (Friends of Bessingby and Cavendish Parks) who host quarterly litter picks, an Easter Egg Hunt, and other one-off events. The Parks are popular with all ages and for both passive and active recreation The location of each of these features is shown in Map 1 (Key Features of Bessingby Park Complex) and are easily identifiable on an aerial photograph of the site, Map 2 (Aerial Photograph of Bessingby Park Complex). 6 Bessingby Park Complex Management Plan 2015 - 2020 ____________________________________________________________________________________ Map 1. Key Features of Bessingby Park Complex 7 Bessingby Park Complex Management Plan 2015 - 2020 ____________________________________________________________________________________ Map 2. Aerial Photograph of Bessingby Park Complex 8 Bessingby Park Complex Management Plan 2015 - 2020 ____________________________________________________________________________________ Location: Bessingby Park Complex is located in the western-most London borough, the London Borough of Hillingdon, in the ward of Cavendish (see Map 3 below). Map 3. Location of Cavendish Ward in Hillingdon Cavendish By road, Bessingby Park Complex is: 18 miles from the centre of London 9 miles from Heathrow airport 3 miles from the M40 6 miles from the M25 9 Bessingby Park Complex Management Plan 2015 - 2020 ____________________________________________________________________________________ Access: Each of the three parks has one main entrance. Bessingby Park and Cavendish Park also have several other access points via alleyways. These entrances are shown on Map 4 (Entrance Points for Bessingby Park Complex). Bessingby Park Main Entrance: Bessingby Road (HA4 9AP) shown on map as 1 Other Entrances: Via alleyway beside 41 Whitby Road shown on map as 2 Via alleyway beside 123 Whitby Road shown on map as 3 Cavendish Park Main Entrance: Opposite 363 Field End Road (HA4 9NS) shown on map as 5 Other Entrances: Via alleyway beside 384 Field End Road shown on map as 4 Via alleyway beside 330 Field End Road shown on map as 6 Via alleyway beside 51 Southbourne Gardens shown on map as 7 Pine Gardens Main Entrance: Corner Pine Gardens & Springfield Gardens shown on map as 8 The entrance to Cavendish Recreation Ground is enticing to visitors 10 Bessingby Park Complex Management Plan 2015 - 2020 ____________________________________________________________________________________ Map 4. Entrance Points for Bessingby Park Complex 11 Bessingby Park Complex Management Plan 2015 - 2020 ____________________________________________________________________________________ History: Cavendish, Pine Gardens and Bessingby parks are historically best regarded as part of the slightly wider area bounded by Southbourne Gardens to the north, the Yeading Brook to the south, Field End Road to the East and Beverley Road to the west. Together the parks and their immediate surroundings reflect many aspects of British history and are therefore a very useful local historical resource. Historically, the Parks should be seen as the southern ‘slope’ of Eastcote running down to the Yeading Brook (and should be viewed historically in conjunction with part of the green ‘corridor’ north of the Yeading Brook). That small river almost certainly has a very ancient settlement history going back to prehistoric times. Field End Road (effectively the eastern edge of Cavendish Park) is certainly a very ancient roadway – dating back at least to Medieval times and possibly earlier. Cavendish Park 14.34 acres. Site of Importance for Nature Conservation. Hi.L 12 Grid Ref TQ 111 870 The few surviving old trees (three of them) along the southern edge of Cavendish Park probably date (directly, or indirectly through replanting) from pre-Victorian times, and reflect the enclosure of local land in the period 1806-1814 (a local manifestation of an extremely important historical process which fundamentally changed the nature of Britain). In that sense many of the tree lines around the park have similar significance. The still partly above-ground water-course (formerly a stream) which flows/flowed from Southbourne Gardens (or just north of it) through the park to the Yeading Brook is an important feature of the area. Old Eastcote was built (mainly) on the south bank of the River Pinn – without doubt the most significant river in the area. One of the few probable ancient/old east- west ‘roads’ on the high ground between the Pinn in the north and the Yeading Brook in the South was what we now call Southbourne Gardens. Originally it was a livestock droveway (a small part of the 18th/19th century avenue of