Friends of Etherow Lodge Park Management Plan 2013. Longdendale and Hattersley District Assembly 1 CONTENTS. Page No. List of Figures 1. Site plan 9. 2. Map of the park 10. Section No. Page No. 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Purpose of the Plan 4. 1.2 Welcome and context. 5. 2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PARK 2.1 History 7. 2.2 Unique Feature/s 8. 2.3 Tenure 8. 2.4 Park Facilities 8. 2.5 Site Plan 10. 2.6 Location and Directions 12. 3. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT 3.1 Overview 13. 3.2 Friends of Etherow Lodge Park 13. 3.3 Involving the wider Community 22. 3.4 Reviewing and Monitoring 23. 4. Challenges and Future Work 4.1 Pernicious weeds 24. 4.2 Tree management 24. 4.3 Pond management 25. 4.4 Orienteering course management 25. 4.5 Access management 25. 4.6 Sculpture management 26. 4.7 Aspirations. 26. 2 Appendix 1 Tameside Maintenance plan Appendix 2 Appendix Friends of Etherow Lodge Park Action Plan. 3 Section 1: Introduction 1.1 Purpose of the Plan The purpose of this plan is to: Provide a working tool for those involved in the management, maintenance and development of Etherow Lodge Park Hollingworth. For this tool to be effective it must be realistic, timely, achievable and sensitive to the naturalistic nature of the park protecting and nurturing the wildlife habitats it provides, and also the safety and needs of the communities it serves. To achieve this, the plan will: Provide a description of the park, looking at The uniqueness and style Benefits to the public and wildlife History The topography Size and layout Tenure Facilities We will also look at Community involvement including the origins and role of the Friends group, their vision, aims and objectives and work to date. The plan will also explore current community partners and potential future community partners. The plan will also look at the present shortfalls and the work needed to ensure the park continues to be a resource for people and wildlife. The plan will explore timescales, funding options and what can be done by the Community and may need to be done by Tameside MBC and external funding sought through the Friends group or a partnership between the Friends group and Tameside MBC. The plan will also include methods of marketing and consultation and reviewing, measuring and monitoring progress against timescales and goals. 4 1.2 Welcome and Context. Welcome to this our management plan for Etherow Lodge Park in Holingworth. The park is situated at the very end of Hollingworth village and is bordered by the River Etherow and Hollingworth brook. These two natural features also form the boundary between Tameside and High Peak Derbyshire and the High Peak villages of Hadfield and Tintwistle. This location means that although the park is situated in Tameside many of the park users also come from the neighbouring High Peak villages. The park is 13 acres in total and incorporates areas of woodland, copses and community orchards and grass land. The park has 3 entrances, one on the main A628 in Hollingworth, one at the end of Printers park estate Hollingworth and the 3rd adjacent to the river on the boundary with Hadfield High Peak. Much work has been done by the Friends of Etherow Lodge Park with support from Tameside MBC, to improve the park in recent years and much is still to be done to ensure it is safe as accessible as possible and is of interest to local people and beneficial to wildlife. Improvements to the Printer’s park entrance: Work commissioned by the Friends of Etherow Lodge Park FOELP: December 2011 funded through Tameside You Choose funding scheme. 5 The entrance to and from Printer’s park prior to the improved access. 6 Section 2: Description of the Park 2.1 Park History Etherow Lodge Park was once the private garden belonging to the now demolished Etherow House. The now demolished Etherow House. The above house was situated on what is now the main grassed area in the park. If you look closely you will see the sloping area on the picture. We believe the house was built in the early 1800’s by Thomas Sidebottom. Thomas was a prominent mill owner and lived there until his death in 1908. Some reports some say that Thomas’s brother William lived in Etherow House, we believe both to be bachelors; it could be that they shared the house. After the house had been empty for a while it was bought by Sir William Clare Lees, the Manager of Etherow Bleaching Company. Later the house and grounds became derelict. Bill Sowerbutts, a prominent Radio Gardener who featured on Gardener’s Question time bought them in the early 1950’s. Bill had the house demolished and the former workers cottages on the A628 were knocked into one, this is what is known as Etherow Lodge. Etherow Lodge was Bill’s home until he died in 1990. A few years before he died Bill sold all but one acre of his garden to the local Authority. The local Authority still owns the land, which is now used as a park and open space. Approximately 10 years ago Tameside MBC District Assembly office managed to procure £50,000 of National Lottery Heritage funding to do some improvements in the park. The main focus of the work was around Health and safety issues, pathways were cleared and renovated, new surfaces to pathways created. Other work included signage and benches. Since this work some of the features have needed updating and or renewing, and the pathways although still clear do need regular maintenance. 7 An adjacent 3 acre plot, near to the river which was owned by a local builder in 2010 Tameside MBC bought this site to ensure continued access into the park from Printer’s park estate. This is now part of the park. 2.2 Unique Feature/s The park once a private garden initially for wealthy mill owners and managers and then for a professional gardener appearing on Gardener’s Question time, has retained much of its homely feel. The original planting featured a Beech drive, that one can imagine the mill owner and later the manager driving carriages down in the mornings to attend duties at the nearby mill. The Beech drive abuts well established woodland, a river and brook and some .grassland,. The park has many ornamental trees mainly Acers, Azaleas and Rhododendrons as well as many British native and woodland trees. There is a horse shoe shaped pond an original Victorian feature that once boasted a serpentine cascade. The shape is still evident and an engineers and ecology survey has been done to look at the potential of reinstating the water flow in and out of the pond. This would be a major piece of work, but one that hopefully will be pursued. The park has a very naturalistic and unspoilt feel providing a variety of habitats for wildlife. The location of the park between the busy A628 trunk road and the Rossington park industrial estate provides a much needed green lung from a very polluted road and industry as well as a wildlife corridor and haven and a peaceful retreat for people. 2.3 Tenure The park is now owned by Tameside MBC and managed by Longdendale and Hattersley District Assembly Community, Environment, Adults and Health Services function. 2.4 Park Facilities The unique woodland and copsed areas provide fantastic educational opportunities and are now used by schools, scouts, Faraway Forrest schools, bird enthusiasts, ecology units, and walking groups, GP participation groups and outdoor activity specialists. 8 Since 2006 a nature trail has been developed, an orienteering course, wildflower meadows, mainly planted with spring bulbs, a community orchard, willow walkways and path edgings, a hazel copse and chain saw sculptures. The pond area with seating provides a quiet reflective area. The orchard and meadow area is used by families for picnics as well as for foraging. 9 2.5 Site plan of Etherow Lodge Park Hollingworth: The site is located in Hollingworth, Tameside, SK14 8QJ, at approximate National Grid Reference (401143, 396482). The park is what remains of the land surrounding Etherow House, an 18th Century manor house demolished in the 1950s. Figure: 1. The area outlined in red outlines the site plan of the park. The industrial estate is over the boundary in High Peak. The whole site slopes from west to east (towards Hollingworth Brook and the River Etherow), with topographic levels ranging from 151mAOD in the north-west corner of the site, to 125mAOD on the banks of the River Etherow. 10 2.6 Map of the Park This is the Orienteering map we used for the Nature trail and the best one we have of the park. Figure: 2 11 2.7 Location/Directions: The park is sandwiched between the A628 trunk road at the very end of Hollingworth on the border of the High Peak and Rossington park industrial estate in Hadfield High Peak. There are three entrances to the park one on the A628 trunk road, this is the Manchester road entrance, one at the bridge over the river on the Hadfield border close to Rossington park industrial estate. The other entrance is from Printer’s park estate Hollingworth. The nearest railway station is Station road Hadfield and there is a bus stop at the Manchester road entrance. The bus is the 237 and runs between Glossop and Ashton- Under - Lyne 12 Section 3: Community Involvement. 3.1 Overview. In order for the park to be an asset to the local community and the communities it serves it must be of relevance and grow and develop with people, involving people in both decision making and in work to improve the park and its facilities.