Access to Nature Application for Wild City Project Application URN 102749 WILD CITY BUSINESS PLAN December 2009 Submitted by: Parks and Estates Bristol City Council Bristol City Council – Access to Nature Application for Wild City URN 102749 CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 6 2. PROJECT AIM ....................................................................................................... 6 3. LOCATION OF THE PROJECT............................................................................. 8 3.1 Principal Wild City Project Sites ............................................................................... 10 3.2 Wild City Network Sites:............................................................................................. 14 3.3 Principal Green Corridors .......................................................................................... 18 4. PROJECT NEED.................................................................................................. 20 4.1 Need for the Project in Relation to Deprivation...................................................... 20 4.2 Health Indicators ......................................................................................................... 23 4.2.1 Natural England Policies on Health and the Natural Environment .............. 24 4.3 Under Use of Green Space in Bristol....................................................................... 25 4.4 Bristol’s Parks and Green Space Strategy February 2008 .................................. 25 4.5 Identifying Project Need: Wild City Project consultation...................................... 28 4.6 Priority Groups............................................................................................................. 30 4.7 Need for the Project Identified in other Strategic Plans & Bristol City Council Policies ................................................................................................................................ 30 4.7.1 Bristol Partnership 20:20 Plan..................................................................... 31 4.7.2 Bristol’s Community Strategy 2006-26 and Our City: The Bristol Corporate Plan 2008 – 11 ............................................................................................ 31 4.7.3 Bristol Local Area Agreement Targets 2008-11 (2009 Revision) .......... 33 4.7.4 Bristol Children’s & Young People Plan 2006 (Updated 2009).............. 33 4.7.5 The Bristol Biodiversity Action Plan 2008.................................................. 34 4.7.6 Avon Frome Strategy 2007-17 .................................................................... 35 4.7.7 The Communities Vision for Lockleaze – An Integrated Approach to Creating a Sustainable Community (DRAFT 2009)................................................. 36 4.7.8 MIND – Ecotherapy Report 2007................................................................ 37 4.7.9 Forest of Avon Plan 2002............................................................................. 38 5. WILD CITY SMART PROJECT OUTCOMES...................................................... 39 6. WILD CITY PROJECT PLAN............................................................................... 40 6.1 Wild City Project Plan Tables.................................................................................... 40 6.2 Key Project Dates ....................................................................................................... 41 6.3 Project Milestones....................................................................................................... 41 6.4 Number of People Benefiting From The Project .................................................... 44 6.5 Project Risk.................................................................................................................. 45 7. WILD CITY PROJECT MANAGEMENT .............................................................. 46 7.1 Wild City Project Officer............................................................................................. 46 7.2 Partnership Working................................................................................................... 46 7.3 Identifying Project Need: Involving Specific Target Beneficiaries....................... 50 8. FINANCIAL INFORMATION................................................................................ 52 8.1 Project Cost ................................................................................................................. 52 8.2 Value for Money / Justification of Project Costs .................................................... 52 9. EVALUATION AND MONITORING: SUSTAINING THE..................................... 53 BENEFITS................................................................................................................ 53 9.1 Evaluation and Monitoring......................................................................................... 53 9.2 Project Steering Group .............................................................................................. 53 9.3 Quarterly Reports........................................................................................................ 54 9.4 Monitoring Project Participants................................................................................. 54 9.5 Wild City: Project Sustainability ................................................................................ 54 2 December 2009 Bristol City Council – Access to Nature Application for Wild City URN 102749 PLANS Plan 1: Wild City Project Area Boundary and Location of Green Spaces and Corridors TABLES Table 1: City of Bristol Lower Level Super Output Areas as identified in the Natural England Access to Nature Regional Targeting Statement as containing the 5 - 10% most deprived urban communities. Table 2: Wild City Project SMART Milestones Table 3: Wild City Project Risk Register APPENDICES Appendix 1: Wild City Project Officer Job Description Appendix 2: Wild City Partnership Agreement Appendix 3: Summary of Wild City Project Costs, Targets and Officer Resources Appendix 4: Natural England Costings Summary Spreadsheet 3 December 2009 Bristol City Council – Access to Nature Application for Wild City URN 102749 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Wild City is a new three year project that will deliver a range of community engagement projects using contact with the natural environment to meet the needs of deprived communities and priority groups in Bristol. The project will provide opportunities for people to experience, enjoy and access the natural environment in creative and meaningful ways. It will be co-ordinated by a dedicated project officer and have a total budget of £336,039. The Wild City project aims are to improve the physical and mental wellbeing of deprived communities and priority groups, to engage young people in a range of projects related to the natural environment and to promote increased use of green spaces by local communities. The Wild City project will target a range of the 5 - 10% most deprived urban communities in Bristol (as identified in Natural England’s Access to Nature Regional Targeting Statement). In addition, the project will help address the needs of the elderly, people with disabilities, people with physical and mental health issues, adults with learning difficulties and black and minority ethnic communities. The need for the project to work in deprived communities and with priority groups was identified following analysis of data relating to deprivation and health indicators. The need was further justified by talking to relevant local authority and voluntary sector officers and through extensive consultation with deprived communities and priority groups as part of the Wild City project development. Research shows that there is a clear link between health inequalities and deprivation in Bristol. In response, there is a need for projects that connect people with the natural environment to improve physical and mental wellbeing and address health inequality, especially in disadvantaged and priority groups. The Wild City project will work within such areas of health deprivation and will implement projects to improve physical and mental wellbeing. Under-use of green spaces by local communities in more deprived areas was identified in research undertaken for Bristol City Council’s Parks and Green Space Strategy and in consultation with communities to develop the Wild City project. As a result, the Wild City project has a strong focus on working with local communities, particularly in the more deprived areas, to increase community use, community involvement, local pride and sense of ownership. The Wild City project will, over three years, engage with communities across Bristol so that 21,500 people will have enjoyed the natural environment through participating in on-site and outreach projects. Of this number, 19,000 will report that they have learned something about the natural environment. In addition, the project includes a target to involve over 50 regular volunteers, whilst over 16,000 people will benefit from improved access to the natural environment. Wild City has formed strong partnerships that will help deliver key aspects of the Wild City project. Formal partner organisations will be Bristol Mind, CSV Environment, BTCV, Avon Wildlife Trust and Avon Frome Partnership. In addition, Wild City will be delivered with the help of a wider partnership of