Meeting documents

The Committee will receive an update on the Country Parks and plans for their future, including the outcome of ideas which have been developed following a Hackathon in Autumn 2015.

Contributors:

Mr Warren Whyte, Cabinet Member for Planning and Environment

Mr Andrew Fowler, Head of Country Parks and Green Spaces

The Chairman welcomed Mr Warren Whyte, Cabinet Member for Planning and Environment and Mr Andrew Fowler, Head of Country Parks and Green Spaces.  The Cabinet Member explained that he had decided to retain the Country Parks as they were an asset to BCC, but he had set tough commercial challenges for the Parks going forward.  Mr Fowler took Members through the highlights of his report and then invited questions.  The following main points were noted:

·         The income target for the Parks was increasing from £85,000 per annum to £157,000 per annum in just two years’ time.  This would coincide with the end of the Heritage Lottery Funding (HLF) which currently funded a gardener post, adding a further £25,000 of pressure.

·         Visitor numbers were increasing by approximately 6% year on year, Go Ape attracted a lot of visitors to both their Adult and Junior high rope courses and the car parks at both Langley Park and Black Park were being extended to accommodate more visitors at peak times. A lease for a café at Denham Country Park had been agreed and the operator had secured funding for a new play area, as well as improvements to the café. In November 2015, BCC held its first Hackathon to produce business ideas for the Country Parks and two, a Park Live App and Holiday lodges/Treehouses, have been chosen to have full business cases developed.

·         The Head of Country Parks and Green Spaces acknowledged that whilst the Parks had progressed, there was a need for a more formal commercial plan, as well as further customer insight, through engagement with users of the parks and also those who have not been before.

·         The Parks were vulnerable to wet weather, but a Visitor’s Centre to perhaps include function rooms or all–weather activities, would require planning permission and as the Parks lie in an area of green belt, this could be contentious.

·         The Country Parks team would be restructured to ensure it would comply with BCC’s Future Shape programme and to enable the commercial growth needed to meet the stretch targets within the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP).

·         Members voiced some concerns as to whether the new income targets could be achieved and suggested a number of different ideas to boost visitor numbers including Glamping/TeePees with hot tubs, Open-Air Classical Concerts and organising bus trips from Aylesbury and the North of the County for walking groups to visit the parks for the day.

·         The Cabinet Member was asked if the complex land ownership of the Parks which had been discussed at Select Committee last year had been resolved.  In response, he explained that he had investigated this, but felt that it would be very costly to unpick and it was not strictly necessary at this time.

·         A Member asked if there were any parks in the North of the County but the Cabinet Member advised that there were not any BCC owned parks, although there was green space in Quarrendon which was managed by the Bucks Conservation Trust.  He also commented that BCC needed to consider how Green Park in Aston Clinton could be used more widely. 

The Chairman thanked the Cabinet Member and the Head of Country Parks and Green Spaces for attending the meeting.  The Committee congratulated the Country Parks team on their achievements to date and wished them luck with working towards their future targets.