Agenda item

The Committee will receive an overview of the Country Parks operating model and an update on their current work programme.

Contributors:

Cllr Clive Harriss, Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure

Sophie Payne, Service Director, Culture, Sport and Leisure

Andrew Fowler, Head of Parks and Green Spaces

The Chairman welcomed the following people to the meeting:

• Cllr Clive Harriss, Cabinet Member, Culture and Leisure
• Sophie Payne, Service Director, Culture, Sport and Leisure
• Andrew Fowler, Head of Parks and Green Spaces

The Cabinet Member, Culture and Leisure introduced the overview, making the following key points:

• The four country parks had been self-financing for many years.
• Each park had a unique offer and the parks offered a range of activities.
• The parks offered opportunities for education, volunteering and conservation.
• The parks contributed to residents’ health and wellbeing and were particularly important during the covid pandemic.
• Visitor numbers were higher than pre-pandemic levels.
• The main income from the parks came from car parking charges.
• The parks had contributed to Council funds since the year 2005 to 2006.
• New facilities were planned for the parks.
• The parks had been a huge success for the council and were extremely well-maintained.

In response to questions and during subsequent discussions, the following main points were noted:

• The Changing Places facility at Black Park was expected to be completed in March 2024.
• Building projects were subject to external planning constraints but the target delivery dates in the report should be met.
• Increased car parking charges were the largest reason for customer complaint but the numbers complaining were relatively low. Cars often transported four or five people so the charges still represented value for money and as the car park was often full it appeared that visitors tended to accept the charges.
• The parks were able to be self-financing through income from parking charges, filming licences and forestry products and in addition, some of the facilities, such as cafes, were commercial businesses which paid rent.
• The new Black Park café would help ease the demand on the existing catering facilities. It would also encourage people to visit in poor weather as it will be right next to the car park. Visitors will be able to get refreshments indoors and may visit the park in quieter periods. The café will provide around 45 covers. Turnaround time would be relatively high as most customers visit the park for 1 to 2 hours. The running of the café would be outsourced and would provide significant rental income, (it should generate £20,000 to £30,000 per year in addition to the profit made by the kiosk) which will mean the building costs will be fully recovered over time.
• Plans were in place to replace a collapsed bridge over the River Colne in Denham Country Park by winter 2024 to 2025. Over the next 2 years, footpaths and habitat would be improved using HS2 mitigation funding and a Project Officer had recently been appointed to oversee this work
• It had been a busy year for filming in Black Park and the Film Office had seen an increase in applications since the writer’s strike ended.
• Work was in progress to plan the Stoke Poges Country Park which would be on the site of the Lanes Golf Centre.
• In relation to the Little Marlow Lakes Country Park, the Cabinet Member referred Members to the planning team who were working with Natural England on what is required to meet Suitable Alternative Natural Green Space.
• The Parks team had managed their finances well and a proportion of income from the parks was returned to the Council. Delivery of the new Visitor Centre was financed from a reserve which had been built up over a number of years.
• Volunteering in the parks could be a route to employment but the volunteers also gained a number of benefits to their health and wellbeing. The Blue Sky charity scheme had also enabled ex-offenders to learn skills by working in the parks.
• The parks maintain three reserve funds: 1) Equipment and machinery, 2) Maintenance, for example for a significant weather event and 3) Development, to fund improvements e.g. car parks and the new Visitor Centre.
• Any investment in the parks was expected to show a return with an income target set each year.

The Chairman thanked the team for attending the meeting and for their hard work in maintaining the parks.