Queen Elizabeth II Crays Hill Recreation Ground Management Plan Amber Valley Borough Council

38 Pages·2017·1.9 MB·English

Queen Elizabeth II

Crays Hill Park

Management Plan

2019 - 2024

Amber Valley Borough Council
Crays Hill Park

Amber Valley Borough Council

Management Plan 2019 –2024

Document History
Date Written Description Author (s)
2013 Management Plan 2013 - 2018 Landscape Services
2019 Management Plan 2019 - 2024 Landscapes, Growth
& Community Safety

Contact:
Richard Hodgkinson
Open Spaces Officer

Amber Valley Borough Council
Landscapes, Growth and Community Safety
Town Hall
Ripley
Derbyshire
DE5 3BT

Direct Line Tel: [phone]
Main Switch Board: 01773 570222

www.ambervalley.gov.uk
Email: [email protected]

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Contents

Page
Executive Summary 5

Chapter 1. Introduction, background & context

1.0 Introduction & background 6
2.0 Vision 6
3.0 Aims 7
4.0 Site name 7
5.0 Location & size 8
6.0 Site description 9
7.0 Land tenure 11
8.0 Legal factors 11
9.0 Local demographics 12
10.0 History 12

Chapter 2. Where are we now?

11.0 Introduction 15
12.0 The Green Flag Award 15
13.0 A welcoming place 15
14.0 Healthy, safe and secure 17
15.0 Well maintained and clean 20
16.0 Environmental Management 20
17.0 Biodiversity, Landscape and Heritage 22
18.0 Community involvement 23
19.0 Marketing and Communication 25
20.0 Management 26

Chapter 3. Where do we want to go?

21.0 Action Plan 2013 - 2018 27

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Additional Information Available to support this document

Master Plan 31
Appendix A – National and Local Strategic Context 32

• Site Specific Maintenance Schedules
• Site Specific Tree Survey
• Site Specific Questionnaire Results
• Buildings Survey
• Play Area Inspection

List of figures and tables

Table Title Page
Number
1 Legislative Framework 11
2 Population Data 12
3 Site Risk Assessment 18/19
4 Previous Expenditure 26

Figure Title Page
number
1 Staff Structure 26

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Executive Summary

Amber Valley Borough Council is committed to providing high quality parks and open
spaces throughout the Borough. In 2011 Amber Valley Borough Council focused
their efforts on ‘Making Everywhere in Amber Valley a Great Place to Live’. Since
then radical improvements have been made to many Parks and Open Spaces, which
have enabled Amber Valley Borough Council to apply for Green Flag Awards where
appropriate.

The Parks and Open Spaces Strategy gives a rounded strategic approach to the
management of green spaces, providing the tools necessary to achieve Amber
Valley Borough Councils strategic aims.

The ‘Landscapes, Growth and Community Safety’ team are led by the ‘Environment’
Portfolio. This team is responsible for all the Borough Council’s public open spaces
including community safety, grounds maintenance, future development and facilities
management.

Some references to Landscape Services and Landscape Development remain within
this management plan; they formed part of a previous staff structure and
implemented a large proportion of the previous development at Crays Hill.

In 2016 Amber Valley Borough Council were successful in holding eight Green Flags
with plans to maintain this number of awards thereafter.

Crays Hill Park lies on the border between Swanwick, Somercotes and Leabrooks. It
is an important asset to the Council, local community and sports clubs. The Borough
Council works with the local community to ensure this park is developed to its full
potential.

This management plan is written as a strategic overview to ensure the Park develops
in line with the needs and expectations of the public, the plan will also enable the
Council, and partners to keep focused on future strategic aims for the Park and will
be updated and amended annually to reflect developments and changing priorities.

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Chapter 1
Introduction, background & context

1.0 Introduction and background

1.1 Summary of management plan

This management plan is to be used in conjunction with other corporate documents
as mentioned earlier to ensure the future development of Crays Hill Park, it is not
intended to include sections of supporting Strategies or Policies within this
document, but these documents will be referred to, and if the reader wishes to gain a
greater strategic understanding or detailed survey information they can do this by
contacting Amber Valley Borough Council as detailed above or on our website.

1.2 Format

The plan is set out in three distinct sections, which provide the following:

• A general background history of the park and how it fits into the Council’s
policy aims and objectives;
• Where the park is currently and an assessment of strengths and weaknesses
following Green Flag judging criteria;
• Management needs and future objectives to improvement of the park;
including a five-year action plan of improvement.

1.3 Target audience and usage

Primarily the management plan is to be used by council officers and maintenance
staff to ensure continuous development and improvement and to prevent deviation
from the consultation framework written into the plan, secondly the plan is for the
Community Association, Cricket Club and the wider community for information and
for them to understand key issues and development progress.

2.0 Vision

Amber Valley Borough Council seek to improve the parks and open spaces
throughout the Borough.

Following consultation with the Community Association it was agreed that the shared
vision for Crays Hill Park is:

''To be a focus for sports and activities, promoting healthy physical activities in a
welcoming and safe environment’’

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3.0 Aims

The future development of the park has come about from Corporate Aims,
‘Landscapes, Growth and Community Safety’s’ objectives and consultation with both
the Community Association and the wider community. All development works have
been undertaken following the Green Flag judging criteria as follows:

• To provide a welcoming park for members of the community and
visitors.
• To provide a healthy, safe and secure park for all its users.
• To achieve a consistently high standard of cleanliness and
maintenance.
• To promote and demonstrate the environmental sustainability.
• To protect and promote the biodiversity, Landscape and site heritage.
• To enable community participation and involvement.
• To promote the park by maximising marketing and community
opportunities, thus raising the profile.
• To ensure effective management and corporate support.

4.0 Site name

The land was formally used for landfill, capped and reclaimed for amenity use, the
name Crays Hill is the name of the road, which runs from Swanwick Delves and
Leabrooks.

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5.0 Location & size

The park is 19 acres in size and is located off the B6016 Crays Hill, Swanwick.

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6.0 Site description

6.1 Background

In addition to Crays Hill Park, Swanwick has a high percent of recreational open
space including; ADASC Sports Ground (Owned by Derbyshire County Council)
which has multiple football pitches, informal green space known as the Swanwick
Fault and Chapel Street Recreation Ground which offers two football pitches.

Crays Hill Park is regularly used by local residents and visitors who enjoy walking,
exercising their dogs, bringing their children to play and for informal recreation.
Swanwick Hall Cricket Club also use the site as their main home ground who hold
events for the public as well as supporting the Community Association.

A growth in Junior league football has recently brought football back into play at this
site with teams making use of the sports pavilion during the football season for
changing and toilet provision.

6.2 Context within green space network

Crays Hill Park is mainly a playing pitch facility with areas of wildflower meadow, an
equipped play area, and a multi user right of way on the eastern boundary.

6.3 Landscape zones

The park has a mix of landscape features, which are listed below:

6.3.1 Circular Walk

A desire-line path runs around the site which
informally links the various features together,
there are benches along the route which are well used.

6.3.2 Two Green Areas

The park is split by topography into two
areas, the lower area is amenity grass and is used for
football, informal recreation, picnicking and events.
The upper area forms the main circular walkway and
Includes a cricket pitch. The central area is where a
naturalised play area is located.

6.3.3 Play Area

The play area is situated in the centre of the
park and provides a mix of fixed play equipment
for a broad age range of children, all or which
conforms to current BS Standards. The play area
was installed in 2009 funded by ‘Big Lottery’.

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6.3.4 Sports Pavilion

The sports pavilion is large enough to have
separate changing arrangements, which are
used for both football and cricket.
There is a meeting area, bar and kitchen which
is well used by the community via the
Cricket Club. There is ample car parking, and a
storage facility for cricket equipment in a separate
Container.

6.3.5 Trees

The park has a good stock of semi
mature trees which were planted when the area
was reclaimed. Further tree planting has been carried
out in more recent times by local school children to
improve biodiversity and landscape character.

6.3.6 Wildflower Areas

The wildflower areas were sown in 2008 when the
major refurbishment work was carried out.

6.3.7 Boundaries

Boundaries to the North, half the Western and some Southern boundary are made
up of domestic back gardens, the remainder is made up of agricultural hedgerows.

6.3.8 Access

The main vehicular access is through the gates off Crays Hill,
which is shared with Futures Homescapes who have a depot
adjacent to the site. Multi user access runs from Sleetmoor
Lane at the North of the site, and exits through the main
gates on Crays Hill. There are two further pedestrian access
points off Lavender Road and Rowthorne Avenue.

Multi User Route

Entrance off Sleetmoor Lane/
All user path

Entrance off Crays Hill

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