Highfields Country Park

Action Plan, 2018-2020

1. Background to the project

In July 2017 New Routes were commissioned by Woodlands Big Local to come up with an action plan of sustainable measures to improve Highfields Country Park, and make it more viable. New Routes brought in researchers from ‘Your Back Yard’ ( to undertake the surveys to provide the evidence to underpin this plan. This project aims to use public consultation to identify improvements that could be made to the park, with a view to regenerate it and encourage local residents to use it more. The project sought to find out what improvements residents in the Woodlands and Highfields areas would like to see in the park, and what issues they felt currently existed. This consultation seeks to provide an advisory basis for an action plan to regenerate the park, as part of an ongoing regeneration programme in the area, led by Woodland Speaks, and funded through the Big Local.

2. Research methodology

We surveyed 101 residents, with 43 answering online surveys, 15 answering park-user surveys in the park, and 43 answering household surveys. A random sampling strategy was used with researchers sampling anyone in the area, with the aim of reflecting the demographic of the area accurately in the sample. Household surveying was carried out in streets near to the park in both Woodlands and Highfields to reflect the views of residents of both areas in the findings.

3. Main findings

The full version of the feedback report can be found at

Some of the ‘headline’ findings are set out below;

  • The park is much loved by the local community in Woodlands and Highfields
  • Many residents are passionate about improving the park and a lot of people want to be actively involved in making it better.
  • The main issues stopping people from using the park currently are antisocial behavior and vandalism
  • The use of motorbikes and quadbikes in the park causes a lot of people to feel unsafe
  • Many people said that tidying up the park through cutting back bushes, litter picking, and cleaning up the lake would alone make a significant difference.
  • The most popular potential improvement was the installation of a children’s play area
  • Café and toilets were amongst the most cited examples of facilities that would encourage people to use the Park more
  • Other popular potential improvements were more seating, having a park warden, and many people suggested having a picnic area.
  • Other small scale improvements, such as more seating, picnic tables, would make the park more family friendly
  • It is vital that any improvements, such as a play area, have funding allocated for maintenance and repairs.
  • Many people surveyed showed an enthusiasm for being involved in improving the park-these people could provide the basis of a strong Friends of Group
  • The recreation of the BMX track might help deter some vandalism and anti social behavior

4. The Action Plan

One of the key aims of the surveys, and wider research work with local stakeholders, was to come up with a really clear idea as to what improvements local people wanted to see in the Park. These ideas and priorities would then be translated into a short term Action Plan of measures that could be delivered over a 12-18 month period and would ‘kick start’ the process of regenerating the Park. Ten measures have been set out for the first phase of that plan, in the table below.

Highfields Country Park Improvement Action Plan, phase 1, 2018-2019
Project name / Lead Delivery partner / Other potential partners / Estimated cost
£ / Possible sources of funding / Estimated start date
1. Hold a family fun day event in May/June / FOHCP / Big Local, DMBC / 1500 / Section 106 / Spring 2018
2. Run a programme of ‘healthy living park’ fun activities; sports, guided walks, dancing, yoga, cycling, BMX sessions, etc, to be held in the park / FOHCP / Local activity providers, Public Health / 10,000 / Sport England, Awards for All, CCG, Mars, Greggs / Spring/summer 2018
3. Undertake take a programme of community engagement with local primary schools, the high school, health providers, environmental agencies, third sector organisations etc to recruit project partners / New Routes/Your Back Yard / 3,500 / Section 106 / Jan-April 2018
4. The restoration of the BMX bike track / FOHCP / Local schools / 1,000 / Jan 2018
5. Install a children’s play area / DMBC / Local schools, DMBC / 35,000 / Sec. 106, Awards for All
6. Organise some volunteer led ‘tidy up’ days (with the new ‘Friends of’ group) / FOHCP / Local schools
7. The provision of (vandal proof) picnic tables and seats / DMBC / 5000 / Section 106,
8. Install a trail to make the park dementia friendly / DMBC/ FOHCP / Alzeimers society, CCG, / TBC / Sprig 2018
9. Create a nature trail and woodland/bushcraft area for use by local schools / FOHCP/ / TBC / BMDC / January 2018
10. Communications Plan; a Facebook page/more marketing, intergenerational activities, etc) / FOHCP / 500 / January 2018
Ideas for phase 2 of the Plan
1. Undertake a feasibility study into a volunteer run café
2. Improvements to the lake area

Individual Project Plans

NAME OF PROJECT / PROJECT DESCRIPTION / DELIVERY PARTNERS / ESTIMATED TOTAL PROJECT COSTS
(£) / Possible sources of funding / Evidence of need / Timetable
1. Holding a Family Fun and Healthy Living Day / An event aimed at providing a fun, healthy day that will appeal to all sectors of the community, designed to:
-raise the profile of the park
-encourage more people to come and visit
-raising awareness of future events/programmes, such as a possible Healthy Living Park Programme of activities to be held in the park over the summer
-raise awareness around healthy living
Local providers of healthy activities, such as sports, yoga, zumba, streetdance, cycling, walking etc would be invited to deliver a showcase session, free on the day. In return they meet potential customers and, if it is popular, would be paid to run sessions in the summer (funded by Sport England, or Awards for All) / FOHCP/DMDC, YBY, Public health, Health and well being, / 1500 / Section 106 / -Feedback from surveys
-Health indicators / May/June 2017

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