CABINET 7/12/2010 FOR INFORMATION
BOROUGH OF POOLE
ENVIRONMENT OVERVIEW & SCRUTINY COMMITTEE
18 NOVEMBER 2010
REPORT OF THE HEAD OF LEISURE SERVICES
UPTON COUNTRY PARK
PART OF THE PUBLISHED FORWARD PLAN - Yes
STATUS – SERVICE DELIVERY
1 / Purpose1.1 / To seek approval from Cabinet for detailed investigation into future management options at Upton Country Park[1], and the procurement approach, informed by the market sounding exercise.
1.2 / The purpose of this report is to focus on the ‘how’ to manage Upton Country Park in future, as opposed to the ‘what’ happens on site. The latter will be the subject of work in early 2011.
2 / Decision Required
2.1 / Members are recommended to request that Cabinet;
a) Approve the outcomes to achieve at Upton Country Park as outlined in section in 3.2
b) Approve the investigation of the procurement approach and the management options for Upton Country Park, numbered 2 – 5, as outlined in section 6.1
3 / Background
3.1 / The Future Direction of Upton Country Park report was adopted by Cabinet in June 2009 with an agreed Mission of:
‘Caring for Upton Country Park and House, now and for the future, improving public access and value for money through events and opportunities for recreation and learning’
3.2 / The Council is under considerable pressure to achieve significant financial savings, with the additional challenge of increasing income and improving asset optimisation to better support its future financial position. Within Greenspace, Upton Country Park offers the most significant potential to achieve these two challenges. Upton House, Country Park, and Tea Rooms are currently subsidised by the Council - the Council spends around £650k per annum on maintaining and managing the Park, House and Tea Rooms, recovering only £200k of this through external fee income (most of the income generated is from Peacock Tea Rooms catering income).
Therefore the outcomes to pursue are:
a) Provide a premier and dynamic country park, as an important sub regional destination greenspace, increasing use of the park
b) Provide additional new greenspace (Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace) to allow development of Hamworthy and Regeneration Area
c) Reduce the revenue required, develop income generation opportunities and attract investment to the site
d) Full cost recovery of site expenditure plus the aim to achieve a financial surplus
3.3 / Market Sounding Exercise
3.4 / Following the July report to Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee a market sounding exercise was held in October 2010 to test interest in the running and development of Upton Country Park by a range of potential providers. This was organised by a cross service steering group that included representatives from Leisure, Transportation, Tourism, Planning and Regeneration, Asset Management & Property and Financial Services.
3.5 / 41 attendees from 27 companies attended the day and 25 submissions were received with a broad range of proposals.
3.6 / The submissions will help inform the future process. Key comments from groups and businesses included:
a) Recognition of the potential to increase the visitor offer and activities
b) Ideas for generating income which are complimentary to the heritage and Poole Harbour setting and in line with the Upton Country Park mission
c) Concern for the length of time subsequent council processes may take
d) Desire to see income generated on site to be ring fenced to Upton Country Park
e) Potential to enhance the site to benefit the people of Poole and visitors to the area
3.7 / It should be noted that due to the designations that exist on site there are a number of ‘givens’:
a) Substantial new buildings would not be permitted in the Green Belt
b) The Grade II* listed building of Upton House and its grounds and the harbourside habitat must be protected
c) Public access to the existing greenspace allocation must remain.
This information was provided in advance of the market sounding day and the companies and groups that submitted ideas demonstrated an understanding of working with these parameters.
3.8 / It is the first time that the Council has run a pro-active market sounding exercise. Officers have recorded ‘lessons learnt’ to share this experience which may prove useful in the current financial climate.
3.9 / A summary of the exercise:
a) A useful way to be proactive and positive in a challenging financial context to assess the business interest
b) Recognise the different organisational approaches and cultures from local businesses and groups and enable the Council to respond accordingly
c) Keep local stakeholders and residents informed
d) An excellent way to build a dialogue with businesses and groups
e) No completely different ideas were submitted that had not been raised previously
f) Low number of proposals with investment readily available
g) A reliance on some providers wanting an ongoing ‘contract sum’
h) Some providers not demonstrating a sufficient track record of facility development and management
i) Without ownership of the site some providers were unwilling to submit proposals or were limiting their investment in the site.
4 / Feedback from the Upton Country Park Liaison Committee
4.1 / On November 1 the Upton Country Park Liaison Committee discussed the Market Sounding exercise in relation to the funding requests made to the Friends of Upton Country Park.
4.2 / The following was noted:
a) To date Upton Country Park Leisure Services budgets have not been reduced as this is a priority strategic greenspace but this will no longer be feasible in the current financial climate.
b) That the Liaison Committee purpose is to progress the spending of the Friends funds against the agreed mission of ‘Working in partnership to initiate the protection, improvement and promotion of Upton Country Park Estate for the enjoyment of the people of Poole’
c) The Friends would have liked to have had greater involvement in the July 2010 committee report.
d) There are some small scale projects which would be appropriate to progress in parallel with other work to ensure the site continues to build on previous work undertaken and the Council has requested funding from the Friends for these projects.
5 / Public Engagement Exercise
5.1 / On 5 November Upton Country Park team members set up a stall in the Dolphin Shopping Centre to ask the public for their views on Upton Country Park. Approximately 300 people visited the stall - of which 90% had visited Upton Country Park at some time. The session was promoted in the Echo, on the Council website via posters on site and the Upton Country Park bulletin. A scripted PA announcement was also announced hourly within the shopping centre to introduce and encourage visitors to visit and share their views. Individuals who could not attend the stall were invited to email their comments – these are being collated and are in addition to the information recorded below
5.2 / The first question asked was ‘What do you like about Upton Country Park?’
In summary the 128 responses were:
a) Complimentary (beautiful, tranquil, everything, must be kept natural) – 37 related comments
b) Natural environment (setting, open space) – 35 related comments
c) Walks and accessibility of site – 30 related comments
d) Free (parking / space) -19 related comments
e) Tearooms / Gallery – 18 related comments
f) Events (activities, play, weddings) – 12 related comments
g) Safe / play for children – 8 related comments
h) Others – 4 related comments
5.3 / The second question was ‘What don’t you like about Upton Country Park?’
In summary the 63 responses were:
a) Nothing/keep natural – 15 related comments
b) Dog issues – 9 related comments
c) Access/bus/lighting – 9 related comments
d) Facilities – plant centre, tearooms – 9 related comments
e) Cycling issues – 5 related comments
f) House opening – 3 related comments
g) Others – 10 related comments
5.4 / The third question asked was ‘What would you change about Upton Country Park?’
In summary the 150 responses were:
a) Increase activities / events – 36 related comments
b) Install children’s play / adventure trails – 24 related comments
c) Improvements to catering – 13 related comments
d) Improve advertising, onsite information – 12 related comments
e) Improve access to and use of Upton House – 11 related comments
f) Do nothing – 11 related comments
g) Charge for car park (direct/voluntary) – 9 related comments
h) Create community orchard, farm, allotments – 6 related comments
i) Camping – 4 related comments
j) Improve plant centre – 4 related comments
k) Other / specific comments – 30 related comments
5.5 / Following this initial stage to gather ideas, ongoing feedback is being received via email with further detailed public consultation taking place in 2011 and the next edition of the Poole Opinion Panel will include questions about Upton Country Park usage and satisfaction.
6 / Possible Management Options to Deliver the Outcomes for Upton Country Park
6.1 /
There are a number of management options available to the Council:
1. Continue current arrangements of Council management2. Improve Council management with primary focus on cost reduction and income generation
3. External delivery - Council establishes an arm’s length third sector organisation/ work with private sector
4. Council Contract -outsource day to day running/site development to a contractor (Managed part or whole of site)
5. Sale of the site – The sale of the House and existing Country Park has already been ruled out and is therefore not being considered. Please see 6.2 below for comments about the farm.
Options 1-5 have been assessed against their likelihood of achieving the necessary outcomes for the site as indicated in the table in Appendix One.
6.2 / The sale of the farm buildings or part of the farmland is technically an option. Some feedback from the market sounding demonstrated that a number of businesses would be unwilling to invest if the farm buildings and some of the adjoining land remained in Council ownership. Due to the overall financial pressures it is felt to be prudent to investigate this option at this early stage, but if sold, it could not be for housing or development, as the Green Belt policy would apply.
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7 / Recommendations7.1 / Officers recommend that:
a) Option 1 is not pursued – this is not a realistic option, it will not deliver the outcomes needed for Upton Country Park and the sites full potential will not be realised. The outcomes would remain the same as the current position of high revenue cost with low footfall.
b) Option 5 - it is recommended that the sale of the House and Country Park is ruled out but that part disposal of the farm remains as an option to be investigated for financial reasons.
c) Options 2, 3 and 4 are investigated in detail for their likelihood of delivering the key outcomes needed for the site.
7.2 / At the same time that the management options are investigated the procurement approach will be investigated in detail. This will be reported to the Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee in January 2011, before a procurement process is started. The duration of the subsequent process is likely to take between 6 to 9 months, after which a final decision is made regarding the options delivered on site. This timescale will depend on the management option information and procurement approach followed.
8 / Financial Implications
8.1 / Existing and anticipated budgetary pressures will make it increasingly difficult to maintain current levels of subsidy for Upton Country Park. The Park has the capacity to generate sufficient income to recover operational spend – and possibly generate surplus for the Council. It is therefore proposed to take a more positive approach to managing the site to increase income generation and make the Country Park financially viable over the longer term. This strategy is also in line with the Borough’s corporate review of income generation (a specific project within the Efficiency Review Programme).
8.2 / The cost of this work will be funded by Leisure Services with no additional resources required.
8.3 / Implementing the outcomes may require additional revenue/capital investment. A full business case will be presented to support necessary investment requirements prior to any financial commitments being made.
9 / Legal Implications
9.1 / The Council has a legal obligation to ensure the provision of additional recreational land before any housing development in the Hamworthy and regeneration area commences. Poole is taking a pragmatic approach to this as the developments will fund the provision of the additional land. Therefore the recreational land should be available when the houses are occupied, especially in the major regeneration sites. The future management option must deliver the additional recreational land of at least 25 acres. (The current Country Park is 98 acres and the farm is 154 acres)
10 / Policy Implications
10.1 / The work at Upton Country Park must deliver a Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace as per the adopted Core Strategy (2009) and the emerging Site Specific Allocation Development Plan Document.
11 / Risk Management Implications
11.1 / The investigations into the management options and procurement approach will include a standard model of risk assessment.
12 / Equalities Implications
12.1 / The future management options work will include an assessment of community benefits in line with the council’s Fairness for All policy for Equalities and Diversity. In addition there are a number of current stakeholders on site such as Adult Social Care who will have an opportunity to be actively involved as this process progresses to ensure that the site remains inclusive for all.
13 / Environmental Impact
13.1 / There are no environmental implications at this early stage. The market sounding exercise has highlighted the environmental value and designations of the area.
14 / Staffing Implications
14.1 / There are no staffing implications at this early stage of market sounding and options analysis.
15 / Planning Implications
15.1 / There are no planning implications at this early stage of market sounding. The market sounding and options analysis will highlight the planning designations and constraints.
16 / Conclusion
16.1 / The detailed investigation into management options and the procurement approach will be reported back to Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee in January 2011.
CLIVE SMITH