Green Flag Awards for Open Spaces
BOROUGH OF POOLE
ENVIRONMENT OVERVIEW GROUP
5TH OCTOBER 2006
REPORT OF THE HEAD OF LEISURE SERVICES
GREEN FLAG AWARDS FOR OPEN SPACES
1 / Purpose and Policy Context1.1 / To seek Member support for securing Green Flag awards for open spaces in Poole.
2 / Decision Required
2.1 / Members are recommended to:
2.1.1 / Support the principle of Green Flag as an appropriate and desirable quality standard to be aspired for in some Poole’s open spaces where appropriate.
2.1.2 / Instruct officers to progress an application for Upton Country Park in 2007, with a view to further phased applications in subsequent years.
3 / Information
3.1 / The Green Flag award began in 1996 as a means of recognising and rewarding the best open spaces in the country. It was developed to become a benchmark of excellence in recreational green areas. The scheme is run by the Civic Trust and applications are assessed by judges experienced in the management of open spaces.
3.2 / The benefits of achieving Green Flag are numerous. These include:
i)Promotion – the flag and logo can be used to promote successful sites in such a way that is simple, clear and effective to existing and potential visitors.
ii)Service improvement – The flag is a visible demonstration of service improvement, and can be used to raise the standards of other open spaces in the Borough.
iii)Regeneration – Green Flags awards can raise the perception of an open space and the area in which it is located. The process of applying for a Green Flag and of sustaining it can also act as a vehicle for community involvement and for securing external funding.
iv)Good community facilities – the flag is awarded to open spaces which can demonstrate they meet the needs of their visitors or that there are plans in place to develop such facilities. Such improvements link to benefits in health and education and crime reduction.
v)Tourism – Green Flag makes a clear and nationally consistent statement about the quality of an open space, in much the same way as Blue Flag has done for beaches around the country.
vi)Civic pride – Parks have since Victorian times been promoted as examples of civic achievement. This remains relevant today, and Green Flag can act as a mechanism for realising and promoting the full value of the authority’s commitment to its open spaces.
3.3 / An application for Green Flag for an open space involves the submission of various documents that together can demonstrate that the management of an open space meets the award standard. A visit by a Green Flag judge is also required as part of the process. The key elements to the application are:
i)Management plan – to provide a clear vision of the site’s development
ii)Plans and maps
iii)Statement – focusing on why the open space qualifies for the award.
iv)Photographs
3.4 / The key criteria that an open space is being measured against are as follows:
i)A welcoming place – is the overall impression for visitors a welcoming one? Issues around this may include signage and access for all.
ii)Healthy, safe and secure – the site must be safe for visitors to use. This includes equipment and facilities, as well as managing the impact of dogs.
iii)Clean and well maintained – The management of litter and waste on the site must be backed by policy, as well as polices relating to vandalism and maintenance.
iv)Sustainability – Management methods must be environmentally sound, and this must be backed up by an environmental policy.
v)Conservation and heritage – Such features should be managed appropriately and sympathetically.
vi)Community involvement – Knowledge and evidence of community involvement in management and planning of the open space must be demonstrated.
vii)Marketing – A marketing strategy must be in place.
viii)Management – A management plan must be in place which addresses all of the above criteria. This must be actively implemented and regularly reviewed.
3.5 / The challenges that emerge when adopting a strategy to attain Green Flag awards centre primarily on staff capacity. Officers have every confidence in the potential of the Borough’s open spaces, and it is considered that much good work is already taking place to raise the standard of Poole’s open spaces. However, the work connected to securing a Green Flag and then retaining it year on year cannot be underestimated. Some open spaces are more prepared than others, in so far as management plans exist and management methods are closer to the Green Flag vision than others. It is however a sizable task to bring together the interested parties and the information necessary to increase the likelihood of success.
4 / Proposal or Options
4.1 / Notwithstanding the constraints referred to above, it is considered that Poole should begin work to achieve the Green Flag standard, in recognition of the wider benefits that this will bring. Efforts will initially need to be focused on developing the necessary policy, and ensuring the selected site is fit for application. In light of this, it is proposed to restrict our applications to one site per year. It is considered however that much of the preparatory work necessary for a first application will be useful in subsequent applications.
4.2 / In view of the previous award of Green Flag to Upton Country Park, it is considered that this site would be our most appropriate priority for an application in 2007. The site has a successful and supportive Friends group, and has proved to be a very popular country park for many years. The site benefits from on-site staff supported by an external grounds maintenance contractor, as well as partnership arrangements with Social Services in respect of catering provision. It is considered that this site represents a good opportunity to begin the process of securing Green Flags in Poole.
4.3 / In subsequent years Poole Park would seem to be the next priority as a Borough-wide facility that also draws many visitors and has an active and supportive Friends Group. Following that an assessment would need to be made taking into account which other sites have sufficient facilities, community support, appropriate documentation etc., and would justify the diversion of officer time from managing and improving open spaces into seeking this award.
CLIVE SMITH
HEAD OF LEISURE SERVICES
Contact Officers:
Matti Raudsepp, Open Spaces Manager (01202) 261377
Background Papers:
None
Report Version: 2.0 26/09/06 Page 1