For General Release:
Cabinet 21st March 2016

REPORT TO:
AGENDA ITEM:
SUBJECT:
LEAD OFFICER:
CABINET MEMBER:

9
Ambitious for Parks & Green Spaces in
Croydon – working with our communities
Jo Negrini, Executive Director of Place
Timothy Godfrey, Cabinet Member for Culture,
Leisure & Sport

WARDS:

All

CORPORATE PRIORITY/POLICY CONTEXT:
The proposals included in this report contribute to achieving the following strategic
outcomes:
Growth:
• to create a place where people and businesses want to be
• to grow a thriving and lively cultural offer which engages communities and
supports regeneration
Independence:
• to help people from all communities live longer, healthier lives through
positive lifestyle choices
Enabling:
• to be innovative and enterprising in using available resources to change
lives for the better
• to be open and transparent and put communities at the heart of decision
making
The proposals contained in this report also support the delivery of Croydon’s
Community Strategy 2013-18, and the Liveability outcomes outlined in the
Corporate Plan 2015-18, in particular the following:
• to create a place that communities are proud of and want to look after as
their neighbourhood
• to make parks and open spaces a cultural resource
• to create a place where people feel safe and are safe
• to improve wellbeing across all communities through sport and physical
activity

1

 AMBITIOUS FOR CROYDON & WHY ARE WE DOING THIS:
Ambitious for Croydon describes Croydon’s parks as “key assets for the
community” and this report highlights the role they play in place making, health and
wellbeing and the borough’s cultural offer, as well as the role the Council sees the
community playing in helping shape services, being involved in decision making and
having the opportunity to hold events and activities our parks and open spaces. Our
vision for Croydon’s parks and green spaces is to ensure that these high valued
community assets are maintained for future generations. However, with significant
financial pressures and the need to reduce expenditure, the current model service
delivery is not sustainable in the long-term and significant changes in the way we do
things are required. The proposals set out in this document focus on engaging with
the community to understand how the Council can enable our residents to do more
and get more out of the borough’s parks, and through that process identify
community assets that will help provide a more responsive efficient service, enable
more community participation and management, potentially generate revenue from
an exciting and diverse cultural offer and through this ensure that our parks are
protected, pleasant and safe for generations to come.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The parks review focuses on improving the efficiency of the grounds maintenance
contract, and on opportunities to increase revenue from commercial events, and from
other sources. Capital expenditure to improve parks and allotments infrastructure will be
from existing capital funding (including S106 contributions from developers) and
applications made through the existing processes.
KEY DECISION REFERENCE NO.: This is not a Key Decision

RECOMMENDATIONS
The Leader of the Council has delegated to the Cabinet the power to make the
decisions set out in the recommendations below. Cabinet is recommended:
1.1.

To approve the approach set out in the report to engage the residents,
community groups and other stakeholders on proposals to maximise the
benefits that parks and green spaces provide and their contribution to
achieving wider health, regeneration and culture outcomes.

1.2.

To agree that the Executive Director of Place, in consultation with the
Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Sport, be granted delegated
authority to use the feedback from the engagement to shape and implement
a Parks and Green Spaces Delivery Plan.

2

 2.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

2.1.

The Council and the borough’s residents value Croydon’s parks and green
spaces and recognise the benefits they provide to our communities. They
make neighbourhoods pleasant places to live; they provide space to relax, let
off steam, and to get together as a community or for entertainment. Parks
and green spaces help improve our physical and mental health and
wellbeing, in a crowded urban environment they provide access to quieter,
tranquil natural spaces; they support local economies and help reduce the
impact of climate change by making our environment cooler and mitigate
potential flood risk.

2.2.

The parks review through research, benchmarking, identifying good and
innovative practice has examined how we manage and provide parks and
green spaces, and has looked at the potential to use, manage and resource
them differently in future. The overall outcomes we are trying to achieve are
improving health and wellbeing through participation in sports and physical
activity, improving the diversity and attraction of borough’s “cultural offer”
through a calendar of exciting community events and entertainment in our
parks, and introducing greater element of “community stewardship” through
community involvement in all aspects of running parks from managing
grounds maintenance services, to making improvements, to raising funds for
specific projects.

2.3.

However, to do this well we need to work in partnership with our residents
and communities and come to a common understanding about the role we
want parks to play in future, what we, as individuals and as a community,
want to be able to do and get out of our parks and green spaces, and the
relationship between the Council and our communities in making decisions
about investment and improvements, about their day to day management,
and about events, activities and entertainment.

2.4.

Through this conversation we will change the way things have been done in
the past, but we will also develop a parks service that is fit for purpose and
maximises the contribution it makes to the borough’s Ambitious for
Croydon outcomes.

3.

VISION

3.1.

Our vision is for Croydon’s parks and green spaces to be maintained for future
generations, to be enjoyed by local communities, to encourage and enable
healthier lifestyles, to preserve and improve the borough’s ecology and
biodiversity, to provide the space for exciting cultural events and entertainment
that attract visitors and support our economy, and to become one of the key
factors that make Croydon a great place to live, work and socialise.

3.2.

The value of parks to the borough and its communities is given prominence in
Ambitious for Croydon and the Council's various supporting strategies and
plans. Ambitious for Croydon describes Croydon’s parks as “key assets for
the community” and sets out a number of commitments including:
3

 •
•
•
•

Keeping parks safe
Providing a named Park Keeper and a team working with the community
Enabling local communities to take decisions affecting their parks
Enabling young people, unemployed, disabled people to learn skills and
gain valuable experience through restoring and improving the borough’s
parks and green spaces

3.3.

The Parks review contributes to the ambition of “making parks and open
spaces a cultural resource” and the above commitments. Croydon’s
Liveability Strategy also recognises the borough’s parks and green spaces as
cultural resources, and commits to reviewing the facilities in them and to
make improvements that meet local need, and to develop the commercial
potential of park buildings and facilities for the benefit of local people.
Croydon’s Local Plan also commits to preserving the borough’s parks and
green spaces and includes objectives that ensure new developments
integrate, respect and enhance the natural environment, and that the Council
improves the quality and accessibility of green space and nature, and
protects and enhances biodiversity. To achieve this a presumption in favour
of development will be applied where applications assist the delivery of a
Green Grid - a network of multi-functional green spaces made up of the All
London Green Grid and other green spaces within the borough (further
details of the policy are provided in Appendix A of this report). The Council’s
policy position, therefore, is firmly in favour of the restoration, improvement of
the boroughs parks and green spaces as well as enhancing and protecting
the natural environment and biodiversity.

3.4.

Formal parks have the capacity to provide a wide range of facilities and
services offering the opportunity to relax, play sport, for children to play, or to
hold community events and activities. They are the perfect place to get out of
the house or workplace and de-stress by skateboarding, rollerblading,
running, cycling or just walking. Increasingly parks and green spaces are
being used as alternatives to the gym, and some provide equipment for
exercise including trim trails and resistance exercise machines. More natural
areas provide the opportunity to observe wildlife, notice the seasons change
and to feel in closer contact with nature. These areas are increasingly
important in providing urban residents with respite from busy and noisy
environments and improving physical and mental wellbeing and quality of life.
Local authorities also have a statutory duty1 of care to manage, protect and
preserve the biodiversity value of these natural sites.

3.5.

The borough is fortunate in having a wide variety of parks and green spaces
ranging from formal parks and gardens through to countryside, woodland,
ponds and meadows. Over a third of the borough is green space, higher than
the average in London. The Council’s Parks Service is responsible for
managing and maintaining over 1000 hectares of parkland, playgrounds,
sports and other facilities. Croydon has 127 different parks and green
spaces, as well as 17 allotment sites (including two private sites).
1

Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006

4

 3.6.

Croydon is very fortunate that our volunteers give up over 7,000 days a year
working to improve and maintain our parks, woodlands and green spaces –
an in-kind contribution (if valued at the average national wage 2) of nearly
£500,000. Croydon’s parks are highly valued by our residents. Previous
surveys have found that over 70% of Croydon residents were satisfied with
the quality of green space provision, and over 90% considered open spaces
to be very or fairly important to them as residents. A recent survey found that
over 80% of residents polled used a Croydon park at least once a week.

3.7.

Parks and green spaces rank high among the factors people take into
account when choosing somewhere to live or move to. Natural England, the
government’s adviser for the natural environment in England, estimates that if
everyone in the country had easy access to green space, it would save the
healthcare system £2.1bn every year. However, despite the benefits to local
economies, housing values, the environment and public health, public parks
and green spaces are receiving less and less funding. Local authorities and
other public bodies across the country are struggling with the difficult choices
between retaining popular and valued discretionary services and making
savings. However, some are not just settling for cuts and are taking a more
innovative approach by changing the way they have traditionally done things.
NESTA3 recently published the learning from its Rethinking Parks
programme which includes a number of innovative approaches that show
promise: Burnley for example has changed its park maintenance regime from
more intensive formal planting to less intensive meadows and perennials;
Darlington has encouraged regular volunteering by local businesses to
improve parks; and Bristol has supported a number of participants into
employment or training through their in-park horticultural skills and work
experience programme. In London, Lambeth has been working on enabling
the local community to become involved in decision making and the direct
management of parks, and Havering has made significant progress in
involving their community, transforming their approach to parks funding,
reducing subsidy and in changing the traditional model for the provision of
allotments, sports pitches and bowls clubs.

3.8.

Croydon’s parks service is a traditional, contracted out model with a small
team of Council officers directing and managing grounds maintenance,
cleansing, facilities management and tree works contracts. The overall
expenditure on parks green spaces is £1.83m, however, this has reduced
considerably in recent years through the retendering the grounds
maintenance contract and through service restructure (including the reduction
of the staff complement by three Greenspaces Development Officers).
Grounds maintenance services (including horticulture, sports provision, and
general cleansing and safety services) are provided by Quadron, and
2

£26,000 per year
National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts http://www.nesta.org.uk/about-us/ourhistory
3

5

 facilities management of parks buildings and infrastructure is provided by
Interserve. In summary the annual expenditure breaks down as follows:
•

•
•
•

£1.2m goes towards routine works specified under the grounds
maintenance contract (including horticulture (including to housing land,
highways and education playing fields), sports provision, cleansing, and
the Park Rangers and Countryside Wardens)
£132,000 goes towards unexpected grounds maintenance and tree
works that are required from time to time
£224,200 goes towards employing staff to manage the parks service, and
to manage the grounds maintenance, tree works and facilities
management contracts
£280,000 goes towards general office and other costs including water,
electricity etc.

3.9.

The Council is committed to ensuring Croydon’s parks and green spaces are
maintained for future generations, however, the current model of service
delivery does not fit with the challenges and opportunities of the modern
world. Croydon is facing a significant challenge in trying to maintain high
quality services, while at the same time accommodating increasing demand
and being expected to considerably reduce its expenditure by the
government. The Croydon Challenge is the Council’s response to these
pressures and requires each service, including parks, to review how it does
things, to challenge traditional methods of service delivery and come up with
new ways of meeting need and achieving our agreed outcomes. The way we
use, maintain and pay for our parks and green spaces can make a
contribution to this target through developing a new fit for purpose future
service that moves away from the traditional ‘input/output’ contract monitoring
towards a model that makes use of the communities’ assets, is more
inclusive and enabling towards the local community needs, and is responsive
to opportunities to improve the borough’s cultural offer.

3.10.

The information set out in the paragraphs above explain how the parks
review has examined current provision, looked at Croydon’s potential,
identified examples of good and innovative practice, and set out the scope
and mechanisms to transform the parks service. The following sections of
this report go on to set out the outcomes we aim to achieve, how the
proposed transformation will be shaped through a “big conversation” with
residents, communities and stakeholders, and then goes on to set out further
detail on the actions already underway and planned that will go into a delivery
plan for Croydon’s parks and green spaces.

3.11.

OUTCOMES
The borough’s vision for parks will be delivered by focusing on the
achievement of the following outcomes:
•

Improved health and wellbeing – parks and green spaces that support
and encourage active lifestyles, provide high quality sports facilities, give
children a space to play in, address inequalities and host a range of well
publicised activities for all (walks for health, outdoor gyms, etc.)
6

 •

•

•

•

3.12.

An exciting attractive cultural offer - parks and green spaces that
provide a contrast to the busy urban environment, that offer the
opportunity to do everything from take a pleasant walk, to be surprised
by community art, give support to a community event, or take in a show,
a concert, or open air theatre, with a calendar of exciting events
throughout the year that attract visitors, and help support the local
economy
Community stewardship – developing a partnership with local
communities where groups and volunteers are supported and
encouraged to take an equal role in and responsibility for the
improvement and direct management of parks and green spaces - from
raising funds, to volunteering, right through to full management via
Community Asset Transfer
Environmental sustainability and biodiversity – where the essential
role parks, woodlands and green spaces play in reducing the effects of
climate change – urban heat reduction, improving air quality, providing
sustainable drainage systems (SUDS), and preserving biodiversity – are
recognised, valued and preserved. As well as the vital role they play in
providing access to green space and nature, protecting and enhancing
green space and biodiversity, promoting conservation, environmental
education, and recreation
A sustainable service delivery model – a way of maintaining the
boroughs parks and green spaces that ensures resources and
investment are allocated in a way that supports and enhances wider
outcomes with mixed financial models of service delivery in place

A big conversation about parks
In line with Ambitious for Croydon and the Opportunity and Fairness
Commission’s final report the Council is committed to ensuring our residents
and stakeholders in the borough have opportunity to shape, influence and
engage in decisions affecting services and in their delivery. The Council
proposes to launch a multi-channel big conversation with residents,
community groups and stakeholders about parks using surveys, focus
groups, existing forums and groups, and social media. This big conversation
will enable the Council to reach a wide range of stakeholders and establish a
shared view on how we can use our parks to their full potential. It will also
ensure that the proposed approach and actions not only improve outcomes
outlined above but also reflect local residents’ needs and preferences.

3.13.

The big conversation will ask residents and organisations about how they use
parks now, and will ask if they want to become involved in managing and
improving services in the future, how can the Council help enable this
engagement and participation to happen, and how can we work together to
do things differently.

3.14.

The big parks conversation will be launched in summer 2016 and will
continue until the winter of 2016 with regular promotions and reminders for
people to get involved and provide their feedback. It is anticipated that more
localised engagement will then focus in on particular work streams and
projects that flow from the overall review. The feedback will inform the
development of the delivery plan overall and particular work streams going
7

 forward.
3.15.

The opportunity to take part in the big parks conversation will be publicised
through:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

3.16.

Items on the council’s website including a web banner on the homepage;
Posters and flyers in libraries, leisure centres, community centres and in
Access Croydon;
Emails to stakeholders, residents’ groups and residents associations;
Publicity in the Your Croydon monthly e-magazine
Posts on the Council’s I love Croydon Facebook page
Tweets on the Your Croydon Twitter account @yourcroydon
Putting information on the plasma display screens in Bernard Weatherill
House including in the Corporate Reception and Access Croydon
Including information in the standard footer of emails sent out by the
Council

IMPROVING HEALTH & WELLBEING
We will ensure that our parks and green spaces support and encourage
active lifestyles, provide high quality sports facilities, give children a
space to play in, address inequalities and host a range of well publicised
activities for all (walks for health, outdoor gyms, etc.) We will also focus
on food growing initiatives in parks and improve allotments provision,
including reviewing the opportunities to convert other open land to
allotments

3.17.

We know that parks and green spaces can have a beneficial impact on
physical and mental health and wellbeing across the lifecourse. The
benefits include better self-rated health; lower body mass index,
overweight and obesity levels; higher levels of physical activity; reductions
in some long term conditions; improved mental health and wellbeing as
well as increased longevity. Parks can play a role in addressing
inequalities. It is worth reiterating here that Natural England, the
government’s adviser for the natural environment in England, estimates
that if everyone in the country had easy access to green space, it would
save the healthcare system £2.1bn every year.

3.18.

However, we also have some evidence that Croydon residents do not tend to
use parks for exercise or health as much as residents of other boroughs
according to a recent survey5. Good quality and well maintained parks are
more likely to be used and local residents more likely to report higher
‘neighbourhood satisfaction’ and better health as a result. There is scope to
improve the rate at which our residents use parks and green spaces for
exercise and physical activity, and making improvements in this area will help
tackle some significant health concerns including diabetes and heart disease.
We can make this happen in a number of ways including improving facilities
in the parks residents want to exercise in, improving awareness and publicity,

5

Taken from the 2013/14 Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment (MENE) survey – Croydon
results compared with England’s average of 17.1% and London’s average of 11.8%.

8

 and working with colleagues in Public Health, the health service and with
GPs in the Croydon Clinical Commissioning Group. We are not starting from
scratch as there are some well-established and popular local health activities
that can be built upon to contribute to this improvement; for example, there
are over 32,000 people who regularly participate in physical activities in
Croydon’s parks and open spaces including: park runs, British military fitness,
health walks, football, cricket, outdoor gyms / trim trail, volunteering in parks
and sailing.
3.19.

We also need to know more about the current use and future demand for
sports pitches, and to use this information to engage with organisations
looking to invest in new sports facilities in Croydon. Local information on the
level of bookings of football pitches indicates that demand for grass sports
pitches, particularly football at the weekend, is in decline. The same can be
said for council bowls greens with a number already having to be closed
down due to lack of demand. However, there is healthy demand for good
quality sports facilities that are floodlit and available in the evenings. A needs
based approach, better promotion and awareness of the facilities available
will enable us to provide the right mix of facilities to maximise opportunities to
participate in sports and physical activities in Croydon.

3.20.

Allotments are a popular community resource that are in high demand and
also provide a wealth of health and wellbeing benefits. Croydon has
seventeen allotment sites, six of which are directly let by the Council, nine
managed by allotment societies, and two are private sites. Allotment
Societies with management leases appear to provide a cost effective, popular
model for the management of allotments sites, and the Council will review the
directly managed sites and capacity to transfer them to Allotment Societies
with full management leases.
Proposed actions:
i) Produce a playing pitch assessment and investment plan: Work has
already started on a playing pitch assessment (a consultant was
appointed in December 2015). The assessment will be completed in
August 2016 and will be used to develop an Outdoor Sports Facilities
and Playing Pitch Plan to guide investment in outdoor sports provision
and facilities in the future which will be completed in December 2016.
ii) Explore additional sources of funding: Identify and secure additional
sources of funding for investment in improved sports and other facilities
in parks and green spaces (sensitive to the local environment).
iii) Develop leasing opportunities for sports pitches: Build on our knowledge
and relationships with local sports organisations and leagues and
investigate alternative managing arrangements such as transferring
sports pitch assets to full community management model or leasing
facilities.
iv) Map sports and physical activity: Update our knowledge of current
organised activities taking place in parks, collect data on participation
that will make it easier to engage with and promote healthy lifestyle
initiatives available to residents.

9

 v) Increase awareness and uptake: Improve the awareness of activities
available to local residents through advertising, promotion and marketing
and through the sports development service
vi) Develop alternative management models for our allotment sites: Develop
different options for our directly managed allotment sites and decide
which one to take forward.
3.21.

AN EXCITING ATTRACTIVE CULTURAL OFFER
We will ensure our parks and green spaces provide a contrast to the
busy urban environment, offer the opportunity to do everything from
take a pleasant walk, to be surprised by community art, give support to
a community event, or take in a show, a concert, or open air theatre,
with a calendar of exciting events throughout the year that attract
visitors, and help support the local economy

3.22.

Parks and green spaces provide the opportunity to relax and unwind, to get in
touch with nature and escape from the busy urban environment. They stitch
together the urban fabric providing respite, relaxation, and contrast. They
also provide a community space that enables people to come together to
celebrate, learn and get to know one another. And they can also provide
excitement and entertainment with everything from bouncy castles for
children, to funfairs, circuses, fireworks, open air theatre and cinema, and
music concerts and festivals. There has been considerable growth in the
variety of events held in London’s parks and green spaces in recent years
including Christmas markets, outdoor cinema screenings, ice rinks, and
specialist festivals focusing on food, beer or other similar products.

3.23.

Croydon’s parks and green spaces already host a range of community and
commercial events over the course of the year – from smaller community
events and fairs, to theatre in the park, funfairs, circuses and music concerts
– and a lot of hard work goes into organising returning events and looking for
new ones. We recognise there is potential for Croydon to further extend and
diversify its cultural and entertainment “offer”, building on the 2015 Ambition
festival, and using our parks and green spaces as the places to provide it.
We recognise there are constraints and risks to be taken into account and
built into this approach going forward including the location and accessibility
of Croydon’s parks, available resources, the tolerance/support of local
residents towards larger scale events, and crucially the need to develop and
grow a “following” and sustained interest in music, entertainment and cultural
events held in the borough’s parks and open spaces over a period of years,
sensitive to the environment and residents.

3.24.

In order to take this part of the review forward the Council proposes to
undertake initial market testing to gauge the interest of event promoters and
to assess what opportunities there may be for them to develop events within
the borough. The market testing will explore the potential to build an
audience over a number of years, financial risk, infrastructure/development
requirements and the preferred type of arrangement for organising and
marketing a larger scale event/festival in Croydon.
10

 3.25.

The review will also work with newly appointed cultural director and
other stakeholders such as existing groups in the borough to develop
the arts programme that can be delivered in parks, with the aim to
create a seamless approach between the town centre and the districts
in term of outdoor arts and culture offer.
Proposed actions
i) Produce a parks events prospectus and market test: Update out
existing guidance on holding events in parks, and create a
prospectus setting out the opportunities in Croydon for commercial
events’ organisers. We will undertake market testing exercise,
possibly linking with local businesses.
ii) Advertise and promote events and entertainment: Promote and
advertise events and activities held in our parks and green spaces
to maximise attendance and encourage participation in
organisation and management
iii) Expand the calendar of events held in parks: Identify new
events and suitable locations in which to hold them

3.26.

ENCOURAGING COMMUNITY STEWARDSHIP
We will develop a partnership with our local communities to
ensure groups and volunteers are supported and encouraged to
take an equal role in and responsibility for the improvement and
direct management of parks and green spaces - from raising
funds, to volunteering, right through to full management via
Community Asset Transfer

3.27.

An essential part of the parks review and its work going forward is
developing a new relationship with community group and volunteers.
Many of the proposed actions described in this report will require a
greater role for the community and residents in organising, managing
and taking responsibility or projects, event and services.

3.28.

Croydon is very fortunate that volunteers give up over 7,000 days a
year working to improve and maintain our parks, woodlands and green
spaces – an in-kind contribution (if valued at the average national
wage) of nearly £500,000. There is a wide variety of voluntary groups
active in Croydon including Parks Friends Groups (that have recently
come together in a Parks, Woodlands and Greenspaces Forum),
Community Gardeners, Surrey & London Wildlife Trusts and The
Conservation Volunteers (TCV) and the Downlands Countryside
Management Project. There are currently 33 Parks Friends Groups at
work in the Borough, and they vary in size and the types of activity they
undertake. Some groups carry out practical woodland/nature
conservation work on a weekly or monthly basis with 5-15 volunteers
each time, and other groups cultivate community gardens (for
example, in Park Hill, Wandle, Thornton Heath Recreation Ground and
Westow parks). In other parks the Friends of groups act as the
Council’s “eyes and ears” and help monitor the quality of service
delivered, resolve problems, and run community events and activities
11

 (for example, Wettern Tree Garden or Haling Grove).
3.29.

There are two parks in the borough that provide case studies of how
the new approach to encouraging community stewardship could work.
Friends of Grangewood Park, formed in 2010 with the “aim of raising
the profile of the park and encouraging park users to take an active
role in future planning and upkeep of the park” is a good example of
local volunteers taking action and delivering long-term benefits to their
local community. They have set up a website (see link below) which
promotes the park and encourages volunteers to take part in a range
of activities. Friends of Grangewood Park are committed to preserving,
maintaining and enhancing their park, working with the Council to
promote its use and enjoyment, encouraging volunteering and thereby
improving social inclusion, health and wellbeing. Another example is
the Friends of Grange Park who have been raising funds for a new
play area in Old Coulsdon. The fundraising has been widely supported
by the local community and donations currently amount to more than
£50,000. The council has also contributed £5,000 to the project from
the Active Communities Fund and they are also awaiting the outcome
of a recent funding application to a major grant funder. The trustees in
consultation with local communities chose a design for the new play
area and aim to complete the project in 2016. Both of these examples
demonstrate that with support for voluntary groups in place, long-term
capital investment in the upkeep and improvement of the park, local
community groups working in partnership with the Council can mobilise
local resources, secure additional funding, and ensure their park is
sustained as a valuable community asset.

3.30.

The parks review will build on the considerable array of community
assets across the borough, and work to develop the social capital that
will enable this relationship between communities and the Council to
develop and flourish. This work will include campaigns to encourage
volunteering, engaging local businesses around volunteering and
participation in local events, support and mentoring from already
established organisations, and providing opportunities for people
seeking work to develop skills and experience through volunteering.
Proposed actions
i) Develop social capital: Work with CVA and the VCS in Croydon to
develop social capital and the infrastructure to support it
ii) Support the Croydon Parks, Woodlands and Greenspaces Forum:
Support the continued development of the independent Parks,
Woodlands and Greenspaces Forum
iii) Develop and support volunteer capacity: Work with the parks
volunteer organisation and to bring together current activity /
projects and explore the potential for increasing the capacity of
volunteer groups and diversity of activities achieved
iv) Support funding bids: Identify and support sites/areas/projects
that local groups would like to contribute to either by securing
external funding or volunteering
12

 3.31.

BIODIVERSITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
We will ensure the essential role parks, woodlands and green
spaces play in reducing the effects of climate change – urban
heat reduction, improving air quality, providing sustainable
drainage systems (SUDS), and preserving biodiversity – is
recognised, valued and preserved. As well as the vital role they
play in providing access to green space and nature, protecting
and enhancing green space and biodiversity, promoting
conservation, environmental education, and recreation.

3.32.

As described above Croydon’s Local Plan commits to preserving the
boroughs parks and green spaces. It also acknowledges that in
planning for the borough’s green space over the next 20 years there
are significant challenges including access to local parks and green
spaces in the north of the borough and an increasing pressure on
parks and play grounds with the levels of growth planned.

3.33.

In response to these challenges the Council will protect and safeguard
the extent of the borough’s Metropolitan Green Belt, Metropolitan Open
Land and Local Green Spaces, and will apply a presumption in favour
of development provided applications assist in the delivery of a Green
Grid and meet the requirements of Policy SP7 and other applicable
policies of the development plan. The Council will establish a network
of multi-functional green spaces, a ‘Green Grid’, comprising those parts
of the All London Green Grid together with other green spaces within
the borough.

3.34.

The Council will continue to work with TCV and other voluntary
groups to support conservation work in Croydon.
Proposed actions:
i) Conservation work with TCV: Work in partnership with TCV to
deliver conservation work renewing our commitment to core
funding the project
ii) Support for conservation work: we will look for ways to continue to
support and fund the conservation work delivered by the network of
organisations, friends of groups and third sector partners working in
our parks and open spaces.
iii) Continue with our support for the Downlands Project in
delivering conservation, habitat and green infrastructure
improvements in the borough
iv) Work with the GLA on environmental sustainability: working with
the GLA on environmental sustainability projects including applying
for funding for conservation work
v) Actively manage our woodlands, heathland and downland to
create bio diverse accessible places
vi) Improve access to nature in deprived areas through habitat
creation and improvements and/or infrastructure improvements
vii) Seek out opportunities to work with new partners in regional
13

 projects that benefit the borough such as : Beeline for London with
Buglife, & Great North Wood Project with London Wildlife Trust
3.35.

A SUSTAINABLE SERVICE DELIVERY MODEL
We will proactively work towards seeking and establishing new
partnerships, encouraging community engagement and securing
additional funding to ensure that by allocating resources more
strategically and investing where we can increase functionality
and income generation we encourage operation of different
financial models that support a sustainable and flexible service.

3.36.

As has been set out throughout this report the future of the borough’s
parks and green spaces lies in developing a mixed model of service
delivery that focuses on improving outcomes. Employing a mixed
model approach will mean resources and investment being targeted
towards a number of well used “strategic parks”, while other areas are
supported and managed by the local community and, or potentially
community trusts. Parks will be developed to deliver a variety of
functions and uses; some focusing on health and wellbeing by
encouraging participation in sports and physical activity, or on
entertainment and culture, while others will continue to focus on the
borough’s ecology and biodiversity.

3.37.

This mixed model will require an efficient allocation of resources and
a change to the way some of the borough’s parks are managed and
maintained, and it will also see an increased focus on generating
income (from events, activities, commercial leases and other
sources), and crucially on supporting volunteers and communities to
develop their capacity to become more directly engaged in the asset
management approach.

3.38.

Classifying our parks – a management tool
The council proposes that alongside the big conversation, a parks
classification is developed as a mechanism by which we ensure that
the Parks Service going forward is delivered according to a
systematic asset management framework that allocates expenditure
and investment in line with strategic objectives. The proposed
classification groups the boroughs parks into three main categories:
strategic, neighbourhood and local parks. Expenditure on grounds
maintenance, facilities management, sports provision, and investment
in improvements and infrastructure will be tailored to the category
each park is placed in. Within establishing a more sustainable model
of parks delivery there is scope to improve current services including
the responsiveness of maintenance to parks gates, paths, facilities
and other infrastructure, programmed maintenance and
improvements to bring parks up to a certain standard (within the
framework of a sustainable service delivery model), and modernising
the processes for applying for an allotment, an event licence, and for
making payments.
14

 3.39.

These improvements will not only improve the quality and
attractiveness of our parks, but also remove traditional service
delivery models that are inefficient and keep experienced, skilled
parks officers away from tasks that add value and support our
volunteers involved in the management and improvement of parks.
The Council will also review the existing grounds maintenance, FM
and other contracts and seek improvements from the current
providers, as well as examining alternative provision from other
existing contracts. The Council will also work with other local
authorities in the sub-region to explore opportunities for alternative
service provision.
Proposed actions
i) Review the ground maintenance and other contracts: Undertake a
review of the current ground and facility maintenance contracts
and align resources with the classification
ii) Work with sub-regional partners: work with sub-regional
partners to explore alternative provision of parks services
iii) Improve the effectiveness, efficiency and responsiveness of
current contractors: review current performance and identify
improvements to current services provision
iv) Classify parks: Complete the work to classify parks and green
spaces according to their use and potential in order to
strategically allocate resources and investment
v) Embed an asset management approach to parks and green
spaces: Use the classification to embed an asset management
approach and provide evidence for strategic management of park

4. CONSULTATION
4.1.

While at this stage there is no requirement to formally consult the
Council is committed to engaging with local residents and other
stakeholders to enable them to take part in the decisions that affect
their parks and has a range of forums and engagement mechanisms to
seek feedback and comment from residents and stakeholders. As set
out above the Council will launch a Big Conversation engagement
event in the summer of 2016 which will continue until the winter of
2016. The feedback gained from that engagement will be taken into
account in shaping and implementing the Parks and Green Spaces
Delivery Plan.

4.2.

Croydon’s Parks, Woodlands and Greenspaces Forum met for the first
time in March 2015 and since then has been meeting regularly to
discuss shared issues and interests, and share their ideas and
experience. In January 2016 the Parks, Woodlands and Greenspaces
Forum engaged in a workshop session on the parks review and made
clear its priorities to Council officers which included (but were not
restricted to) the importance of:
•

protecting the borough’s ecology and biodiversity
15

 •
•
•
•

4.3.

5.

providing sufficient, quality parks and green spaces for the
borough’s growing population
enhancing and improving the boroughs parks and green spaces
supporting and making investment funds available to volunteers
recognising the difference in terms of needs and approach
between parks and green spaces in more built-up urban
areas, and those in woodland areas

It is anticipated that the Parks, Woodlands and Greenspaces Forum
will play a valuable role in helping to shape the vision, direction and
implementation of the parks review, and Council officers will discuss
this with the forum and the best way to take it forward at future
meetings of the forum.
FINANCIAL AND RISK ASSESSMENT CONSIDERATIONS

5.1.

There are no direct financial implications arising from the
recommendations in this report as it is envisaged that the consultation
work with residents will be undertaken within existing resources within
the Place Department. However, the outcome of the consultation will
help inform the £100k saving relating to the Parks Review.

5.2.

As the different elements of the overall review progress additional
capital expenditure may be required (for example, to provide additional
or improved facilities in the borough’s parks), however, this funding
would be drawn from S106 monies contributed by developers and “ring
fenced” to expenditure on parks and green spaces and subject to the
usual application and approval process or, if appropriate funding may
be sought from the Croydon Challenge transformation budget.
(Approved by Lisa Taylor – Head of Finance and Deputy S151 Officer)

6.

COMMENTS OF THE COUNCIL SOLICITOR AND MONITORING
OFFICER

6.1.

The Council Solicitor comments that there is no statutory requirement
for local authorities to provide parks and open spaces. The Public
Health Act 1848 provided a legal power for local authorities to provide
parks and open spaces to tackle public health problems. The Town
and Country Planning Act 1990 provides for developer contributions
towards parks and open spaces through section (the Community
Infrastructure Levy (CIL) can also play a role). Local authorities also
have a responsibility to maintain cemeteries in good order, and to
provide allotments under the Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908,
but the extent and nature of provision is discretionary.

6.2.

In terms of future actions that may emerge in the Delivery Plan
consideration will need to be given to any covenants or legal
restrictions that may be in place for individual parks and open spaces
concerning how they are used which could impact implementation.
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 6.3.

The Council has a statutory duty of care ( under the Natural
Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006) to manage, protect
and preserve the biodiversity value of its parks and open spaces. The
Council is also fortunate to have green spaces which are of regional
and national importance (Sites of Metropolitan Importance for Nature
Conservation and Sites of Special Scientific Interest) and which
therefore carry with them specific obligations with regard to the use
and management of these spaces.
(Approved by Gabriel Macgregor, Acting Council Solicitor and Acting
Monitoring Officer.)

7.
7.1.

HUMAN RESOURCES IMPACT
There are no human resources implications arising from this report.
(Approved by: Adrian Prescod, HR Business Partner - Place
Department)

8.

EQUALITIES IMPACT

8.1.

Croydon is a borough with a growing population that is increasingly
diverse, and includes a higher proportion of younger people and older
people than London and England. Much of the south of Croydon is
affluent green belt; the metropolitan centre is a strategic business,
retail and transport hub; and the north of the borough is inner city in
character with some prosperous neighbourhoods. Areas with marked
deprivation and lack of opportunity are concentrated in the north of the
borough and in small pockets in the east and south. The borough is
becoming more deprived according to the latest findings of the Index of
Multiple Deprivation (2015). Access to good quality parks and green
spaces is not evenly distributed across the borough, and those in more
deprived areas have poorer provision.

8.2.

A high level initial equalities assessment has been carried out and a
number of the proposed actions included in the review could
potentially result in a negative impact, however, this analysis will be
informed by the proposed engagement with residents and
stakeholders.

8.3.

The implementation of the detailed proposals included in the
review will require further equality analysis as the
implementation progresses and mitigating actions will be
identified and developed as part of the implementation process.

8.4.

Summary of the high level impact:
•

Improving access to high quality parks and green spaces,
improving take up of physical exercise, an improved cultural offer
and more opportunities to volunteer should have a positive impact
17

 •

•

8.5.

Summary of the detailed proposals and analysis
•
•
•

•

9.
9.1.

on all the borough’s residents
Rationalising sports provision in certain parks may impact on
younger people taking part. Reduction in bowls provision may
impact on older people however. Mitigation may be possible
through alternative provision, or through community initiatives and
volunteering.
Increasing allotment rents may also impact on older people
disproportionately. Mitigation will be possible through concessions
being made available

Sustainable service delivery model – a more efficient
allocation of resources to priority parks thereby improving
provision
Improving health and wellbeing – better facilities and promotion of
sports and physical activity available, which should improve health
outcomes
Improving the cultural offer – more activities and entertainment
should make the borough a more interesting lively place to live,
plus stimulate
the local economy and potentially local employment.
Community Stewardship of the boroughs parks – will
increase opportunities and awareness of volunteering

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
No specific adverse environmental impacts have been identified
resulting from the proposals contained in this report.

10. CRIME AND DISORDER REDUCTION IMPACT
10.1.

The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 requires at section 17: It shall be the
duty of each authority to exercise its various functions with due regard
to the likely effect of the exercise of those functions on, and the need to
all that it reasonably can to prevent, crime and disorder in its area.
There are no specific recommendations in the report that impact on the
prevention of crime and disorder.

11. REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS/PROPOSED DECISION
11.1.

The basis for the recommendations set out in this report are the
opportunities presented in Section 3 to deliver real benefits to local
people through improved outcomes, a stronger relationship with local
communities and partnership in delivering services to our parks and
green spaces, and a sustainable service model for the future.

12. OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED
12.1.

Do Nothing: The Croydon Challenge requires discretionary
expenditure and service delivery methods to be challenged in order
18

 to meet the £100m savings target, and therefore doing nothing
12.2.

Disposal of parks for development: The Council is committed to
retaining the boroughs parks for future generations and has rejected
the disposal of parks and green spaces as an option.

CONTACT OFFICER: Stephen Tate, Director of District Centres and
Regeneration, Ext. 63344
BACKGROUND PAPERS - LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT 1972
None

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 Appendix A: Croydon’s Local Plan – Strategic Policies Partial Review
(preferred and Alternative Options)
GREEN GRID
Policy SP7: Green Grid SP7.1 In order to deliver new and enhanced green infrastructure
commensurate with growth the Council will apply a presumption in favour of development
provided applications assist in the delivery of a Green Grid and meet the requirements of
Policy SP7 and other applicable policies of the development plan.
Green spaces
SP7.2 The Council will protect and safeguard the extent of the borough’s Metropolitan
Green Belt, Metropolitan Open Land and Local Green Spaces.
SP7.3 The Council will establish a network of multi-functional open spaces, a ‘Green Grid’,
comprising those parts of the All London Green Grid together with other green spaces
within the borough as shown in Figure 6.2 and Section 7 – The Places of Croydon. The
Council and its partners will:
a. Seek the provision and creation of new green spaces. With particular focus for areas
deficient in access to nature, play areas, and publicly accessible recreational open space;
b. Improve access and links to and through green spaces to encourage walking, cycling and
horse-riding;
c. Assist in the delivery of the Mayor’s All London Green Grid through the implementation
of the London Downlands and Wandle Valley Area Frameworks;
d. Maintain and improve the quality, function and offer of open spaces across the borough
for all users; and e. Maximise opportunities for street tree planting, green roofs, green walls
and green landscaping to assist urban cooling in a changing climate.
Biodiversity
SP7.4 The Council and its partners will enhance biodiversity across the borough, assist
ecological restoration and address spatial deficiencies in access to nature by:
a. Protecting and enhancing sites of importance for biological and geological diversity;
b. Improving the quality of current sites through habitat management;
c. Exploring options to increase the size of wildlife areas of existing sites and creating new
areas for wildlife;
d. Enhancing connections between, or joining up sites, either through direct physical
corridors, or through a series of linked sites;
e. Reducing the pressures on wildlife and sensitive sites by improving the wider
environment around wildlife sites by establishing buffer areas; and
f. Promoting the naturalisation of landscapes and the enhancement of Croydon’s natural
landscape signatures. Productive landscapes

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 SP7.5 The Council and its partners will support the role of productive landscapes by:
a. Protecting and enhancing allotments, community gardens and woodland; and
b. Supporting food growing, tree planting and forestry, including the temporary utilisation
of cleared sites; and encouraging major residential developments6149 to incorporate edible
planting and growing spaces at multiple floor levels; and
c. Ensuring landscaping is flexible so that spaces may be adapted for growing opportunities.
Proposed amendments to the Policies Map
Each of the designations set by this policy is shown on the Policies Map. These designations
are largely the same as the designations of the existing Croydon Local Plan: Strategic
Policies adopted in April 2013. However there are a number of amendments. These changes
are summarised in Table 6.1 and full details including maps of each amendment can be
found in Changes to the Policies Map arising from proposals contained within the Croydon
Local Plan: Strategic Policies – Partial Review (Preferred and Alternative Options) and the
Croydon Local Plan: Detailed Policies and Proposals (Preferred and Alternative Options) that
is published as part of this consultation.

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