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| The Strategy | Area Green Space Plans | Grounds Maintenance | Background Information |
Bristol Parks Forum
Parks & Green
Spaces Strategy
Bristol's Parks & Green Spaces Strategy is aimed at raising the quality of parks and green spaces throughout the city over the next 20 years. It sets out the policies and standards that Bristol Parks will adopt to bring this about and outlines how the necessary work will be funded.
Bristol Parks Forum have been closely involved in the development of this strategy over the last three years and welcomes its adoption.
The Strategy
Bristol's Parks & Green Spaces Strategy was adopted at the Council Cabinet Meeting on 21 February 2008
The strategy and some of the background documents can now be downloaded from the Bristol Parks website.
Bristol Parks P&GSS page - www.bristol.gov.uk/parkstrategy
Bristol Parks Forum issued the following statement to the 21 February Cabinet meeting:
The Bristol Parks Forum welcomes the revised Parks and Green Spaces Strategy.
The strategy will be the basis on which the city can improve the many low quality parks and open spaces to create a network of recreation and wildlife spaces that a city of Bristol's size and standing should have. This being done without the loss of any valuable spaces.
We support the revised financial template for funding the improvements and maintaining the parks at a good standard after the initial improvements are completed.
We look forward to engaging with Bristol Parks to create the Area Green Space Plans. These plans will identify the way in which open space will be improved, which low amenity value areas may be available for disposal for other uses, and where certain types of park space are missing or overprovided. This will help to form parks and open spaces that the local communities can value and appreciate and that the city can be proud of.
Area Green Space Plans
Download the timetable for Area Green Space Plans
A key element of the Parks & Green Spaces Strategy as proposed is the production of 'Area Green Space Plans' which are intended to be complete by the end of 2009. It is these plans that are intended to determine where the capital to be invested in parks is to be spent to improve the local environment. They will also determine which areas of green space the community think are 'low recreational value' and could therefore be sold and put to better use. It is vital that park groups get involved in this process.
In order to get the Area Green Space Plans moving quickly two members of Bristol Parks' team who are well known to Parks Forum members will be running the process for the first few months on a part time basis (3 days per week). Jane Greenaway is acting as Park Strategy Coordinator (overall lead on P&GSS delivery) and Richard Fletcher as Programme Manager for Area Green Space Plans. As Community Development Officer Richard has led the development of the Parks Forum over the past few years and his involvement in the Area Green Space Plans means that park groups can have a high level trust that the process will be carried out as intended by the strategy. There will be an Area Green Space Plan produced for each of the 14 Neighbourhood Partnership areas over the next two years, starting in south Bristol. More information about Neighbourhood Partnerships and a link to a map showing the Neighbourhood Partnership areas can be found here:
Bristol City Council - Community Development
Grounds Maintenance Procurement Strategy
Alongside the production of the Parks & Green Spaces Strategy, Bristol Parks have also reviewed how they procure Grounds Maintenance - this is the day to day work of grass cutting, litter picking etc. Bristol Parks Forum were consulted about this strategy through a working group that consisted of members who volunteered to take part at one of our regular meetings. A number of options were considered by the working group and our preference was reported back to Bristol Parks.
The strategy was adopted at the Cabinet Meeting on 4 February 2008 and included the option that the BPF working group prefered. As a result of this new strategy, the grounds maintenance work for parts of the city will be transfered over the next year or so to an 'in house' team run by Bristol Parks. The performance of this in house team will be compared with that of the external contractors working in the rest of the city and in the long term this work may also be taken 'in house'.
P&GSS Background Information
The strategy was put out to public consultation during the summer 2007 and was due to be adopted at the Council Cabinet meeting on 10 January 2008. To the surprise of the Parks Forum the financial information in the version submitted to Cabinet had changed from that in the consultation version. Due to a technicallity relating to maps the strategy was not adopted in January and the decision was delayed to 21 February.
Following the meeting of the Bristol Parks Forum on Sat 19 Jan 2008, representatives of the Forum had a number of meetings and discussions with Cabinet members and Parks officers. The version of the strategy that was adopted by Council Cabinet on 21 Feb includes changes that were agreed as part of those discussions and was welcomed by the Parks Forum.
Links to other information about the strategy and the debate about funding are shown below:
Strategy Documents - Consultation Version (Includes links to maps showing Bristol's parks)
Consultation - Questions & Answers - Bristol Parks Forum Conference 15 Sept 2007
Report to Cabinet 10 January 2008 and Revised Strategy Document
Bristol Parks Forum Statement to Cabinet 10 January 2008
Webcast of Cabinet 10 January 2008
Bristol Parks Forum statement at the State of the City debate with
full council on Tuesday 15 January 2008
Webcast of State of the City debate
Minutes of Parks Forum Meeting 19 Jan 2008
Meeting of the Physical Environment Scrutiny Commission - 31 Januay 2008:
Meeting agenda/reports/minutes - Webcast of the meeting
(The financial information in the report to this committee clarifies the figures as they were before the Parks Forum Meeting on 19th January).
Message to Bristol Parks Forum members 30 Jan 2008 - Good news on funding of Parks and Green Spaces Strategy
Bristol Parks Forum Press Release about the Parks & Green Spaces Strategy 30 Jan 2008
Reports and Agenda for 21 February Cabinet meeting including revised Parks & Green Spaces Strategy
| The Strategy | Area Green Space Plans | Grounds Maintenance | Background Information |
<< Back to Bristol Parks Forum Main Page
The strategy was adopted at the Cabinet Meeting on 4 February 2008 and included the option that the BPF working group prefered. As a result of this new strategy, the grounds maintenance work for parts of the city will be transfered over the next year or so to an 'in house' team run by Bristol Parks. The performance of this in house team will be compared with that of the external contractors working in the rest of the city and in the long term this work may also be taken 'in house'.
P&GSS Background Information
The strategy was put out to public consultation during the summer 2007 and was due to be adopted at the Council Cabinet meeting on 10 January 2008. To the surprise of the Parks Forum the financial information in the version submitted to Cabinet had changed from that in the consultation version. Due to a technicallity relating to maps the strategy was not adopted in January and the decision was delayed to 21 February.
Following the meeting of the Bristol Parks Forum on Sat 19 Jan 2008, representatives of the Forum had a number of meetings and discussions with Cabinet members and Parks officers. The version of the strategy that was adopted by Council Cabinet on 21 Feb includes changes that were agreed as part of those discussions and was welcomed by the Parks Forum.
Links to other information about the strategy and the debate about funding are shown below:
Strategy Documents - Consultation Version (Includes links to maps showing Bristol's parks)
Consultation - Questions & Answers - Bristol Parks Forum Conference 15 Sept 2007
Report to Cabinet 10 January 2008 and Revised Strategy Document
Bristol Parks Forum Statement to Cabinet 10 January 2008
Webcast of Cabinet 10 January 2008
Bristol Parks Forum statement at the State of the City debate with
full council on Tuesday 15 January 2008
Webcast of State of the City debate
Minutes of Parks Forum Meeting 19 Jan 2008
Meeting of the Physical Environment Scrutiny Commission - 31 Januay 2008:
Meeting agenda/reports/minutes - Webcast of the meeting
(The financial information in the report to this committee clarifies the figures as they were before the Parks Forum Meeting on 19th January).
Message to Bristol Parks Forum members 30 Jan 2008 - Good news on funding of Parks and Green Spaces Strategy
Bristol Parks Forum Press Release about the Parks & Green Spaces Strategy 30 Jan 2008
Reports and Agenda for 21 February Cabinet meeting including revised Parks & Green Spaces Strategy
| The Strategy | Area Green Space Plans | Grounds Maintenance | Background Information |
<< Back to Bristol Parks Forum Main Page
Following the meeting of the Bristol Parks Forum on Sat 19 Jan 2008, representatives of the Forum had a number of meetings and discussions with Cabinet members and Parks officers. The version of the strategy that was adopted by Council Cabinet on 21 Feb includes changes that were agreed as part of those discussions and was welcomed by the Parks Forum.
Links to other information about the strategy and the debate about funding are shown below:
Meeting agenda/reports/minutes - Webcast of the meeting
(The financial information in the report to this committee clarifies the figures as they were before the Parks Forum Meeting on 19th January).
Message to Bristol Parks Forum members 30 Jan 2008 - Good news on funding of Parks and Green Spaces Strategy
Bristol Parks Forum Press Release about the Parks & Green Spaces Strategy 30 Jan 2008
Reports and Agenda for 21 February Cabinet meeting including revised Parks & Green Spaces Strategy
