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Bristol Parks Forum

Parks & Green
Spaces Strategy

Bristol's Parks & Green Spaces Strategy was adopted at the Council Cabinet Meeting on 21 February 2008 - it is aimed at raising the quality of parks and green spaces throughout the city over the next 20 years. As part of the implementation of the strategy Bristol Parks has been consulting on Area Green Space Plans.

Bristol Parks Forum have been closely involved in the development of this strategy over the last three years and welcomed its adoption.

Area Green Space Plans

A key element of the Parks & Green Spaces Strategy as adopted is the production of 'Area Green Space Plans'. 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. There is an Area Green Space Plan for each of the 14 Neighbourhood Partnership areas. A public consultation on 'Ideas and Options' for the Plans ran from 14 June to 29 October 2010.

Following the completion of the consultation Bristol City Council Cabinet made a decision on 16 Dec 2010 on the disposal of green space suggested in the documents. The Cabinet decision was considered by the 'Call In Panel' of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee on 6 January 2011, and there was then a lively debate in the Full Council meeting on 22 March 2011 but the Cabinet did not change its decision. The decision can be seen in the press release below:

Council Press Release on Green Space Disposals

At the Full Council meeting on 17 May 2011 (following the May elections where the LibDems lost overall control of the Council) Cllr Janke, who was elected as Leader, outlined a number of issues that were agreed by all parties. This included halting all disposals under the Green Spaces Strategy and setting up a cross-party working group to look again at the strategy. The Press Release following that meeting can be seen here. Paperwork for the meetings can be seen via www.bristol.gov.uk/meetings.

The cross-party working group held 20 meetings and presented a report to Full Council on 22nd November 2011. The Council decided to defer the decision on disposal of 49 spaces for the Neighbourhood Committees to decide.

Report to Cabinet 26 January 2012

Cross Party Working Group Report to Full Council 22 Nov 2011

BPF Committee Statement to Full Council 22 Nov 2011

Bristol 24-7 Tony Dyer: There’s nothing black and white in Bristol green spaces ‘victory’ 23 Nov 2011

Cllr Gary Hopkins reply to those who presented statements to the Full Council meeting

Record of Cross Party meeting 13 Sept 11 - Record of Cross Party meeting 21 Nov 11

Our listing of Parks and Park Groups now shows the status of the spaces under the AGSP process (as the Full Council decision on 22 Nov 2011), over 97% of the area covered by the P&GSS is protected from development for the next 20 years.

Neighbourhood Partnerships have been asked to consider how they want to work with Parks to agree the priorities for investment in their area. The intention is for NPs to agree a list of priorities for investment in their area. Most NPs are now proceeding with this process and should be involving park groups. Groups should contact their NP coordinator if they have not been contacted about this process.

See also:

www.bristol.gov.uk/agsp

www.bristol.gov.uk/siteallocations

Agenda Note for Meeting 16 Apr 2011 - BPF Position on the P&GSS

Responses to Open Letter (in order of receipt):
Green - Liberal Democrat - Labour - Conservative

BPF Committee Open Letter to Party Leaders 11 February 2011

Hugh & Alison talking about P&GSS to Billy Quain on BCfm - MP3 file   (BCfm Community Radio for Bristol)

AWT Statement on SNCIs & WNS 27 January 2011

Value Assessments published via Freedom of Information website 11 January 2011

BPF Committee Statement to Cabinet 15 December 2010

BPF Committee Statement 21 November 2010

BPF Committee Statement 19 September 2010

Message from Richard Fletcher to Park Forum members September 2010

BPF statement to Full Council Meeting 7 September 2010

2008 P&GSS map showing quantity of space in each NP area

AGSP - Easy Guide by Alison

How will the value of spaces be assessed? - P&GSS Appendix 5

20 Reasons to support P&GSS/AGSP by Rob

Information on the Bristol Neighbourhood Planning Network website.

BPF Letter to Cllr Gary Hopkins 27 July 2010 - AGSP consultation and Cabinet Decision on Land Disposal

Bristol Parks Forum’s response to the draft document on the Ideas for Development Management Policies

The Strategy

The strategy and some of the background documents can 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 2008 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.

Press Reports on the P&GSS

'This is Bristol' reports:
Concerns raised over future of wildlife sites 01 February 2012
A proper waste of money... but the right result 24 November 2011
Victory for fight against Bristol parks sell-off 23 November 2011
Campaigners aim to work together to save their parkland 22 November 2011
Eleven open spaces could be saved – but 38 others face being sold off 17 November 2011
Campaigners' joy after green spaces saved to help schools 08 August 2011
Now there's a plan to do-up parks, without all this fuss... 26 July 2011
Parks forum questions future if council's sell-off plan is scrapped 13 May 2011
Letters to sell-off petitioners 'an expensive waste of time' 13 May 2011
Opposition parties unite to push Lib Dems towards U-turn on green space sale policy 11 May 2011
Parks sell-off consultation cost £146,000 31 March 2011
You'll decide on parks, say opposition parties 24 March 2011
Fury as Bristol City Council rejects rethink on green-space sale 23 March 2011
Battles rage on over council's plans to sell off green spaces 18 March 2011
Bristol residents stage campaign to try to save their Elderberry Walk area 18 March 2011
Green spaces sell-off? Bristol City Council has no Plan B 15 March 2011
7,000 people sign petition against Bristol City Council's green space sell-off plan 09 March 2011
Antisocial behaviour 'not a problem' in Bristol's green spaces 10 February 2011
How some Green Spaces Survived 09 February 2011
Green spaces in Bristol proposed for sale, despite being 'important to local people' 08 February 2011
Green spaces vow has been ignored by Bristol City Council, claim campaigners 27 January 2011
Don't Give Up Green Spaces - Bishopston, Cotham and Redland 25 January 2011
Garden to go Ahead - Bedminster & Southville 24 January 2011
Bristol residents keen to see Cabot Tower returned to its former glory - Cabot & Clifton 22 January 2011
Investment or Waste? - Henleaze, Stoke Bishop and Westbury-on-Trym 21 January 2011
Protect our Park's Charm - St George 20 January 2011
Still Hope in Battle over Green Spaces - Eastville, Hillfields & Frome Vale 18 January 2011
Improvement Needed - Knowle, Filwood & Windmill Hill 17 January 2011
Seven spaces go, one stays - Bishopsworth, Hartcliffe & Whitchurch Park 15 January 2011
Funding comes at a cost - Shirehampton & Avonmouth 14 January 2011
Residents did not want to lose any land - Stockwood 13 January 2011
Brislington campaigners fight Bristol City Council's plan to sell off green spaces - 12 January 2011
So What's Next? - Horfield 11 January 2011
Campaigners call for council to reconsider plans to sell off Southmead park - 10 January 2011
Lib Dems block Bristol City Council rethink on green spaces - 07 January 2011
Bristol residents tell city council to keep it simple over park improvements - 06 January 2011
Bristol parks sell-off surveys were 'waste of time' - 21 December 2010
Bristol parks sell-off was 'an utter disgrace' - 18 December 2010
Cabinet jeered after approving park sale - 17 December 2010
Council say public opposition alone is not enough reason to save Bristol's green spaces - 16 December 2010
Opposition to green-spaces sell-off plan's overwhelming - 14 December 2010
Bristol City Council U-turn on some proposed parks sell-offs - 8 December 2010
Parks group supports selling off green spaces - 24 November 2010
Bristol City Council leader Barbara Janke - democracy not hypocrisy - 23 November 2010
Bristol City Lib Dems councillors have their say on green space development - 23 November 2010
Green space will be saved by strategy - 19 November 2010
Many of the green sites were not seen by Bristol City Council before sale plan - 19 November 2010
Bristol Lib Dems strongly deny 'hypocrites' allegations over green spaces - 18 November 2010
Bristol's green spaces scheme comes up £20m short - 16 November 2010
Bristol City councillors vote on scrapping park sell off tomorrow - 15 November 2010
Confusion at Bristol City Council's green spaces covenant row - Southmead 13 November 2010
Call to protest for park campaigners - 11 November 2010
Tories' call to scrap green space sell-offs - 10 November 2010
MP hits out at park sale consultations - 30 October 2010
Green space petitions are handed in - 29 October 2010
Plans Focus on Families - Bishopston and Redland 28 October 2010
Tories call for sell-off of Bristol's green spaces to be scrapped 28 October 2010
Space but Little Green - Bedminster and Southville 27 October 2010
Can big TV tame Bear Pit? - Clifton and Cabot 26 October 2010
Parks with Potential - Clifton and Cabot 26 October 2010
Nothing to Lose - Henleaze, Westbury-on-Trym and Stoke Bishop 25 October 2010
Opening up on Sell-off - Q&A with Gary Hopkins 23 October 2010
Proposal seems fishy to anglers - St George 22 October 2010
Greens may get upgrade in Bristol sell-off - Ashley, Easton and Lawrence Hill 21 October 2010
Thousands of Bristol residents have signed petitions against loss of green space
- Eastville, Frome Vale, Fishponds and Hillfields 20 October 2010

Bristol City Council's parkland debate 'overshadowed' by regeneration project
- Knowle, Filwood and Windmill Hill 19 October 2010

Proposed sell-off of Bristol land is 'raving mad' say residents - Hartcliffe and Bishopsworth 18 October 2010
We Will Fight fo Every bit of Green Land - Shirehampton 16 October 2010
Bristol residents have clear message for council: Hands off our green space - Stockwood and Hengrove 15 October 2010
Bristol City Council's 16-week consultation on plan to sell off 62 green spaces almost finished
- Brislington 14 October 2010

Bristol community groups say, 'We do use our fields' - Horfield and Lockleaze 13 October 2010
Bristol residents fight to stop 62 acres of green spaces sell-off - Henbury and Southmead 12 October 2010
Parks group backs sale through necessity - Bristol Parks Forum 12 October 2010
Outrage at possible sale of park land - Kings Head Park 2 October 2010
'Disgraceful' document on sale of city green spaces - Horfield 2 October 2010
Park life caught on camera - St Anne's Park 16 September 2010
Bristol residents put their case on green plans - Shirehampton 16 September 2010
Council has to listen to protests - Comment 16 September 2010
Protesters get vocal over plans to sell off green land - Protest at Council meeting 08 September 2010
We're disgusted at Bristol City Council's idea for homes on our park - Brentry 20 August 2010
It would be dreadful to sell our green fields for housing - Site Allocations - Brislington 19 August 2010
The Green Goddesses on a Drive for People Power - Lodge Hill 18 August 2010
We weren't consulted on green space plans - Horfield 29th July
You can't sell land that belongs to us - Knowle West 21st July
We're not here for a picnic – we want to make a point - North Bristol 19th July 2010
List is not complete - NSI letter 25th June 2010
'Leave Park as it is' - St Anne's Park 18th June 2010
Launch of AGSPs 14th June 2010
Bristol parks sell-off delayed January 11, 2009
More money for Bristol's play areas Sunday, January 11, 2009
Bristol resident fears green space will be sold off Sunday, October 26, 2008

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. More details of the events at the begining of 2008 can be seen here:

Parks & Green Spaces Strategy Funding - How Bristol’s Parks were Saved!

Links to other information about the strategy and the debate about funding are shown below:
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
Bristol Parks Forum statement at the State of the City debate with full council on Tuesday 15 January 2008
Minutes of Parks Forum Meeting 19 Jan 2008
Meeting of the Physical Environment Scrutiny Commission - 31 Januay 2008:
Meeting agenda/reports/minutes
(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
On this page: Area Green Space Plans | The Strategy | Background Information |
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