Archived decisions
Hampshire County Council.
Sir George Staunton Country Park.
Joint Management Committee. Item 5
16 July 2004.
Park Managers Report.
Contact : Lewis Paterson (Telephone: 023 9245 3405).
1. Introduction
1.1. The following report updates members of the Joint Management Committee on developments at the Park since the previous Park Managers Report presented on 5th December 2003.
1.2. The Ornamental Farm restoration works are now drawing to a close and the final stage of this phase of works is currently being planned for Leigh Park Gardens during late spring and summer.
1.3. The next application to the Heritage Lottery has now been completed and submitted following successfully securing a Project Planning Grant of £38,000.
1.4. Despite the ongoing disruption from the restoration works the Park has enjoyed a busy Easter period with visitor numbers and income up on last year.
2. Staffing
A number of vacant or new posts are currently being advertised at Staunton Country Park. It is hoped to have the majority of these filled prior to the main summer season with interview dates scheduled for late June and early July.
3. Trends
3.1. The previous financial year saw a slight downturn in visitor numbers, attributed to the ongoing restoration of the Ornamental Farm. Volunteer time given to Staunton Country Park and the number of education days at the Park remains strong.
Description |
Total Number 2003/04 financial year |
Visitors to the Park |
67,321 |
Education Days |
5,562 |
Volunteer Days |
1,517 |
4. Site Information
Farm
4.1. Stock levels remain reduced in accordance with building requirements during the Ornamental Farm restoration. The spring period has however seen many new arrivals following a successful breeding programme. These include;
· 57 Lambs;
· 6 Angora kids;
· 9 Pygmy Goat kids;
· 5 Lord Bagot Goat kids; and
· 9 Calves.
4.2. The introduction of free range chickens and guinea fowl remain popular with visitors.
4.3. With the impending return of the farm buildings further development of the animal stock will be undertaken with the aim of introducing more variety of native rare breeds.
4.4. Revised farm animal interpretation panels have been developed and introduced to the Ornamental Farm area. Additional hand wash facilities have also been included on most of the interpretation stations. Further interpretation will be added as areas of the Ornamental Farm return to use following their restoration.
Glasshouses and Formal Gardens
4.5. The gardens team is working hard to prepare the Walled Garden planting for the forthcoming season. Again there is a strong environmental message with companion planting being a major theme. We also intend to create areas within the walled garden which will specifically attract butterflies to add to the visitor experience.
4.6. This seasons Amazon Lily has been successfully propagated and transferred into the Lily House where growth has been encouraging in the recent spell of good weather. A new sound system has been ordered for the main glass house and it is hoped to have it installed during June. This will improve the sensory atmosphere within the houses.
4.7. The sensory garden is now open to the public and has proved increasingly popular as the planting becomes established.
Leigh Park Gardens
4.8. The Park has made a successful application to joint the Woodland Grant Scheme and has recently submitted project plans aimed at improving access, interpretation and habitat within Leigh Park Gardens. It is hoped to receive word on the success of these applications which will enable works to commence prior to the summer season.
4.9. Scrub clearing has continued throughout the winter period, including the clearance of Fort Island. The Ranger team has also been preparing woodland and habitat management plans.
4.10. Fishing at the Ornamental Lake remains popular. The Park has recently combined with Petersfield and District Angling Club to provide a number of exchange ticket opportunities for our members.
4.11. For the second season in succession a pair of swans have returned and nested at the lake, an indication of the improving habitat and a welcome attraction for visitors.
Visitor Services
4.12. The Park has recently undertaken a review of pricing, and in particular Membership charges. In order to stimulate interest and encourage more people to become members the price has been reduced to £15 per person for one year. There is also a discounted charge of £12 per person to residents of Leigh Park following previous comments made that entry was prohibitively expensive.
4.13. This has led to an increase in season ticket holders of around 50%, taking numbers to well over one thousand. It is planned to offer the discounted rate on a geographical basis to include other areas within a certain radius of the Park (to be decided).
4.14. The holiday activity clubs held during the Easter period were popular, with many days being fully booked. It is proposed to extend holiday activity clubs to all main school holidays.
4.15. The Park Education Officer is currently embarking on a review and upgrade of trails in conjunction with other section heads. It is anticipated that the first revised trails will be available to members of the public from June 2004.
4.16. The Maze Festival and Countryside Festival both proved popular, once again, with visitors. Further events are planned for this year with the team currently working on Staunton Live, a live, and free, music event to be held in Leigh Park Gardens on August 14th and 15th.
4.17. Although delayed, the Tea Rooms will be reopening imminently, in good time for the forthcoming school holidays. The catering service will be operated by an in-house team to maximise the benefit to the Park. This will also give enhanced flexibility to offer promotional incentives, for example combining the entry price with a meal. It is planned to market test the catering operation during 2006.
4.18. The Park has introduced a re-styled leaflet and reviewed distribution. This is also being supported by a mini-card campaign. Initial responses to the mini-card have been encouraging, attracting additional visitors.
Education
4.19. A new education pack has been developed and distributed to local schools, copies are available for collection at the Joint Management Committee meeting. Initial response has been good with a number of schools booking to use the Park for the first time. Educational activity has initially been aimed at key stages 1 and 2. Plans to diversify the available curriculum linked topics and increase the target groups are being developed.
4.20. Work has commenced on the establishment of an outdoor woodland classroom for this summer in order to compliment the extended education service. This work is being undertaken by PETA students as part of an Open College Network accredited course in conjunction with Staunton Country Park and Off the Record.
Lottery Update
4.21. The Ornamental Farm Tea Rooms are scheduled to reopen to the public on Saturday 3rd July, following fit out of equipment and furniture. The tea rooms, barn, courtyard and farm buildings were returned to the Park during week ending 13th June. It is anticipated that the conference & education facilities will become fully operational during September. There will, however, be a number of functions and events held prior to this in order to fine tune operations.
4.22. Once all buildings are back in operation it is planned to hold an opening event, which it is hoped that members of the Joint Management Committee and Stakeholders Forum will be able to attend.
4.23. It is anticipated that Leigh Park Gardens restoration works, as part of the current restoration phase, will commence over the summer season. This work will be focussed on path restoration, provision of public conveniences and the installation of a number of benches and litter bins at key locations. Plans are currently being prepared.
4.24. Following the successful award of a Lottery Project Planning Grant an amount of work has been undertaken encompassing;
· Archaeology;
· Audience development;
· Interpretation framework development; and
· Structural survey work to existing buildings.
4.25. This work has led to some interesting results and discoveries which have been used to steer our recently submitted bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund.
4.26. This bid has focussed on the desire to restore the exotic fruit production houses within the North Garden. Previously though to include pineapple and melon houses recent archaeology suggests the melon house may in-fact have been a, probably unique, banana house.
4.27. It is also hoped to restore additional glass houses and develop interpretation throughout the Park. Further work is also planned within Leigh Park Gardens in order to further restore vistas, pleasure walks, planting schemes, and the fernery that surrounds the Shell House (prior to its restoration).
5. Beneficial Foundation Site
5.1. The future of the Beneficial Foundation at Sir George Staunton Country Park is currently being considered. Buildings on the site have fallen into disrepair and have become a risk to users, for this reason they had to be vacated. Buildings are scheduled for imminent demolition. The Beneficial Foundation clients are now being transported daily to Abbey Nurseries at Titchfield. Havant Day Services facilities were now being accommodated within Sir George Staunton Country Park.
5.2. The Beneficial Foundation has surrendered its licence and as such the land has reverted to Hampshire County Council. The future of the site is still to be decided, but it is likely that its general usage will be remain similar with possibly more links to other educational providers being considered.
6. Recommendations
That the report be noted.
Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers
The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report. NB this list excluded: