Archived decisions
Hampshire County Council.
Sir George Staunton Country Park Item 6
Joint Management Committee
2 December 2004.
Park Manager's Report
Contact: Lewis Paterson (Telephone: 023 9245 3405).
1. Introduction
The following report updates members of the Joint Management Committee on developments at the Park since the previous Park Managers Report presented on 25th June 2004.
1.1. The Ornamental Farm restoration works are now completed and the buildings have been handed back to the Park. The final stage of this phase of restoration works is currently being planned and focuses on Leigh Park Gardens.
1.2. Despite the disruption resulting from the delayed restoration works the Park has enjoyed a busy summer season. Visitor numbers to the pay zone until the end of September show an 8% (3,748 people) increase on last year. The increase in numbers has largely been as a result of entry fee incentives to visitor in order to maintain the Parks audience during the latter stages of restoration works.
2. Staffing
2.1. A number of vacancies remain within the team. Recruitment to these posts is anticipated to commence prior to Christmas.
3. Site Information
Farm
3.1. Following the return of the Ornamental Farm buildings the levels of stock will now be increasing. The farm offices, feed store and the rabbit area have now reopened and we are currently planning to increase the diversity of all farm animal breeds.
3.2. The revised farm animal interpretation panels have proved popular with visitors, as have the additional hand wash stations.
3.3. Some works to the recently reopened children's paddock have seen the introduction of a Vietnamese Pig Pen and a Guinea Pig Pen. Both proving popular with visitors.
Glasshouses and Formal Gardens
3.4. The Walled Garden was a popular attraction at Staunton with this years environmentally focussed message of companion planting and use of drought resistant species being the major theme. Areas created within the walled garden to specifically attract butterflies added to the visitor experience and provided a useful educational resource.
3.5. This seasons Amazon Lily successfully bloomed throughout the summer season and proved ever popular with visitors.
3.6. The newly completed sensory garden continues to thrive and is being enjoyed by an increasing number of visitors as the planting becomes established.
Leigh Park Gardens
3.7. Due to funding issues within the Woodland Grant Scheme the majority of proposed works to improve paths and access points have had to be deferred until next financial year. Despite this disappointment the Ranger Team have continued to maintain areas of pathway and access as budgets allow. This has included the introduction of an `all access' kissing gate adjacent to the main Leigh Park Gardens entrance.
3.8. Working with external organisations and groups it has also been possible to create a forest classroom which was utilised for the first time during the summer.
3.9. Funding from the Conservation Grazing Scheme has been secured to allow Thicket Lawn to be re-fenced. This will enable one of the main boundaries with the Leigh Park Housing Estate to be formalised with suitable entrances to the Country Park. These works are being undertaken at the moment in partnership with Raleigh Volunteer Group.
3.10 Fishing at the Ornamental Lake continues to be popular. Day tickets are now being sold from Bennetts fishing tackle shop in Havant. The Park has recently increased its stock of 2lb to 4lb fish in order to improve the fishery and make it more popular as angling venue.
3.11 Funding has also been secured by one of the Parks volunteer groups, Wakefords Copse Volunteers, to continue the fencing and improvement works at the Copse.
Visitor Services
3.12 The reduced annual membership charges remain popular with member numbers now in excess of one thousand five hundred.
3.13 Holiday activity clubs held during the summer period were popular, with many days being fully booked. Activity clubs will now form an integral part of all main school holidays and will be organised by the Education Officer.
3.14 The Maze Festival and Countryside Festival both proved popular, once again, with visitors. Staunton Live!, a free music event centred in Leigh Park Gardens that showcased local musicians as well as established groups was held on August 14th and 15th. The event, supported by Hampshire County Council and Havant Borough Council, proved a success attracting a diverse audience to enjoy both the music and the Park. It is planned to hold a similar event next year. Halloween events were popular, with most days fully booked. During this years event the Park team worked closely with colleagues from the Leigh Park Open Space craft initiative to provide workshops.
3.15 Due to delays in building works it was not possible to reopen the Tea Rooms until mid July. As a result the in-house catering team had a very short spell of time to set up and become established prior to the peak season, but have fared admirably.
3.16 In additional to the day to day Tea Rooms business, children's parties are once again becoming popular at the Park. These will provide an important future income stream.
3.17 A number of meetings, conferences and functions have also been hosted at the Park. These have included the PlantNet Conference, a Golden Wedding Anniversary Dinner (70 people), a wedding reception for 170 people, and a Hampshire Childrens Fund event (200 people). Letters of praise have been received by the Park from the organisers, or hosts, of all of these events. Increasingly we are being asked to cater for greater numbers and the barn is becoming a popular venue. This will form a vital future income stream and as such will be actively marketed.
Education
3.18 Sir George Staunton Country Park and Portsmouth Water Ltd. are currently finalising details of an educational partnership. In exchange for the Park delivering a jointly developed programme of water based education topics Portsmouth Water will financially assist in the procurement of new teaching equipment and resources for a period of three years.
Lottery Update
3.19 The restored Ornamental Farm buildings were finally completed and returned to the management of the Park during September 2004. The Tea Rooms were returned to the Park during mid July. The final hand over of the restored buildings coincided with the Your Heritage weekend, for which the Park was opened to the public for free and an official opening ceremony held.
3.20 Work has now commenced on the fitting out and equipping of these buildings which include the conferencing facilities, farm office, rabbit house, animal feed store, and staff room.
3.21 Plans for the final stage of this phase of lottery works, Leigh Park Gardens restoration works, are currently being finalised. This work remains focussed on path restoration, provision of public conveniences and the installation of a number of benches and litter bins at key locations.
3 Leigh Park Nursery Site
3.10 Following the departure from site, and subsequent licence surrender, by The Beneficial Foundation the former nursery buildings and glass houses have been demolished.
3.11 The Park team is currently working closely with Havant Day Services to accommodate their clients within the Park. Work is currently underway preparing plans for the future of the site. These plans will create a stable working base for social services clients and general educational users within Staunton Country Park from which they can benefit from a range of mutually beneficial working and training opportunities.
Recommendations
That the Joint Management Committee note the content of this report.
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: