Archived decisions
Hampshire County Council.
Sir George Staunton Country Park Joint Management Item 7
Committee
Monday 21st November 2005.
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 10th June 2005.
1.2. Sir George Staunton Country Park was successful in its application for Green Flag status and has become one of only four country parks in the south east region to hold such an award.
1.3. The Park has enjoyed an encouraging season in most areas. Sales of membership continue to perform strongly and it is intended to further develop this opportunity.
1.4. Overall visitor trends to the end of October showed an increase on last years figures of just over 7%. Although encouraging numbers are still lower than the original forecast by approximately 8%.
1.5. Volunteering at Staunton through organised community groups has shown a marked increase (36%) on last year with 208 days banked to the end of September. Early season figures for individual volunteers also show a small increase of 12% on last years figures.
1.6. The Victorian Coach House was successfully reopened as a catering operation during peak season.
2. Site Information
Farm
2.1. The Ornamental Farm remains popular with visitors. Stock levels and diversity continues to increase steadily. The first piglets (Oxford Sandy & Black) have been born at the Park since our closure in 2002 due to the foot & mouth epidemic.
Glasshouses and Formal Gardens
2.2. The gardens and glasshouses again proved a popular attraction at Staunton.
2.3. The gardens team are currently heavily involved in the restoration of the Serpentine Border within Leigh Park Gardens. This work is being undertaken in conjunction with the ranger team and a number of volunteer and community groups.
2.4. Over the next few months the team will move into a phase of maintenance, pruning, planning and design for next seasons displays. This will include an extensive pruning of the tropical glass houses. It is also intended to commence restoration of the Oval Garden border, which is being planned in close association with the Staunton Landscape Advisory Group.
Leigh Park Gardens & Ancient Woodland
2.5. The ranger team continue to maintain a high pace of restoration within Leigh Park Gardens.
2.6. Much of the work undertaken relates directly to the final phase of the current Heritage Lottery scheme. Works which have been undertaken, or are being undertaken, in this phase include;
· Recreation of the path around the Ornamental Lake;
· Installation of litter bins;
· Resurfacing of pathways within Leigh Park Gardens;
· Clearance of scrub from Seven Oaks Lawn; and
· Clearance of Serpentine Border within Leigh Park Gardens.
2.7. As this phase draws to a close the ranger team are working closely with the gardens team to replant the Serpentine Border with a range of historically accurate shrubs and plants. A number of gothic style iron benches will also be installed throughout Leigh Park Gardens, many of which will commemorate the location of Staunton's lost follies.
2.8. To date this work has involved nearly 240 volunteer days, representing a match funding value of £11,875.
2.9. It is planned to reopen the Victorian Coach House for the February school holiday with cycle hire available to support the catering business. This will form the core of the Parks Active Staunton promotion that will include cycling, walking, running, angling and other active pastimes.
2.10. A sculptor will commence work on a number of pieces which will be placed on the edge of Leigh Park Gardens and lead visitors through the woodland on the sculpture trail. As part of the project we will be working with local schools to help design sections of one the pieces.
Visitor Services
2.11.
Reduced annual membership charges remain popular with steady growth in numbers which can be seen in Graph 2.1, below.
Graph 2.1
2.12. Members now account for 22% of visitors to the pay zone with the average member visiting over five times.
2.13. Holiday activity clubs continue to be marketed in conjunction with Havant Arts Centre, Museum and Library. This joint working approach remains a success with bookings remaining high. Teams are currently engaged in identifying mechanisms to increase the capacity of activity clubs.
2.14. Active marketing of Sir George Staunton Country Park has meant a significant increase in local media coverage. Since July Staunton has enjoyed over 2300 square centimetres of editorial in local press. This has undoubtedly had an impact on visitor numbers and it is hoped that this trend can be sustained through the autumn and winter seasons.
2.15. Following a brief gap the members newsletter has resumed with the most recent edition being mailed out during September. The winter edition will be mailed at the end of November in order to promote Christmas activities, which this year includes the sale of Christmas Trees.
2.16. A number of initiatives are being taken to boost visitor numbers including promotional offers to employees of Staunton's funding partners (Hampshire County Council, East Hampshire District Council and Havant Borough Council).
Catering & Conferencing
2.17. The day to day Tea Rooms operation has performed as forecast, although overall catering income figures are lower than anticipated. This is primarily due to the delay in fully establishing the conference business during 2005, and the slow re-establishment of the children's party business following restoration.
2.18. Steps are being taken to address these concerns and include a directed marketing drive to increase awareness and use of our new meeting facilities with business users located in the conurbations of Portsmouth and Southampton.
2.19. Due to the delay in establishing the conference catering and re-establishing the children's party business a postponement of market testing is proposed until the 2007 season. This will enable more accurate forecasting of the potential business through catering and therefore maximise its potential value to the Park.
Education
2.20. The educational partnership between Staunton and Portsmouth Water Ltd. continues to develop. Water themed education topics, which are curriculum linked, have been added to our portfolio. A mail shot has been sent to schools and other education providers.
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3. Premises Licence.
3.1. In accordance with the Licencing Act 2003, and the changes which come into force during November 2005, it is proposed that Sir George Staunton Country Park apply for a premises licence to permit;
· Sale of alcohol; and
· Provision of regulated entertainment.
3.2. This will improve the viability of our private functions and events operations, enabling the sale of alcohol to guests to be undertaken in-house.
3.3. Performance events such as Staunton Live!, which would ordinarily have required individual public entertainment licence, will also be covered under the new application.
4. Visitor Information.
4.1. Following the restructure of Staunton's financial and information gathering systems we can start to better understand visitor patterns.
4.2. For the financial year to date the average spend per head across all visitors to Staunton is £6.06 (£5.72 when VAT removed from relevant cost heads).
4.3. The breakdown of average spend per head can be seen in table 4.1, below.
Table 4.1
4.4. Although forecast visitor numbers have not been achieved to date this year Graph 4.1 demonstrates the continued increase in visitor numbers since 2002 / 03 financial year.
Graph 4.1
4.5. The visitor figures to October represent the highest since the 1995/1996 financial year.
5. 2006 / 07 Pricing Strategy
5.1. Proposed entrance charges can be seen in Appendix A. These represent an average increase of 3% and have been calculated with the following considerations;
· 2006/07 Budget pressures;
· Comparison with competitor attractions;
· Market sensitivity; and
· Visitor feedback.
5.2. A forecast increase of 4.2% on salaries places a significant pressure on the 2006/07 Revenue Budget. In order to maintain progress on the ten year plan it is important that the Park's reserve account deficit is turned to a surplus by the 2008/09 financial year.
5.3. A key element of our marketing plan is price comparison with `similar' attractions. It has proved difficult to identify other attractions with the diversity of Staunton. From a selection of garden attractions and farm attractions, both local and national, an average adult ticket price of £5.23 has been calculated (2005 rates). This would place the Staunton proposed maximum charge at 5% below the average.
5.4. In setting prices the sensitivity of the market, and in particular our local market, has been considered. Staunton has seen steady growth in visitor numbers (Graph 4.1) and increasing preference toward the membership scheme (Graph 2.1). Where price increases are proposed to `normal' day tickets it is anticipated that this may stimulate further membership growth. This will result in increased secondary spend through more frequent visits.
5.5. In considering visitor (and Member) feedback it is proposed that three new ticket classes be introduced;
· Family day ticket;
· Family membership ticket; and
· Corporate membership ticket.
5.6. Following the success of the reduced cost membership scheme within the Havant Borough it is proposed to extend this to residents within East Hampshire District Council.
5.7. A corporate membership rate is also proposed for companies wishing to offer this benefit to their staff. This will be marketed closely with the meeting & conferencing facilities.
5.8. Entrance charges to school groups and special needs groups remain unchanged. Staunton will also continue to offer free entry to Hampshire's foster carers and their families.
6. RECOMMENDATIONS
6.1. That the 2006/07 maximum charges as set out in Appendix A be approved.
6.2. That the extension of the in house catering operation until the end of 2006/07 financial year be approved.
6.3. That the application for a Premises Licence under the 2003 Licencing Act be approved.
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:
