Archived decisions

              Item 5

Sir George Staunton Country Park

Stakeholder Forum

Unconfirmed Minutes

Of meeting held on19th September 2006 , at 5.30pm

In the Garrett Room, Sir George Staunton Country Park

Present

Hampshire County Council

Cllr E F Gale (Chairman)

Cllr Mrs A Buckley

Mrs Margaret St George (HATS)

Cllr Anne Edwards

Portsmouth Water Company

Mr I Limb

Rowland's Castle Parish Council

Cllr Mrs M Harvey

Havant Borough Council

Cllr K Moss

Mr T Lee

Horndean Parish Council

Cllr Dr J Sewell

Havant Day Service

Mr T Hart

Staunton Country Park

Mr L Paterson, Park Manager

    1. APOLOGIES

    Mr G Nottage, Mrs J Parkinson, PC Z Pragnell, Mr K Golden, Mr A Neve, Cllr G Leonard, Cllr M Walker, Cllr I Beagley, Cllr R McIntosh, Cllr Mrs E Byrom, Cllr Mrs D K Denston, Mr S d'Este Hoare, Mrs J Okwuadigbo, Mrs G Grant, Mr J Tickle, Mr P Thompson, Mrs A Farnden, Mr R Bishop.

    2. MINUTES OF STAKEHOLDER FORUM

    The minutes of Stakeholder Forum Meeting held on 6th May 2006 were agreed.

    3. UNCONFIRMED MINUTES OF JOINT MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

    The unconfirmed minutes of the joint Management Committee held on 13th June 2006 were noted.

    4. PARK MANAGER'S UPDATE

    The Park Manager updated the Forum on developments at the park since its last meeting.

    This has been the busiest year for the park since 1990, with just over ten thousand more visitors than last year. Staunton has also been awarded the Green flag for the second year running.

    Farm

    New farm stock has settled in well, paddock fencing has been renewed in places, path resurfacing has improved accessibility. Our first alpaca cria, Antonio, is being halter trained so he can be utilised in animal encounters if not suitable to become a stud. Animal encounters now undertaken through the Education Team regularly take place for visitors to enjoy.

    Gardens

    The gardeners have been busy maintaining and developing seating areas, borders, improving paths and lawn areas, we have a new carnivorous plant display, and of course the Giant Amazon Water Lily. There is also a variety of garden produce and plants for sale.

    Rangers

    There has been a significant increase in the number of visitors to Leigh Park Gardens. This is believed to be at least partially due to the increased accessibility which includes our new cycle route. The Ranger Team continue their work with much scrub clearance, path resurfacing, and walk creation planned for autumn and winter. Kingfishers are once again present at the Lake. Buzzards and Sparrow Hawks have also returned and have successfully bred. Our two sculptures are now in place and proving a popular part of the trail.

    Visitor Services

    Memberships still continue to rise, as do the number of visitors to the Park. There has been good media coverage through the papers and the radio. This has included sponsorship from Ocean FM and Havant Borough Council top assist with Staunton Live! events held during August. Shop layout has been revised to assist visitor flow.

    Catering & Conference

    The tea rooms continue to perform well, queue waiting time has been reduced. The Victorian Coach House has been trading steadily throughout the summer, assisted by interest for the new trails and cycles hire. Conferences and meetings remain very slow to become established. There has been more success with wedding receptions, with bookings for next year increasing.

    Education

    Staunton remains ever popular with school bookings and local schools membership both increasing. Autumn sees the launch of our Primary Gifted & Talented After School Club which we will host during school holidays. Following a successful launch of the Water is Life programme, developed in partnership with Portsmouth Water, we have seen an initial surge in bookings.

    Q.Terry Hart requested further information on the Gifted & Talented After Schools Club.

    A. The Park Manager will provide further details included with the minutes

    5. RESOLVED

    That the report be noted.

    6. DATE OF NEXT MEETING

    At the meeting it was decided that the Park Manager should submit dates for the 2007 cycle of Stakeholder Forum Meetings. These proposed as;

    Tuesday 17th April 2007 at 5:30pm; and

    Tuesday 9th October 2007 at 5:30pm.

    7. ANY OTHER BUSINESS

    Q. Cllr K Moss asked if we kept our Staunton website updated?

    A. The Park Manager replied that is was kept regularly updated by the Parks Marketing Officer. The Park would also be reviewing the overall appearance of its web site with a view to updating.

    Q. Cllr Mrs A Buckley thanked Mr Paterson for giving a good report, and asked if we advertise for volunteers?

    A. The Park Manager replied that we have just reviewed our volunteer programme. Volunteer coordination now falls within the remit of the Education team and key elements now include improved induction, training and active recruitment based upon our work needs.