Redhill Park Management Plan 2007-2011

Author: Michael Rowland Written: Jan 2006 Review: Dec 2006

1. Introduction This plan has been produced as part of an effort to develop higher standards of management within Redhill Park and to direct the future improvement and development of the site as a resource for the local community and an important site for wildlife. While it is taken into account that the Common area has a high amenity and recreational value, the plan for this Local Nature Reserve is geared towards conservation management, whilst seeking to minimise the inevitable conflicts that arise on such a site. The plan will be reviewed and updated annually as part of the Green Flag process. It includes a five year forward plan for the site alongside an annual maintenance plan. The plan has been compiled by the Council in consultation with representatives from regular user groups and stakeholders (see Appendix 1). Redhill Park is one of Bournemouth’s eight Green Flag sites The Management Plan is additionally informed through the results of a quarterly user satisfaction survey and community drop-in days.

2. Policy Context Bournemouth’s parks and open spaces are managed within the Leisure Services business unit of Bournemouth Borough Council. The business unit is overseen by the council’s cabinet member with a portfolio of ‘environment and leisure’ and also by the scrutiny and review panel for Strengthening Our Economy. The Bournemouth Leisure Strategy was adopted by Cabinet in February 2003 and covers the provision of open space, play and sports facilities, alongside community involvement policies for the Borough. The Leisure Strategy picks up the relevant strands of the Borough’s Cultural Strategy and Community Plan (see below). A Borough wide Green Space Strategy was adopted in December 2006, this document covers the management and future development of Bournemouth’s public green spaces, sitting between the Leisure Strategy and individual site management plans. All published strategies, plans and associated documents can be made available upon request through any member of the Parks Team (see Appendix1)

Local Development Framework 2007

Cultural Strategy 2003

Community

Leisure Strategy 2003-8

PPG17 Analysis 2007-17

Corporate Plan 2005

Green Space Strategy 2006-11

Other Council Policies, e.g.

disability, environment etc.

Site Management Plans

Plan 2004

The structure shown above aims to feed down relevant policies, aims and objectives and consequently simplify the process of management plan development. The Green Space Strategy will aim to pick up all issues from national & local strategies that are relevant to public open space.

Bournemouth District Wide Local Plan Particular reference to Redhill Common is made under Policy 3.19, which states: “ The local planning authority will safeguard areas of remaining heathland as identified on the proposals map and ensure the retention of a buffer zone around any new development site where there is a boundary with a heathland area.”

Cultural Strategy A key aim of the Cultural Strategy is to:

“Conserve, enhance and promote access to Bournemouth’s environment and heritage”

Leisure Strategy 2003

The Leisure Strategy picks up threads from the Cultural and Community Strategies for the Borough that are applicable to Leisure.

Specific proposals for Redhill are: To replace the pavilion on the playing fields and to include a youth drop-in facility – this has not yet been achieved. The playing fields are currently not formally used to a lack of demand. The demand for formal playing fields will be re-assessed in the 2007 PPG17 analysis being jointly undertaken with Poole and Sport England. To provide a skate zone in the park, this was been achieved in 2003. Plans have since moved on to refurbish the children’s play area and develop a multi-use games area and teen shelter in the area of the skate zone. Funding is in place to develop the play area.

Green Space Strategy 2006

Redhill Park has no specific policies within this document, it was ranked 19th of 106 open spaces within the borough through a PPG17 site audit, using Green Flag criteria. The document also proposes to:

o Develop all new teen zones outside existing play areas o Vary grass sward length where practical o Increase deciduous tree cover where appropriate o Reduce clutter signage and use signage that follows RNIB guidelines o Eradicate invasive species such as Rhododendron ponticum o Obtain comprehensive records of bowls and tennis participation o Review locations of litter and dog bins o Reduce energy consumption o Promote public café facilities, bowls and tennis to the public o Promote recycling, waste minimisation and taking litter home o Clean up broken glass on weekend mornings o Deal with graffiti and vandalism as soon as possible o Increase understanding of wildlife and sustainable access to all parks and open spaces

Corporate Environmental Management System

As part of Bournemouth’s Local Agenda 21 process the Council is working towards the principals and targets set out in the Community Plan and Corporate Plan. The Leisure Strategy picks up the importance of implementing Local Agenda 21 Environmental Action Plans to ensure that the needs of the community are balanced with the needs of the environment. The Green Space Strategy expands upon this and has policies aimed at mitigating global warming and reducing the impact of the management of open spaces upon the environment as a whole.

Review of Working Practices Parks Operations continuously reviews its current methods of operation, introducing new working practices into the work place in order to reduce its environmental impact. Current reviews include:

o Close Mown Grass Cutting: To reduce the amount of close mown areas and formally maintained areas, to provide wildlife corridors as havens for flora and fauna. (Leisure Strategy 2003)

o Landscape Design: To design areas, which reduce the intensity of maintenance, providing visual and environmental benefits. (Leisure Strategy 2003)

Pesticides Policy See Appendix 2 for full documentation.

3. Site Description & Details Redhill Park & Common Redhill Drive Bournemouth Dorset BH10 6AW National Grid Ref: 0859 9521 centre

0816 9473 SW corner 0903 9564 NE corner

Area: 25.91 Ha.

Local Authority: Bournemouth Borough Council (Unitary)

Ward: Redhill Park - Redhill & Northbourne Redhill Common - Moordown Redhill Park and Common is situated in the northwestern area of Bournemouth Borough, serving as the primary park and nature site for Northbourne, Redhill and much of Ensbury Park and Moordown. The park is bisected by Redhill Avenue, with the common (designated a Local Nature Reserve) to the east of the road and the formal park to the west; the two parts are linked by footbridge. Site Designations The site wholly is designated as public open space and is shown as such within the Borough’s Local Plan. Redhill Common was designated a Local Nature Reserve in 2006. Heathland within both sites is additionally protected through the Bournemouth District Wide Local Plan. Land Tenure and Area Boundaries The park was purchased freehold in three parcels between 1906 and 1934. The common was acquired in 1906 under the Bournemouth Parks Lands Act 1889 for the purpose of Public Open Space on a freehold basis. Area boundaries are indicated on the plan in Appendix 3. Leases and Covenants The park and common are managed in accordance with the Bournemouth Borough Council Act 1985, as such they may only be used for the purposes of recreation. See Appendix 4. The pavilion and café have been leased to the Redhill Bowls Club Trust until 31/03/2008. Minimum public opening hours and are specified within the contract for the café, tennis and bowls facilities. Physical Factors The geology of the site comprises Bagshot Beds and London Clay, which are overlain by valley gravels. Geology determines the soil type, and in this site produces a free draining sandy soil, with a localised peaty layer. The wooded area, running along the west side of the park, lies lower than the ridge of heath and grass running NE to SW. The site has a favourable micro-climate for the growing of a wide range of species capable of withstanding –12oC. (Bournemouth is in hardiness zone 9a (-3.9oC to –6.6oC).

Café & picnic area

Changing rooms

Play area &

paddling pool

Skate zone

Playing fields & amenity area

Car park

Local nature reserve

=

Site Description The formal park at the southern end of the site (J) provides a paddling pool, play area, public sports facilities (single bowling green and three tennis courts) and a pavilion with public café and toilets. There are further public toilets at the southern tip of the site, outside the park boundary. Between the formal park and the amenity area (H) is a public car park with a height restriction barrier. The amenity area is used for informal football, ‘Boredom Busters’ summer play scheme and school athletics, the latter two making use of the changing rooms. It also has a small skate zone which will be further developed as a teen area. Beyond the strip of pines that run throughout the site (G) is an informal meadow area (I), managed for wildflowers and insects.

public toilets

Tennis courts & bowling green

Meadow

Fig 1: Annotated 2005 aerial photo of park

Fig 2: Park management compartments

The remainder of the site is called the Common (A-D) and has been set aside for conservation, with mature woodland and rejuvenating heathland areas, it also provides boundary areas of grassland for amenity use. The Common is a small relic heathland site that had degraded due to a combination of inappropriate management and, in parts, a lack of management. When the Council purchased the common in 1906 it was predominantly heath and acid grassland, which remained the case until the mid 1970s. At this time, it was decided to create an amenity area. A regime of mowing began and parts of the site were reseeded with grass resulting in a significant loss of the heathland habitat. There was also a considerable amount of tree planting along the western edge of the common at this time.

Habitat Types of the Common The principle habitat types of the Common are summarized below. The site is presently dominated by grassland and scrub, but aerial photographs of the area that were taken in 1974 show that until this time Redhill Common was a heathland site. Acid Grassland occurs in large areas over the Common and is dominated by the grasses common bent Agrostis capillaris, bristle bent A. curtisii and sweet vernal grass Anthoxanthum odoratum. Other species include common cat’s-ear Hypochoeris radicata and sheep’s sorrel Rumex acetosella. Neutral Grassland is dominated by perennial rye-grass Lolium perenne, cock’sfoot Dactylis glomerata, Yorkshire fog Holcus lanatus and rough meadow grass Poa trivialis. Other species common in this habitat include bird’s-foot trefoil Lotus corniculatus, field bindweed Convulvulus arvensis, yarrow Achillia millefolium and ribwort plantain Plantago lanceolata. Dry Heath. There are some small patches of established heather dominated dry heath in open areas of the woodland, but the majority of this habitat type is at regeneration stage with common heather Calluna vulgaris, bell heather Erica cinerea and gorse Ulex sp. in early stages of development. Scrub is located around the fringes of the site, skirting the edge of the woodland and occurring in openings in the woodland canopy layer. The scrub is dominated by common gorse Ulex europaeus with birch Betula pendula, oak Quercus robur and Scots pine Pinus sylvestris saplings throughout. There are also isolated patches of bramble Rubus fruiticosus and bracken Pteridium aquilinum. Mixed Woodland fringes the western boundary of the common and is of secondary status. Many of the trees were planted during the 1970s to improve the aesthetic value of the site. The main species are silver birch, oak, rowan Sorbus aucuparia and Scots pine Pinus sylvestris. The woodland understorey is dominated by ivy Hedera helix, with bramble, common gorse, Holly Ilex aquifolium and Honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum. Flora of the common

Generally, the site has a limited flora typical of dry, acid soil conditions. However, in areas where there has been some nutrient enrichment there is an increase in diversity with species such as birds-foot trefoil, common vetch Vicia sativa and hedgerow cranesbill Geranium pyrenaicum.

The botanical information available is concentrated almost totally on the vascular plants. Information on the lower plant species is required.

Fauna of the common

To date there have been no detailed zoological surveys but casual observation has revealed a number of bird species. Common lizard Lacerta vivipara and slow worm Anguis fragilis have been recorded.

Invertebrates of interest include the nationally rare dragonfly, the scarce chaser Libellula fulva, golden ringed dragonfly Cordulegaster boltonii, the orb-web spider Agelena labyrinthica that is often associated with heathland and the wasp spider Argiope bruennichi. Meadow grasshopper Chorthippus parallelus, common green grasshopper Omocestus viridulus and emperor moth Saturina pavonia have also been recorded.

More formal surveys of the fauna will be carried out as resources permit with the assistance of the Redhill Common Conservation Group.

A detailed description of the site by compartment is given in Appendix 5. Users Both Hill View and Winton primary schools are within a five-minute walk of the play area, making the site busy after school. It is also one of only two parks within the borough to maintain a paddling pool and consequently it is hugely popular with children and parents in summer. As a whole, the site is popular with the whole community. There are clubs and groups that use the site for flat green bowls, athletics and summer play schemes. The tennis courts are all public and there is a developing teen area with a skate zone. Adjacent to the skate zone, goalposts have been erected and are moved along a strip for casual use. The amenity area is used for public events such as fun fairs; it’s also popular for informal football. The whole park, north of the car park is popular with dog walkers, offering plenty of space and varied walks. By far the most popular recreational activity on the common is dog walking. The woodland areas are particularly attractive to children for various forms of adventure play. Redhill Park, to the west of the Common, tends to be the focus for ball related games and other sporting activity.

Most ball games and sports activities are facilitated on Redhill Park, west of Redhill Avenue. The common has a dedicated group conservation volunteers and hosts regular guided walks and practical conservation activities. Bournemouth University use the site on annual basis to learn skills in plant identification and provide a monitoring service. Site user satisfaction has been recorded through a quarterly survey since winter 2005/6. The results will soon become a useful tool for judging progress in improving the park. The Redhill Common Conservation Group has started to collect basic data relating to site user numbers.

Stakeholders The Council leases the bowls pavilion and cafe to the Redhill Bowls Club Trust. The Common has a dedicated volunteer group called the Redhill Common Conservation Group.

Access and Signage Redhill Park and Common is accessed from the following locations: -

1) Redhill Drive (5) 2) Redhill Avenue (7) 3) The Grove (3) 4) Park Lane (1) 5) Pine Vale Crescent (2) 6) Portswood Drive (1)

The site is easily accessible all year round, although some facilities including the paddling pool are locked during the evening. Disabled access is partially available, however some areas of woodland paths are too steep for wheelchairs. Modifications to make the pavilion accessible to wheelchair users will be undertaken in Winter/Spring 2007. History Parliament passed the Christchurch Enclosure Act in 1802, protecting Redhill Common from all building development. During the Napoleonic wars there was a shortage of food so the main landowners of farm land in the Stour Valley combined to sponsor an act of Parliament which would finish common rights on the heaths of Bournemouth and place the common land in private hands, so as to make it possible to cultivate it. The local people of the farms and holdings heard of the plan and the thought of losing the right to cut turf from the heath for their hearths left them aghast. The cottagers protest made to the Commissioners appointed to share out the land is told in a local studies booklet No 612, entitled "Farmer West and Muscliffe", which is a contemporary account of what happened. The Commissioners heeded the request of the cottagers that their rights should be preserved, and reserved certain tracts of the heath as "Turbary Commons" (turbary meaning the right to cut turf for fuel). The right was confined to the occupiers of small properties standing at least 14 years before the passing of the Act of Enclosure. As Bournemouth grew, most of these cottages were pulled down to make way for modern housing, this together with peat giving way to coal as a fuel, caused the right of turbary to fall into disuse. This enabled the Corporation to purchase the Turbary Commons and to lay them out as public parks and Redhill's eventual 25.91 hectares were purchased and laid out in this way. A great deal of forestry, mainly the planting of conifers on the former treeless heaths took place during the 19th century and the conifers of Redhill Common are a reminder that Bournemouth's famous pine trees are the result of an attempt to justify the enclosure of the common land. The site was visited in January 1913 with a view to its development as public pleasure grounds. It was decided to submit plans for the laying out of football grounds on the plateau near the southern end of the Common, the land to be prepared and sown with grass seeds and fenced, approximately 4 acres total. In 1920 more trees were planted at Redhill Common. The British Legion (unemployed ex-servicemen) carried out much of the construction work on the common in the 1920's. During 1936 the three tennis courts were "ALL WEATHER". Playground equipment was added, and the bowling green opened for play on Saturday 2nd May. In 1937 the name of the Common was changed to that of “Redhill Park”, with the pavilion constructed and opened on 4th May 1938.

During the Second World War a first aid post was erected in the park to be used as an A.R.P. First Aid Station together with the sinking of a static water tank. This was later converted to a children’s paddling pool in 1956.

Fig 3: 1934 RAF aerial photo of the park and common

During 1959/60, two football pitches were constructed on the park. The construction of a children’s playground on the southern end of Redhill Park took place in 1973, incorporating roundabouts, swings, etc. A single storey Parks Department Building was erected in 1982 in the park, for use as a mess room, garage and office complex.

Until recently Redhill Park and Common was managed as an amenity area but in 1998 it’s potential ecological value was recognised. Old aerial photographs of the site show it to have been dominated by heathland until the 1970’s when activities such as regular mowing and tree planting started to degrade the conservation interest of the site. Since 2002 Bournemouth Borough Council has worked closely with the ‘Redhill Common Conservation Volunteers’ to improve the heathland habitat of the Common.

4. Current Management Arrangements Community Involvement Redhill Park Bowls Club Trust manages the bowls and tennis facilities on behalf of the Council and leases the pavilion with a responsibility for internal repairs and maintenance, and is comprised of representatives from Redhill Park Bowling Club and Redhill Park Ladies Bowling Club.

A 3-year improvement plan for bowling greens was adopted by the Bournemouth Bowls Site Managers Association with quarterly meetings attended by Representatives from the Council.

Redhill Common Conservation Group, formed in 2002, is a local community group who work in partnership with Bournemouth Borough Council. The group assists in the management of the Common by participating in practical conservation tasks, biological recording, reporting incidents and promoting Redhill Common to members of the public.

In 2006 they held 12 Volunteer Task Days: average attendance 8 people, varying between 3 and 13. They contributed 365 person hours of work.

The volunteers continue to work with us on scrub clearance tasks. The Group secured funding from the local i9mprovement fund for a weeks' worth of scrub clearance by an external contractor. The site and group are included on the North Bournemouth Countryside Volunteers website

The group continues to have their monthly meetings with the community parks and countryside officers at Stour Acres Barn. In February 2007 they are having a cheese & wine evening to encourage new members and brainstorm to create a Development Plan for the group’s future. They also had a Christmas party at Stour Acres Barn and will no doubt have a series of summer socials. Volunteer Tree Warden, rregularly walks site and inspects trees, reports problems to Parks Operations of Arboricultural Officer. Part of a borough wide scheme to involve the community in tree care. Hillview First & Junior School uses the site for athletics and football, as they have no playing fields at the school. Redhill Park Fellowship Club for retired men meet during the winter months at the bowls pavilion, it provides the opportunity to talk, play snooker and card games. Boredom Busters play scheme provides facilities for children aged 4 years 9 months up to 12 years within the Redhill area during school half term and summer holidays. Bournemouth Club/Scouts also make use of the amenity area. Tennis - evening coaching takes place. Education and Research: Redhill Common is a small site that was once dominated by heathland. Inappropriate management regimes have damaged the site’s natural habitats, although current management aims to halt and reverse this trend. There are therefore opportunities for education and long-term research; for example, the site could be used as a model for heathland restoration programmes on other similar urban sites.

Bournemouth University use the Common for their undergraduate research programme.

Redhill Park Annual Events Fun Fair in March/April, Bowls Open Day on the 1st weekend in May, Scout Event in May, Boredom Busters play scheme during Summer Holiday mornings - av. 160 people, Health Walks are held throughout the year. The Common Management for Conservation

There had been no active management for conservation until 1998 when some gorse clearance work was undertaken. More significantly, the regular mowing regime was terminated over the majority of the open areas. Since the formation of the Redhill Common Conservation Group in 2002 a significant amount of gorse coppicing has been undertaken. A cut and collect regime was initiated on certain areas of acid grassland in 2003 to allow further regeneration of heather plants. This will be continued in future years.

Management for Amenity

Until 1998 the grassland was managed as short, amenity sward. It is now left unmown except for 2m wide strips either side of the tarmac paths and the eastern edge of the site adjacent to the boundaries of the properties on The Grove. There are seats situated along the main footpath as well as dog bins and litterbins, and a notice board was installed in 2002. Open Space As from March 2006 there will be an annual site risk assessments of all main sites (including all Green Flag sites, but not all small remote sites) excluding buildings & play areas to hard landscaping features e.g. fencing, footpaths, signs, bins, water features etc

With reference to the above sections covering grounds maintenance, all information is recorded and saved to site file folders.

General Grounds Maintenance The Council’s in-house Parks Operations Team carries out Day to day park maintenance. This has been the case since April 2000, shortly after the end of Compulsory Competitive Tendering. The relevant part of Grounds Maintenance team structure can be found in Appendix 1. The Grounds Maintenance Team work to an annual work programme.

Hard Landscape The hard landscape is generally maintained by the Parks Operations team, whilst repairs are organised by the Landscape & Technical Team (see Appendix 1) and carried out using a combination of in-house teams or external contractors where appropriate.

Hard landscaping is maintained and developed using materials appropriate for the setting, need and access levels. Play Areas In accordance with the Council’s approved Leisure Strategy, a balanced distribution of formal and informal outdoor play opportunities are provided for the young (based upon the NPFA’s minimum standards for outdoor playing space). Each play area in the Borough has been risk assessed once. Furthermore are: o weekly visual inspections to identify obvious hazards resulting from vandalism, usage or

weather o quarterly operational inspections- more detailed to check operation and structural safety

of equipment

o an annual inspection to establish overall condition of equipment, surfaces, fencing etc. Parks Operations staff will also be on site at some areas as a result of other procedures e.g. litter round and identify faults.

BuildingsAs part of the Borough’s Asset Management Plan there is a:

o 5 yearly site survey by BBC Building Surveyor o annual update (desk exercise) with Technical Officer/Building Surveyor to update

surveys (works/deterioration during year etc) o annual risk assessment of each property (or earlier if significant changes) o quarterly health & safety inspection of each property including Fire

Precaution/Asbestos/Legionella annual/biannual surveys as required

Depot facilities for Grounds Maintenance are provided in the form of a mess room, garages and storage containers.

Tennis CourtsIntegrity of surfaces maintained through regular inspections. Maintenance work undertaken by specialist contractors. The 3 courts were re-surfaced in 2005; they will be due a colour coating in 2010. One court is currently floodlit. All can be hired by the public through the bowls club.

Graffiti All graffiti is removed as soon as possible by Parks Operations, with priority given to obscene graffiti. If it cannot be removed by Grounds Staff external contractors are booked through the Landscape & Technical Section.

Graffiti boards are being trialed at 4 sites in Bournemouth, including Redhill Park. The exact location is up for discussion with the site staff, police and community. At Redhill this may be near the skate zone and proposed teen area. The boards will be inter-changeable with a fixed frame. They cost £1300 each. There will be led sessions by an artist. The funds come from the Government Office for the South West from the Home Office Targeted Partnership Support Grant Funding (to address Crime and ASB). The plan is to encourage the 'artist' out of youth rather than the ‘tagger.’ Parks Patrol will visit them regularly or as reported to inspect and white them out should obscene graffiti occur. Litter and Refuse Clearance Litter collection is designated under the Code of Practice issued DEFRA (Dept, for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs). For the purposes of litter, the park is designated as a Category 3 zone under the code of practice issued by DCLG.

Litter and dog bins are monitored on a daily basis and emptied as necessary. Other litter will be picked up on a regular basis to maintain the site to the desired condition.

Recycling and Waste Minimisation All recyclable compostable material is, where practical, utilised on site or removed for composting within the Borough. Shrub and hedge arisings up to a maximum diameter of 75mm will be chipped and returned to shrub borders in a compostable condition. Where appropriate

materials, including glass and aluminium, will be recycled. No green waste is sent to landfill, whilst any bulky compostable material is taken to a local green waste management contractor (Eco-Compost Ltd). It is hoped that in future excess green waste will fuel the Council’s proposed biomass boiler at King’s Park Nursery.

Pesticide Minimisation Whenever practicable the use of pesticides will be minimised and alternative solutions sought. (see Appendix 2)

Whenever practicable the use of pesticides will be minimised and alternative solutions sought.

Within Parks, Gardens and Open spaces there is a continual reduction in the use of pesticides, through the use of site generated and/or locally chipped compostable material as shrub border mulch.

Energy Conservation All utility meters are read monthly to identify trends in use and particularly to warn of water leakage from pipes. All buildings managed by Leisure Services will be surveyed for energy efficiency as a first step towards improving energy efficiency within the Business Unit. A prioritised programme of works can then be undertaken, dealing with the most wasteful buildings first.

Vehicles Only vehicles suitable for the purpose (small wheelbase mini-vans) are used along the main footpaths within the Gardens for the purposes of maintenance. Parks Operations, Transport Review (2004) identified alternative means of transport, in order to move away from the reliance on road going vehicles i.e. Utility Vehicles & Green fuels, which are to be introduced on to the fleet upon replacement of old vehicles.

Only vehicles suitable for the purpose shall be driven along the main footpaths and across grass areas within Redhill Park and Common.

Park users can use the car park off Redhill Drive or park on Redhill Drive itself. The car park has a tarmac surface, which is not marked out with any formal bays. On-street parking is available for visitors to the Common on The Grove and Redhill Avenue.

Byelaws There are Byelaws that cover Redhill Park and Common in respect of Pleasure Grounds, which came into operation on 1st July 1999. These are available in booklet form from the area Community Parks & Countryside Officer (see Appendix 1).

The Gardens are designated for control of dog fouling under the Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996, which makes it an offence for anyone in charge of a dog not to clear up forthwith after it has defecated. In addition, the Bowling Green, Children’s Paddling Pool and Children’s Playground are designated Dog Prohibited and the Bowling Green surrounding footpaths are designated ‘Dogs on Leads’.

Security: The Council has appointed a team of Community Parks Officers to cover all parks and open spaces in the Borough. Working flexible hours their remit is to promote the use of the parks and address inconsiderate behaviour within them. The officer responsible for the Redhill area

has particular responsibilities for youth issues, forging links with residents, community groups and enforcement agencies.

In addition, Redhill Park has Grounds Maintenance Depot facilities for the area ensuring staff presence on site during the normal working week. Through the Redhill Park Trust, facility management of the bowling green is provided during the bowls season.

Marketing & Promotion Effective communication is a vital part of marketing and on site ground-staff and Community Parks and Countryside Officers assist in informing, educating and assessing needs of residents and visitors to the park and common. There are notice boards on site, which are regularly updated to inform users of the site. The ‘Redhill Common Conservation Group’ has received publicity from their inception. The Play-scheme and Fair are also actively marketed and promoted by the Council. The Park and Common, and their facilities and community events held within them are promoted in the following ways:

o ‘Parks & Countryside Update’ – newsletter produced 3 times per year by the Council’s Leisure Development section. This is distributed freely throughout public buildings within the Borough.

o Bournemouth Leisure Directory – a handy sized colour brochure with a 10 page section on

o Council Information Bulletin (CIB) – a weekly press release and information bulletin distributed electronically to local media, councillors and council staff.

o The Councils’ website (www.bournemouth.gov.uk) in both the parks section and events section (when relevant).

o On site event promotion through site notice boards.

Community Parks Officers have a responsibility to inform and educate local residents and visitors about the gardens, through direct contact, organised events, updating the park noticeboard, and contributing to and distributing the parks newsletter.

Issues Conflicts Between Conservation and Recreation Interests

Because of the locality of the Common and the close proximity of residential areas it is inevitably subjected to human disturbance in a variety of forms. However, the site is adjacent to Redhill Park and this area can accommodate more formal recreational pursuits.

Dogs can cause disturbance when allowed to run loose over such a confined site and dog faeces causes nutrient enrichment to the soils and subsequent invasion by non-heathland grasses, particularly along path edges.

Anti-Social Behaviour

Below are the regularly experienced problems/ conflicts.

1. Young people drinking/smashing glass and littering in and around the play area

2. Vandalism/Graffiti on the buildings and equipment

3. Camps/fires in the woods (fear of crime)

4. Digging in the woods to make BMX/mountain bike jumps, Damage to trees

5. Dog fouling

6. Football/play on bowls green

7. Golf played on the Park

8. Travellers

5. Vision It is our ambition that the park will be popular with the whole local community, being somewhere that everyone within a 15 minute walk would think of going at least once a week in the summer. In hand with this ambition we would like to improve the natural habitats of the site as a whole, making it a better resource for wildlife and some of the areas more threatened wildlife.

Mix of acid and neutral grassland. Uneven stands of common gorse

Amenity area mowed as required. Varied

sward length and species mix

Figure 4 - Desired State of Redhill Park & Common

Deciduous woodland

Dry heathland bordered by woodland fringe

Mixed deciduous/ coniferous woodland, increased biodiversity

Amenity area with well used teen zone and informal sports

Amenity grassland

Meadow area managed for amenity use,

wildflowers and insects

Dry heathland and acid grassland

Dry heathland and acid grassland

Formal park area managed for children’s play, refreshments, bowls and tennis

6. Assessment & Analysis

The Park The park continues to be a very popular site. A drop-in survey held in Summer 2005 (see Appendix 6) asked some simple questions about what people liked most and least about the park and asked for anything else that people would add. The survey was undertaken during the day in the summer holidays and is skewed towards mums with children using the play and pool facilities, future surveys should concentrate on users in the amenity and common areas. Compartment J (Formal Park) The results showed that people valued the paddling pool and play facilities most highly. Notably when asked if they could choose one more thing, or one thing they disliked the most common response was nothing. High on the list of dislikes were teenagers and associated anti-social behaviour around the play area; they were also critical of the café and toilets. There were various issues that people disliked about the pool. Additions that were commonly asked for were new play equipment, a multi-use ball court, better café and toilets, more seating and longer hours for the paddling pool. The children’s play area is due to be refurbished in 2007. Play equipment has been ordered following drop-in workshops and consultation with park users and ward councillors. Compartment I (Meadow) This area has been managed for wildlflowers since 2005. The success of the wildflowers has been limited here when compared to other sites in the borough. It is proposed that no further sowing will be made in 2008 but an annual cut will be made each autumn and the site managed as an informal meadow, with popular paths mown through grass. There have been some complaints about the appearance of this area since the mowing regime was changed. This has occurred in other parts of the borough where a change has been made from close cut mowing to an annual cut. Compartment G (Woodland)

The southern tip of the woodland, which runs to the west of the play area and teen zone has been identified as providing cover for anti-social behaviour. The area also suffers significant vandalism to young tree stock. The woods north of the teen zone are popular with BMX cyclists as there are many steep slopes.

The age range and diversity of tree species needs improving to achieve a mixed woodland with a greater diversity of indigenous understorey species. Compartment H (Amenity)

The playing fields are no longer used for formal football, as the junior league now use facilities at Kings Park. A single goalpost is maintained for informal kick-about use. The changing rooms are basic and will be assessed during the 2007 PPG17 analysis of built facilities. It is possible that this will identify them for improvement.

By giving teenagers their own social area, many of the anti-social behaviour issues that are found in the children’s play area should decline. It is recognised that problems could be transferred to the teen area, and in order to minimise problems shrubs are being reduced around the play and teen areas to make them more visible from the road. The teen zone is not yet complete, but it is anticipated that some seating and a graffiti wall will be added in 2007, to add to the skate zone.

The car park has been recently marked out with bays, including disabled parking bays.

Both compartments G and H could be utilised to make a trim trail should funding be made available through ward councillors.

The Common

Ecological Evaluation of the Common

Prior to 1998, the site had limited conservation value, due to its management as an amenity area. It was recognized that with appropriate management the ecological value of the site could be enhanced without compromising the amenity value.

Since 1998, the management regime has concentrated on restoring and enhancing the biological diversity of the site.

To help achieve these aims and to raise the general awareness of the site, Redhill Common was designated a Local Nature Reserve in 2006.

A schematic habitat map of the Common is given in Appendix 7.

Flora

A comprehensive botanical survey has yet to be carried out but there has been some small-scale recording of the common plant species. These include:

Common heather Calluna vulgaris

Bell heather Erica cinerea

Mouse-ear hawkweed Hierarcium pilosella

Common cat’s-ear Hypochoeris radicata

Smooth hawksbeard Crepis capillaries

Common vetch Vicia sativa

Sheep’s sorrel Rumex acetosella

Wood speedwell Veronica montana

Hedgerow cranesbill Geranium pyrenaicum

Fauna

To date, there have been no comprehensive zoological surveys of the site but casual observation has revealed a number of species of birds, butterflies and dragonflies and damselflies. It is known that 2 species of reptile occur but there is no information regarding amphibians or small mammals. Similarly there is a distinct lack of knowledge of invertebrate groups.

Further biological recording will be carried out in the future with the assistance of the local conservation group.

Some examples of recorded wildlife are given below:

Birds: Song Thrush Turdus philomelos Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla Green Woodpecker Picus viridis Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula Jay Garrulus glandanus Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus Reptiles: Common lizard Lacerta vivipera Slow worm Anguis fragilis Dragonflies: Scarce chaser Libellula fulva Golden Ringed Dragonfly Cordulegaster boltonii Butterflies: Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus Common Blue Polyommatus icarus Peacock Inactis io Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina Speckled Wood Parage aegeria

Constraints

The land is zoned Public Open Space.

The land is subject to byelaw control.

The timing of any practical work is very important. Most of the work will be carried out between October and March (except bracken control)

7. Aims and Objectives

General

Signage - To use “Leisure” branded signage and provide notice boards in the Park and Common.

Paths, Paving, Steps and Bridges - Maintain paths, paving, steps and bridges in a safe condition, to provide access and circulation routes within Park and Common. Surfaces to be aesthetically and physically appropriate for their location and usage.

Boundary Walls, Fencing, Gates and Railings - To provide boundary definition to the Park and Common and security where appropriate, using materials and styles appropriate to the location and need.

Site Furniture - Provide and maintain seats, bollards, litterbins and dog bins etc. to ensure continuity of style in the gardens. All painted surfaces to be green (BS14C39) in accordance with Council policy.

Grass Areas - The range and type of grass management shall be compatible to the location, ground conditions, original design intentions and for the promotion of wildlife.

Naturalised Bulb Plantings - To enhance the Park & Common with selective planting of visually interesting displays in late winter and early spring.

Maintain high standards in grounds maintenance & horticulture

Maintain grass to general amenity standard & remove leaves every 4 weeks.

Ensure regular maintenance and replanting of shrubs as necessary.

Ensure that the tree stock is maintained in a safe & healthy condition for all users.

Maintain and develop community interest & involvement

Develop events and their promotion to increase community awareness and ownership of the park

Continue to encourage, support and promote community events

CPCO Anna-Marie Ford is working with the Dorset Wildlife Trust and the Urban Heaths Project on a program of informal environmental education on all countryside sites, including Redhill Common.

Develop informal recreation opportunities for older people

Improve seating and general landscape value of the site

Anti-Social Behaviour Below are the regularly experienced problems and actions planned/ taken to address them. Young people drinking/smashing glass and littering in and around the play area Vandalism/Graffiti on the buildings and equipment Camps/fires in the woods (fear of crime) Digging in the woods to make BMX/mountain bike jumps, Damage to trees Dog fouling Football/play on bowls green Golf played on the Park Travellers

Actions taken are: Develop relationships with young people, agree on acceptable behaviour and enforce the same with joint actions with Police. Also use Sports activities to occupy and get to know the group. A new group have moved into the site as the existing ones move on to the pubs etc to gather. Target the group and get to know names, schools and addresses for this group. Develop and implement a new graffiti wall project for the park and develop a young persons user group that work with staff and a professional artist to use the wall in an agreed manner. Promote reporting of problem activities ASAP (through Who to call sheet) Encourage tree wardens and the Conservation group to report through problem activities in woods so that digging and camps can be dealt with ASAP. Digging BMXers redirected to the BMX area on Redhill playing fields and camps removed before near by residents become worried and the camps become established and campfires are started. Undertake dog-fouling patrols at targeted times to educate and enforce. Encourage park users to pass on details of people failing to pick up after their dogs and target them. Include the site in the outreach golf project to pull the young people into more suitable locations for playing golf. Maintain travellers defences and check security at times of high risk (locking the park down if necessary) Monitor levels of vandalism, graffiti, litter and dog fouling and remove ASAP.

Emergency/out of hours contact details to be provided by telephone kiosk or in noticeboard.

The Common - General

Management

To ensure effective measures are put in place to protect the environment and its biodiversity through implementing local Agenda 21 action plans, developing the right mix of formal and natural habitats and undertaking a consistent, coherent educational policy that reaches out to all sections of the community.

To ensure effective measures are put in place to protect, maintain and sustain the quality of Bournemouth’s parks and countryside.

To establish an environmental monitoring programme that measures levels of biodiversity for wildlife within Bournemouth.

To develop new partnerships at a regional, national and local level, and in particular encourage the development of voluntary groups and countryside volunteering.

To improve access arrangements to parks, gardens, countryside and open space by people with disabilities and consult with users and potential users to identify priorities.

Ecology

To carry out ecological surveys. To restore areas of dry heathland. To reduce the existing tree cover. To control invasive species such as birch, gorse and bracken.

Recreation - See aims applicable to the whole site

Education

To encourage the educational use of the common by school groups and other students. To provide interpretational material in the form of leaflets and an information board. To support the Redhill Common Conservation Group.

Compartment A – Park View

The grass area at the southerly end of the compartment will continue to be regularly mown and maintained as amenity grassland.

The remaining grassland is now left unmown and is reverting to the original heathland habitat. This natural regeneration will be allowed to continue with little intervention except for the removal of tree seedlings and control of gorse if necessary.

A single cut in late autumn will be made, with the arisings collected to increase soil paucity and allow greater heather regeneration.

There will be minimal management of the woodland except for purposes of public safety.

The area of mature gorse will be coppiced (i.e. the stems cut at ground level) to encourage new bushy growth.

Compartment B – Redhill Heath

Initially the acid grassland will be left unmown, allowing heather species to regenerate and become more dominant in the sward. Subsequently there will be some cutting back of common gorse and developing scrub.

A single cut in late autumn will be made, with the arisings collected to increase soil paucity and allow greater heather regeneration.

Soil surveys of the areas of nutrient-enriched grassland will be undertaken to determine the feasibility of restoring them to heathland habitat.

The block of common gorse will be removed by cutting and herbicide treatment allowing the recolonisation of heathers and heathland grasses and herbs. Any encroaching bracken and bramble will be controlled by cutting and, if necessary, by herbicide application.

Compartment C – Wren’s Copse and Fry’s Field

The small area of dry heath and acid grassland will be kept clear of encroaching gorse and tree species.

The stands of gorse will be coppiced on a regular basis to prevent the plants from becoming ‘leggy’ and to ensure that well-used footpaths are kept open.

It may be feasible to return some of the nutrient enriched grassland to a heathland habitat. This will be determined following soil analysis work.

Compartment D – Badger Wood

A significant area of this compartment could be returned to the original heathland habitat with appropriate management.

This will be achieved by a programme of tree removal over a period of 3-4 years, clearing the land to the west of the main footpath that runs through the woodland, to allow heather regeneration and recolonisation.

A narrow belt of trees will be left along the roadside and the northern-most block will be retained.

Initial clearance work will be carried out in the vicinity of the remnants of heathland.

The removal of organic litter and tree saplings will be necessary to encourage the successful recolonisation and regeneration of heathland plant species from the existing seedbank.

Some areas of gorse will be retained and managed by coppicing but most will be removed by a combination of cutting and herbicide treatment.

Subsequent management will primarily ensure that invasive species such as birch, gorse and bracken are controlled to the benefit of heathers and typical heathland grasses and herbs.

Compartment E – Grove Green

The grass will continue to be regularly mown as amenity grassland. This will maintain an effective firebreak between the heathland and the residential properties. Areas may continue to be planted with appropriate bulbs by local schools and/or youth groups.

Any low branches overhanging the path will be removed to allow clear vehicular access for Dorset Fire & Rescue Service and Site Management.

Compartment F – Amenity Strip

Maintain as amenity grassland and verge.

Compartment G – Woods

Redhill Park & Common has a dominant mature tree planting of Pinus spp and various deciduous spp to be found around the perimeters of the site. Through previous management by thinning, (which allows light to enter through the high canopy) and in areas of loss through storm damage, a lower storey of Birch, Holly and Bramble is becoming established, together with some Pine regeneration. This will be encouraged and enhanced, and the whole area managed towards achieving mixed coniferous/deciduous woodland. A greater diversity of tree species in the southern (formal play and bowls) area is to be developed by replacement specimen planting.

Objectives are:

To ensure the tree stock is maintained in a safe and healthy condition for the benefit of all users.

To achieve a tree population that compliments the hard and soft landscape features, and screening the adjacent properties to the Park and Common.

To ensure the tree cover is composed of a mixed age range of tree specimens in order to maintain succession and continuity in the future.

Compartment H – Amenity

Teen Zone Seek funds for multi-use ball court and seating area & install graffiti wall in 2007.

Mark out bays in the car park.

Grass Area

Develop trim trail if ward councillors provide funds.

Undertake survey of changing facilities.

Compartment I – Meadow

Mow annually in September/October and maintain pathways. Monitor flora.

Compartment J – Formal Park

Playground Refurbish the playground in Spring 2007 with new equipment, as per consultation with local community in Summer 2006.

Hedges Maintain a neat and tidy appearance, cutting at intervals suitable to the hedge species.

Shrub and Ground Cover - The gardens are planted with a wide selection of species. To ensure regular maintenance and replanting as necessary, particularly on the perimeter and site entrance.

Café & Pavilion Work is ongoing with the Redhill Bowls Club Trust, who organise the café, to improve public access to the toilets and the quality of food and drink on offer. The current contract expires in 2008, when a new contract will be negotiated. It will be an aim for the facility to sell good quality fare with minimised packaging and waste.

During 2007 the pavilion will be improved to make it wheelchair accessible and to gain and disabled toilet.

Promote facilities as public.

Tennis There is scope to add additional lights to the existing columns and gain floodlights for the centre court, extending its playable time; a planning application will be submitted by the end of 2007.

Annual tennis prices and booking information will be shown clearly at the entrance to the tennis courts.

Bowls The bowls club continue to operate and make good use of the facilities. The Council will continue to promote the facility through its usual marketing channels. The lease of the building will be negotiated in 2008.

Bowling Green Maintain as a high quality bowling green facility in conjunction with Redhill Park Trust.

Lighting Maintain lighting units for security to reduce vandalism and inappropriate behaviour. Improve lighting in play and teen areas by changing units from orange to white light. Reduce shrub height along Redhill Drive.

Paddling Pool Provide a safe environment for children. Add new outdoor shower in 2007.

Buildings - To maintain the fabric of all buildings and to promote the use of the bowls pavilion. To make accessibility improvements to the bowls pavilion in 2006/7.

Management for the Common

Management for the Park

Install new shower unit

Mow annually and maintain paths

Install graffiti board and 2 x benches. Seek funds for ball court.

Refurbish play area

Survey changing rooms for quality and energy efficiency

Thin under-storey and shrubs to give more open appearance

Mark out parking bays

Undertake DDA works to building and energy efficiency survey. Add new signage. Renegotiate lease in 2008.

Install new floodlights for court 2.

Change street lighting from yellow to white

Selective thinning and re-planting to increase ground flora and develop mixed woodland

Action & Compartment Lead Team Due Date Resources Completed Cycle

Year 1 – 2006/7

Graffiti board CW CPCO Spring 07 Gov funded Install bird& bat boxes in G EB CPCO 2007/8 £200 5 years Access improvements to pavilion MS L&T 2006-7 £20,000 No Refurbish Play Area GS L&T March 07 £75,000 April 07 No Install new picnic tables in teen area MS L&T Spring 07 recycled Spring 07 No Lighting improvements to play area MS Tech ASAP TBC No Thin shrubs – comp G (south) AR PO Spring 07 Ongoing Annual Shower unit by paddling pool MS L&T Spring 07 £3,000 No Trim Trail in amenity area CW CPCO 2007 - tentative £3,0001 No Markings in car park MS L&T January 2007 £800 No Mowing – comp. A, E MM CPCO Gorse coppicing – comp. A, C MM CPCO Gorse control – comp. B, D MM CPCO Tree clearance – comp. D MM CPCO Cut & collect mowing – comp. B, C MM CPCO Cut & collect mowing – comp I AR PO Autumn/Winter Annual

Footpath clearance MM CPCO/PO January 07 Staff Annual

Clean Hard Services AR PO Mondays – Jan to Apr Mon and Fri – May to Dec Yes

Litter picking AR PO Daily Yes

Sweep Play Area AR PO As necessary from daily inspection

Empty Litter & Dog Bins AR PO Daily or as necessary Yes Remove graffiti from site AR PO As necessary Mow Grass to amenity standard AR PO As necessary Yes Remove leaves & cones from grass areas

AR PO Every 4 weeks Yes

1 Funded by ward councillors from the Local Improvement Fund

Winter pruning AR PO Annual Nov-Feb Yes Mulch Borders AR PO Annual Nov-Feb Yes Stain Benches WT PO Feb 20- Mar 3 Yes Complete tree risk management inspection programme and undertake any associated works

NC PO Throughout 2007-8 TBC April 08 No

Inspect Trees NC PO Annual or following report Annual

Mulch and border fruit shrubs in beds EB/ WT

LD/ PO Mar 06 No

Butterfly transect MM CPCO Weekly April- Sep Annual

Year 2 - 2007 – 2008

Mowing – comp. A, E MM CPCO Gorse control – comp B, D MM CPCO Tree clearance – comp D MM CPCO Cut & collect mowing – comp. B, C MM CPCO

Year 3 - 2008 – 2009

Mowing – comp. A, E MM CPCO Cut & collect mowing – comp. B, C MM CPCO Bracken control – comp. B, D MM CPCO

Year 4 - 2009 –2010

Mowing – comp. A, E MM CPCO Cut & collect mowing – comp B, C MM CPCO Re-colour tennis courts MS L&T During 2010 TBC Dec 2010 5 years

Other Items to be programmed

Built new multi use games area GS L&T Funds being sought £75,000 by 2010

Interpretation panel for the common MM Share Friends notice board in short term £2,500

Site maps for common and park CW CPCO Awaiting funds £1,500 Installation of irrigation system with the Bowls Club AR PO Awaiting funds TBC

8. Finance & Resources Staffing levels and budget resources for the site remain secure at present. Minor works are paid for through annual revenue budgets, whilst major capital expenditure can only be accessed through the Council’s capital programme or successful grant applications.

9. Monitor & Review As part of the process of managing the sites a monthly green flag group meeting is held to discuss all green flag sites and progress between them. A further biannual meeting is held at each of the sites between those responsible and the user/stakeholder groups.

Quarterly user surveys (20 people) are undertaken as part of the Council’s ‘customer satisfaction.’ Annual drop in days are held at each green flag site, these may obtain basic views from 20-100 users, depending on park throughput that day.

All staff and community groups will have access to the management plans and will be encouraged to make notes throughout the year on when items were completed and any issues that arose.

Annual green flag judging feedback sheets are also taken into consideration.

Comments from above are fed annually into the issues section of the plan, from which point forward the plan is edited every year.

The plan will be reviewed in it’s entirety from July 2011 for re-publishing in December 2011, this will be the 2012-2017 plan.

Appendix 1 – Staff Structure Parks Operations

Chris Wynne CPCO Team Leader

437837 Green Flag Champion

Alan Rideout Operations Manager

07771 746031 Resources, H&S

Andy McDonald Service Dev. Manager

07771 746032 Green Flag Champion

Peter Crompton Parks Manager

451695 Head of Grounds Maintenance

Wayne Terry Operations Officer

07771 647231 Grounds Supervisor

Eddie Barker Community Parks & Countryside

Officer 07974 014710

Events/Enforcement/Community

Nick Colledge Arboricultural Officer

07813 825921 Tree issues

Pete Laird Area Team Leader

Tel: 510681

Michael Rowland Green Space Policy

437827 Green Flag & Man. Plans

Martyn Sexton Technical Officer 07881 503917

Play area & equipment

Mark Miller Senior Community Parks &

Countryside Officer 07974 014710

Events/Enforcement/Community

Landscape & Technical

CPCO’s

1 x Green keeper 1 x Assistant Gardener

1 x Grounds person

Community Groups

Redhill Residents Group Tree Warden Gillian Birdsall

gillianb@ntlworld.com

Business Development Team

Ed Alexander/ Sarah MayContracts Team

451191 Contracts/Concessions Redhill Common

Conservation Volunteers Anne Whiteside & Pat

Wright

Boredom Busters Judith Shaw

437810 Jennifer Impett 451703

Events Team Events Info.

OTHER AUTHORITIES

Police Control Room 01202 222222/537551

Redhill Bowls Club Trust

Appendix 2 – Pesticides Policy

1. Introduction

Pesticides have been developed primarily for their ability to act on living tissue. Through sophisticated development they are able to target their effects on a limited range of plants and animals. Increasing concern about the hazards that pesticides present to humans and the environment has led to the introduction of legislation designed to control the type of chemical available, the sale and supply, storage, application methods and disposal of pesticides. This is primarily controlled under The Food and Environmental Protection Act 1985 (FEPA), Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986 (COPR) and the Health & safety at Work Act.

2. Definition of Pesticides

Under The Food and Environmental Protection Act 1985 (FEPA), a pesticide is any substance, preparation or organism prepared or used, among other uses, to protect plants or wood or other plant products from harmful organisms; to regulate the growth of plants; to give protection against harmful creatures; or to render such creatures harmless. The term pesticides therefore have a very broad definition that embraces herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, rodenticides, soil-sterilants, wood preservatives and surface biocides among others.

A pest is defined as any organism harmful to plants, wood or plant products, any undesired plant or harmful creature.

3. Legislation

In Great Britain, the storage, supply, advertisement, sale and use of pesticides are regulated by:

o The Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986 (as amended) (COPR).

o The Pesticides (Maximum Levels in Crops, Food and Feeding stuffs) (England and Wales) Regulations 1999 (as amended).

o In Scotland by The Pesticides (Maximum Levels in Crops, Food and Feeding stuffs) (Scotland) Regulations 2000, and commonly referred to as the MRL Regulations.

o Similar legislation exists in Northern Ireland. This legislation implements Part III of The Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 (FEPA).

In addition, further regulations:-

o The Plant Protection Products Regulations 1995 (as amended)

o The Plant Protection Products (Basic Conditions) Regulations 1997 (PPPR)

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Act 2002 (COSHH) requires that exposure to substances hazardous to health is either prevented or, where this is not reasonably practical, adequately controlled.

4. Legal Implications

• It is illegal to use a pesticide unless ministerial consent has been given for the intended activity, and that the relevant conditions of consent are complied with. Consent is only given:

o If all reasonable precautions are taken to protect human health, creatures, plants, the environment and pollution.

o That no unapproved mixtures or adjuvant are used o That formal training of users is required

• Pesticides can only be purchased through approved and certificated suppliers

• Pesticides must be stored in a structure designed for that purpose, and controlled by a certificated storeperson.

• Pesticides for Agricultural and Amenity Horticulture can only be applied by a person with a certificate of competence (NPTC)

• Pesticides must be disposed of in a manner that will not damage human health or the environment.

5. How Parks Operations implements this into working practice

• Only approved ministerial chemicals are used • All application equipment is regularly tested, maintained and replaced as

required • Personal protective equipment is regularly tested, maintained and replaced

as required • All chemicals are applied in accordance to the label requirements • All staff involved in chemical application are trained to the required

certification i.e. NPTC PA-1, PA-6A, PA – 2 and PA – 6AW. • Areas to be treated are secured from public access, or information notices

are posted during application periods. • Staff undergo regular refresher courses as required • COSHH assessments are carried out for all chemicals, with only those

proving to have the least hazard to the user and environment being used. Regular reviews of COSHH assessments are carried and stock changed as required

• All chemicals are stored in bunded structures that are secure, fire resistant and designed to stop chemical leakage.

• Stock records are kept on site with these stores • Chemical containers are disposed of through an approved contractor or as

designated by legislation. • Pesticide applications are recorded and kept at East Cemetery Lodge for

reference and public information. 6. Parks Operations Pesticide Usage Policy Whenever practical the use of pesticides will be minimised and alternative solutions sought. Within Parks, Gardens and Open spaces there is a continual reduction in the use of Pesticides. This has been achieved by:

• Using the principles of Integrated Pest Management.

Prevention > Cultural > Bio-Control > Chemical Control

• Carrying out environmental risk assessments to determine the best method

of pest control, only use chemical applications as a last resort. • Using site generated and/or locally chipped compostable material as shrub

border mulch. • By minimising the use of residual herbicides. • Challenging traditional working practices and introducing new practices

which minimise the need to apply pesticides or herbicides. • Replacing plants, shrubs and grass mixes with cultivars that are less

susceptible to pests and diseases. • Improved staff training, in order to inform and prevent poor practice. • Linking chemical control to Council Plans and Strategies.

Appendix 4 Bournemouth Borough Council Act 1985 (extract)

CHAPTER V

Part VI

Parks and Amenities 25. In this Part and in Schedule 2 to this Act “the five parks” means the parks in the borough specified in column 1 of Part 1 of the said Schedule 2 (the approximate area of each of which is specified in that column beneath the name of the park to which it relates) being those park lands to which the conveyances mentioned in column 3 of that Schedule relate and which until the commencement of this Act were subject to the Bournemouth Park Lands Act 1889 and the Bournemouth Corporation Act 1900. 26. – (1) The Council may, in any park, pleasure ground or open space provided by them or under their management and control, provide and manage a botanical garden.

(2) The Council may provide such buildings and execute such works as may be necessary or expedient in connection with the provision of any botanical garden under this section and references in the following provisions of this section to a botanical garden so provided shall include references to any buildings provided or works executed under this subsection and to anything with which any such building is equipped. (3) The Council may purchase or acquire botanical specimens and exhibits. (4) The Council may make such charges as they think fit for admission to any botanical garden provided under this section. (5) For the purposes aforesaid the Council may enclose any part of the park, pleasure ground or open space provided by them or under their management and control and may exclude the public from the part so enclosed: Provided that nothing in this section shall empower the Council to enclose more than one-hundredth of the total area of all the parks and pleasure grounds or open spaces provided by them or under their management and control or more than one hectare of any of the five parks.

(6) No power conferred upon the Council by this section shall be exercised in such a manner –

(a) as to be at variance with an express trust subject to which land or a

building is held, managed or controlled by the Council, without an order of the High Court, or of the Charity Commissioners, or the Secretary of State, or, where the trust instrument reserves to the donor, or any other person, the power to vary the trust, without the consent of the donor or that other person; or

(b) as to contravene a covenant or condition subject to which a gift or lease

of land or a building has been accepted by, or granted to, the Council,

without the consent of the donor, grantor, lessor or other person entitled in law to the benefit off the covenant or condition.

27 -(1) In the interests of persons resorting to any park, pleasure ground or open space under their management and control the Council may set apart an area (not exceeding the prescribed area) of the open space for use for the parking of vehicles and provide parking places and facilities in connection therewith. (2) Subsection (1) above shall not affect any trust, covenant or other restriction to which the park, pleasure ground or open space is subject. (3) The Council shall have power to make reasonable charges for the use of any facilities provided by them under this section, and may make arrangements for any such facilities to be provided by some other person, including arrangements authorising that person to make reasonable charges. (4) The Council shall consult the British Railways Board before exercising the powers of subsection (1) above in relation to an area of any park, pleasure ground or open space which is situated –

(a) over; or (b) elsewhere within a distance of 15 metres (measured in any direction) from;

any railway of that board. (5) In this section “the prescribed area” means –

(a) where the total area of the park, pleasure ground or open space does not exceed 4 hectares, one-eighth of that area;

(b) where such area exceeds 4 hectares but does not exceed twelve hectares,

one-half hectare;

(c) in any other case, one hectare. 28. – (1) Each of the five parks shall –

(a) subject to the provisions of this Act be deemed to be a park belonging to and provided by and under the management and control of the Council within the meaning of the Public Health Acts and the Act of 1972;

(b) for the purpose of the making of byelaws for the regulation thereof, be

deemed to be public walks and pleasure grounds, purchased, laid out and maintained by the Council for the purpose of being used as such under section 164 of the Public Health Act 1875.

(2) (a) Without prejudice to subsection (1) above the Council may, in connection with the exercise by the Council of any of the powers contained in Part II of Schedule 2 to this Act make byelaws for regulating the use of the five parks and for securing that persons resorting to the same will so behave themselves as to avoid undue interference with the enjoyment by other persons of the five parks and the buildings erected thereon or any part thereof, for regulating the use of the roads in the five parks and generally for the purposes of Part II of Schedule 2 to this Act. (b) Byelaws made under this subsection may contain provisions imposing upon a person offending against a byelaw a fine not exceeding level 2 on the standard scale.

(3) (a) The Council shall not (except as in this Act provided) sell, demise or otherwise alienate any part of the five parks. (b)The Council shall, subject to the provisions of this Act-

(i) at all times keep the five parks and each of them unbuilt on as open spaces for the recreation and enjoyment of the public; and

(ii) preserve so far as possible the natural aspect and state of the same.

(c) The Council may exercise in relation to the five parks and each of them the

powers contained in Part II of Schedule 2 to this Act but subject to the conditions and restrictions therein specified.

29.-(1) In this section – “the indenture” means the indenture dated 12th August 1873 and made between Owen John Augustus Fuller Meyrick and the Reverend Edward Harland of the first part Sir George Eliott Meyrick Tapps Gervis of the second part and the Bournemouth Commissioners of the third par; “the Lower Central Gardens” means the public gardens or pleasure grounds in the borough known as the Lower Central Gardens to which the indenture relates; “the owner” means the person in whom the freehold of the Lower Central Gardens is for the time being vested; “the signed map” means the map signed in triplicate by the Right Honourable the Lord Nugent the Chairman of the Committee of the House of Lords to whom the Bill for this Act was referred, one copy of which has been deposited at each of the following offices:-

(a) the office of the Clerk of the Parliaments House of Lords; (b) the Private Bill Office, House of Commons; and

(c) the office of the chief executive and town clerk of the Council;

“the specified part of the Lower Central Gardens” means that part of the Lower Central Gardens which is shown coloured pink on the signed map. (2) Notwithstanding anything in the indenture the Council may use, control and manage, and with the consent of the owner develop the Lower Central Gardens and with the like consent provide such facilities and erect and maintain such buildings as the Council consider necessary or desirable: Provided that only the specified part of the Lower Central Gardens shall be used for the erection of buildings under this section. (3) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (2) above the Council may –

(a) provide public amenities, facilities for entertainment and recreation, buildings and shops;

(b) hire caterers and erect or permit the erection of such accommodation as the

caterers consider necessary;

(c) by themselves or any other person appointed by them in that behalf apply for

and hold licences for the sale of beer or intoxicating liquors for the purposes of this paragraph;

(d) exercise in respect of the Lower Central Gardens and the said buildings the

powers conferred upon the Council by the Public Health Acts in respect of public walks and pleasure grounds.

(4) The Council and the owner may enter into an agreement with any person with respect to the provision of facilities and the erection and maintenance of buildings in the Lower Central Gardens authorised by this section on such terms and conditions (but in the case of a lease for a term not exceeding 99 years) and for such consideration as the Council and the owner think fit: Provided that the Council shall obtain the consent of the Charity Commissioners in the case of a lease ending more than 22 years after it is granted or for a consideration less than the best that can be reasonably obtained. (5) Any surplus revenue derived by the Council from the exercise of the powers contained in subsection (4) above shall be applied by the Council towards the maintenance and improvement of the Lower Central Gardens. 30.- (1) This section applies to –

(a) any grass verge in any street being a verge vested in the Council and mown or otherwise maintained in an ornamental condition;

(b) any gardens, lawn or green vested in the Council in any street and mown or

maintained as aforesaid;

(c) land accessible from a highway and vested in a person other than the Council being land laid out as a public garden or used for the purpose of public recreation and in either case mown or maintained in an ornamental condition by the Council.

(2) The Council may by notice prohibit, either entirely or at such times or on such days as may be specified in the notice, any of the following things:-

(a) allowing horses or cattle to enter such land; (b) driving or riding a vehicle on such land;

(c) using any equipment provided on such land.

(3) In the case of any prohibition by virtue of paragraph (c) of subsection (2) above the Council may exempt a child under such age as may be specified in the notice in respect of that paragraph and may similarly exempt any other person who is in charge of such a child while the child is on the land.

(4) A prohibition under subsection (2) (b) or (c) above shall not extend to driving or riding a vehicle or using any equipment –

(a) in the course of building operations; or

(b) by statutory undertakers or the British Railways Board where reasonably necessary for the exercise of their statutory powers:

Provided that the exemption afforded by paragraph (a) above shall be conditional upon means being taken to the satisfaction of the Council to minimise injury to the land and to protect persons on the land. (5) (a) For the purposes of this section notice shall be given by displaying it in a conspicuous position on or near the land to which it relates. (b) Notice of a prohibition contained in subsection (2) (b) or (c) above if it relates to a

grass verge forming part of or adjoining a highway used by motor vehicles (as defined in section 136 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984) shall be indicated by a traffic sign within the meaning of section 64 of the said Act of 1984 and section 65 (1) of the said Act of 1984 shall have effect as respects the placing of traffic signs under this section.

(6) A person who without reasonable excuse contravenes a notice posted under this section shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 2 on the standard scale. (7) Notice shall not be given in respect of such land as is mentioned in subsection (1) (c) above except with the consent of the person concerned or his representatives. (8) Where land to which a prohibition contained in subsection (2) (a) or (b) above applies forms part of a highway, the rights of the public over the highway, except rights of grazing cattle and horses, shall be subject to the prohibition; but, subject as aforesaid, nothing in this section shall –

(a) limit any right of way, public or private, over land; (b) restrict the exercise by any person of any statutory right to enter upon land;

(c) restrict the entry by horses or cattle on any grass or other margin provided by

a highway authority in pursuance of section 71 of the Act of 1980 (provision of margins for horses and livestock).

(9) In this section “statutory undertakers” means –

(a) any person authorised by any enactment to carry on any undertaking for the supply of electricity, gas or water; and

(b) any person to whom a licence has been granted under section 7 of the

Telecommunications Act 1984 and to whom the telecommunications code, as defined in that Act, is applied by that licence.

31. -(1) On the coming into force of this Act all rights under the Enclosure Act, the award or otherwise to cut and take turves for fuel on the specified land shall cease and be extinguished and the Council may appropriate and use the specified land free from any beneficial interest or any other right therein of the public or the inhabitants at large. (2) Any person who suffers loss by the extinguishment of any private right under this section shall be entitled to be paid by the Council compensation, to be determined, in case of dispute, under, and in accordance with, the Land Compensation Act 1961.

(3) As soon as may be after the coming into force of this Act the Council shall –

(a) publish a notice stating the effect of subsection (2) above in two consecutive weeks in a local newspaper circulating in the borough; and

(b) display a notice to the said effect in a conspicuous position on the specified

land. (4) The exchange land shall be held for ever by the Council for the charitable purpose of an open space for the recreation and enjoyment of the public. (5) In this section- “the award” means the award of 1822 made in pursuance of the Enclosure Act; “the exchange land” means the land provided in exchange for the specified land and shown coloured green on the signed plan; “the Enclosure Act” means the Act 45 Geo. 3 cap. Xcii entitled “An Act for enclosing Lands in the Parish of Great Canford, in the County of Dorset, and in the Town and County of the Town of Poole”; “the signed plan” means the plan signed in triplicate by the Right Honourable the Lord Nugent the Chairman of the Committee of the House of Lords to whom the Bill for this Act was referred, one copy of which has been deposited at each of the following place –

(a) the office of the Clerk of the Parliaments, House of Lords; (b) the Private Bill Office, House of Commons; and

(c) the office of the chief executive and town clerk of the Council;

“the specified land” means the land delineated on the deposited plan and described in the deposited book of reference and therein numbered 1 being land for the time being belonging to the Council.

SCHEDULE 2 Provisions relating to the Five Parks

Part 1 – Conveyances

Redhill Park, 18.93 hectares (46 acres). Conveyance dated 19th October 1906 made between Sir George Augustus Eliott Tapps Gervis Meyrick of the one part and the mayor aldermen and burgesses of the county borough of Bournemouth of the other part.

Appendix 5 Detailed compartment description of the Common

Working compartments

For the purposes of the management plan, Redhill Common has been divided into 5 working compartments (A-E). The boundaries between adjacent compartments are either physical, for example established footpaths or, alternatively, relate to a distinct change in habitat type. The compartments are shown on above.

For each compartment, a brief description is given along with a summary of available information regarding the flora and fauna. To date there have been no formal wildlife surveys and any records are from casual observation.

The working compartments have been given names by the Redhill Common Conservation Group, following some historical research into the area.

Compartment A - Park View

Description

This compartment is the southern-most area of the Common. Its northern boundary is the tarmac footpath running east from the footbridge over Redhill Avenue. The road itself is the western boundary and the main tarmac footpath on the common is the eastern boundary.

The compartment is largely acid grassland but there is a narrow strip of woodland on the westerly edge and at the northerly end there is a block of common gorse.

Until 1998 the whole area of grassland was mown regularly. Now only the extreme southern tip is mown.

Flora

The area of acid grassland is dominated by bristle bent, common bent, sweet vernal grass, common cat’s-ear and smooth hawk’s-beard. There are localised areas of regenerating heath with common heather, bell heather and common gorse. There are occasional saplings of birch and oak. The area of mown grass is dominated by perennial rye-grass with other species of flowering plants such as white clover, yarrow, cat’s-ear, sheep’s sorrel and mouse-ear hawkweed.

Fauna

Casual observation has revealed the presence of a number of insect groups and individual species. As would be expected on a predominantly grassland area, Orthopterans (grasshoppers and crickets) abound with meadow grasshopper and common green grasshopper particularly abundant.

Typical grassland butterfly species such as meadow brown and common blue are regularly seen.

Compartment B - Redhill Heath

Description

This is an area of predominantly acid grassland immediately to the north of Compartment A. It is bounded to the east by the main tarmac path and to the west by woodland. The northern boundary is demarcated by a distinct change in habitat type from the acid grassland to more nutrient rich grassland.

There is a small area of nutrient enriched grassland as well as a block of common gorse.

Flora

The acid grassland is typically dominated by bristle bent with common bent and sweet vernal grass. There is also common heather, bell heather and western gorse along with sheep’s sorrel.

The area of nutrient enriched grassland is typically dominated by coarse grass species such as perennial rye-grass, cocksfoot and Yorkshire fog. Other plant species include ribwort plantain, red clover, meadow buttercup Ranunculus acris and smooth hawk’s-beard.

Fauna

Several butterfly species have been recorded including: meadow brown, gatekeeper, and common blue. Meadow and common green grasshopper are present in large numbers and undoubtedly surveys will reveal a whole range of other invertebrate species.

Compartment C - Wren's Copse & Fry's Field

Description

This is the northern-most part of the Common bounded to the east by the main tarmac footpath and to the west by woodland.

There has been considerable ground disturbance on this part of the Common and, almost certainly, nutrient-rich topsoil has been dumped over much of the area. This has resulted in the establishment of a sward dominated by coarse grasses and large areas of gorse scrub.

There is a small area of dry heath and acid grassland and a block of deciduous woodland.

Flora

The area of nutrient enriched grassland is dominated by coarse grass species including cocksfoot, perennial rye-grass, Yorkshire fog and common couch Elymus repens. Other plant species include ribwort plantain, bird’s-foot trefoil Lotus corniculatus, field bindweed, ragwort Senecio jacobaea, yarrow Achillea millefolium, white clover and hedgerow cranesbill.

The area of dry heath and acid grassland is dominated by common heather, bell heather and common gorse. Other species include sweet vernal grass, bristle bent, common cat’s-ear and sheep’s sorrel.

Fauna

As for the other grassland areas, a number of butterfly and grasshopper species have been observed. On the area of heath in this compartment the Orb-web Spider Agelena labyrinthica can be found.

Compartment D - Badger Wood

Description

This compartment comprises the area of mixed woodland bordering the western edge of the Common along Redhill Avenue. It runs from the footbridge to the northernmost boundary of the Common.

The woodland is of recent origin (it does not appear on aerial photographs taken in 1974 when the whole Common was heather-dominated dry heath). At about this time some tree planting was carried out and there has been significant natural regeneration of oak and birch in particular.

There are some remnant areas of heathland that are gradually reverting to either gorse scrub or birch woodland.

Flora

The woodland is dominated by oak, birch, Scots pine and rowan. Where there is understorey, it comprises mainly holly Ilex aquifolium, honeysuckle Lonicera

periclymenum and bramble. The ground layer tends to be sparce with species such as wood speedwell Veronica montana, ivy Hedera helix and bracken.

The areas of heath are dominated by common heather and bell heather with common gorse.

Fauna

Casual observation has produced records of scarce chaser and golden-ringed dragonflies, holly blue and speckled wood butterfly and a species of hoverfly Chysotoxum cautum.

Vertebrates observed include robin, wren, blue tit, grey squirrel, fox and common lizard.

Compartment E - Grove Green

Description

This is the strip of mown amenity grassland to the east of the main tarmac footpath. It runs the full length of the Common from north to south and is bounded to the east by the gardens of properties in The Grove.

There are a number of mature oaks within the compartment.

Appendix 6 Redhill Park drop-in survey results 12:00-18:30 Thursday 1st September

Best Thing Worst Thing One More Thing Other Parks Used Sex Age

Paddling Pool x 33 Nothing x 17 Nothing x 12 Slades Farm x 12 Male x 18 5-11 yrs x 9

Good Facilities x 181 Teenagers x 10 More play equip x 9 None or n/a x 12 Female x 39 12-18 yrs x 5

Well maintained x 5 Pool Issues2 x 6 More toddler play x 7 Winton Rec x 8 Not given X 2 18-34 yrs x 14

Location x 5 Litter/Cig butts/Glass x 5 More seating x 6 Poole Park x 7 35-44 yrs x 20

Space x 5 Toilets (not open) x 5 MUGA/Astropitch x 5 Littledown x 6 45-55 yrs x 4+

Woods/Planting x 3 Not enough seats x 3 Better toilets/café x 5 Others outside area x 6 56+ yrs x 7

Tennis x 3 Meadow x 2 Deeper pool/slide/longer period x 4 Pelhams Park x 5

Café Bikes in play area Evening opening/events x 4 Malvern Road x 5

Bowls No skate ramps Putting x 3 Moore Ave x 4

Safe Too many gates Kids clubs x 2 Pine Road x 3

Atmosphere No bolt on road gate Sand pit x 2 King's Park x 3

Dog free play Moving pitches Live music Lower Gardens x 2

Coffee Duck Pond Christchurch x 2

Busy Animal farm! Moordown Rec x 2

No changing Numbers & letters on floor 7 other sites x1

No view to common Shade

Noise Park Keeper

Roundabout Climbing wall

1 Monkey bars x 2, swings x 2 Open longer, dirty, gates don’t self close, too shallow/small 2