Upton Country Park play & recreation enhancements 2012

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Upton Country Park play & recreation

Updated 30th January 2012

Leisure Services has undertaken an assessment of Upton Country Park’s play and recreation opportunities with the aim of providing a range of enhancements which will:

attract people to the park

encourage them to stay longer and

create a wider range of interest, whilst retaining the quiet and natural areas.

Latest:

From 20th February work will start on removing the Rhododendron and Laurel through the Grove wood and towards the Blandford Road entrance using chainsaws and a tractor-mounted flail, and is likely to take up to two weeks. Some paths & access may be limited whilst the work is undertaken.

This approach is similar to that used in the project at Longmeadow Lane Woods between 2008-09.

The removal of these invasive plants will benefit wildlife and the quality of the woodland because they make the soil very acidic and shade out all native plants such as bramble, nettles, foxgloves and bluebells.

Following the vegetation clearance the trees will be assessed for safety and worked on as necessary. New hedges will be planted and opportunities will be created for natural play and enhanced dog walking facilities.

Progressing the projects

All the proposals taken forward to the public consultation were well received, and in most cases with a clear majority – see the graph of results, right. We also received a wealth of individual comments that have been extremely valuable in shaping the way the project will be progressed. 　

This does not mean that we will be pushing ahead with all of the ideas on the consultation form. The main theme we took from responses and from face-to-face discussions was to resist changing Upton Country Park just for the sake of it. People like the park as it is and wish us to preserve its tranquility .

Leisure Services now intend to undertake various works in two phases. These works will respect the views of the public whilst increasing the amount of open space available, improving the quality of access into and around the park and allow for the installation of a new interactive trail.

Click on the images (right) to download plans with an explanation of the works to be undertaken

Phase 1 (early 2012)

In the first phase of work three areas, totalling 6.3 hectares (16 acres) will be made more accessible to the public through the creation of new entrances and footpaths, the removal of fence lines, clearance of dense under-storey vegetation and other infrastructure improvements.

Over the long term the clearance of non-native vegetation such as Laurel and Rhododendron will allow the woodland to naturally regenerate and let in more light, creating a better quality, more diverse habitat.

Phase 2

The public consultation revealed strong support for the inclusion of formal play equipment, natural play (boulders, logs, mounds and other natural features) and for bespoke seating and sculpture so long as it is in keeping with the park and positioned appropriately. 　These elements will for phase two of the works and will be fully considered once the Phase 1 has been undertaken in early 2012.

Councillor Judy Butt, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Communities, Public Engagement and Participation, says: "Upton Country Park is so popular with local people, being a beautiful open space to relax and enjoy the great outdoors. I am really pleased that we can make these new improvements to the Park in answer to the needs of our local Poole residents. The new plans will provide greater interest and participation for all park users, see you there!”.

Consultation

Between 25th June - 26th July 2011 we consulted with Park users on:

The zoning of different activities

Enhanced cycling routes and facilities

Opportunities for natural & formal play experiences

Designated areas for dog walkers, such as a dogs off-lead area

Areas for sport, recreation & events

Retaining the enjoyment of formal gardens and wildlife areas.

On Saturday, 25th June we met with park users in the car park when they had an opportunity to consider and respond to the proposals in person

We then made an online questionnaire available with the option to download a copy of our questionnaire to print and post to us.

The consultation period for this stage of the project ended 26th July

A big thank you to everyone who completed our questionnaire.

We received approximately 200 paper copies and more than 60 online responses, which gave us a lot to consider; it took a considerable amount of time to analyse the results and all the comments received.

The principle conclusion is that all our proposals were well received, and in most cases with a clear majority – see the graph of results, above right

Thank you again to everyone who completed a questionnaire or who came along to a consultation event

Project Details