The Markeaton Park - Essay Example

?The Markeaton Park Project Problems facing the park The project will be geared towards ensuring that the park addresses the problems that are currently plaguing it and preventing it from achieving its potential. These problems are outlined below. 1. Reduced takings at the Mundy Play Centre, possibly indicating a fall in visitor numbers, reduced availability of facilities through restricted opening hours and less willingness of visitors to pay for below quality facilities and attractions 2. Intermittent and irregular opening hours on a number of the park’s private concessions, meaning that visitors are not sure what will be open when they visit. 3. Declining budgets available to maintain and manage the park, leading to reduced levels of staff and possible closure of facilities or further reduced opening times. 4. Slow decline in horticulture standards and features such as loss of herbaceous borders and bedding, indicating a reduced level of care by the Council. 5. Poor visitor experience when entering the park, in particular from the A38 leading to the main car park. 6. The park itself is a 20th century park set out within an 18 century historic parkland and remains an attractive place to visit for informal recreation, such as family picnics. However many people are unaware of the size and extent of the park as access is poor, with few footpaths and lack of signage. 7. Its size allows for the staging of major city events, such as the annual firework display and funfair. However this increases the pressure on the parks infrastructure and historic parkland. 8. Deterioration in the parks historic fabric, such as the listed Orangery, coupled with some poor quality spaces such as the stable courtyard that detract from the visitor experience. Other possible improvements that the project will endeavor to include are also aimed at improved service and include the following. First is the introduction of a People counting system with a view to enhance data gathering which would in turn enhance the parks planning. Secondly, it is also important to put some thought into the extension of the CCTV network to enhance the security and management of the whole park. The introduction of a viable tree planting programme to increase the tree cover in the park would also be a primary objective of the project. The additional projects will entail a continued and separate monitoring and implementation schedule that may be implemented concurrently with the main project. Aims and objectives The main aims and objectives of this report are directed towards achieving a sustainable project plan that is consistent with the 5 Heritage Lottery Fund outcomes. The aims and objectives are presented to the managers of Markeaton Park and the Mundy Play Centre with the objective of providing advice and guidance with a view to addressing prevailing challenges and attaining the following goals: To halt the slow decline and restore the park’s standing as a visitor attraction. To increase visitor numbers. To increase income that can be used to reinvest in the park in improved maintenance and management and provision of higher quality of facilities. To protect and improve the parks historic and natural fabric. The objectives of the project also have to ensure that the integrity of the restoration work will in no way be compromised by any unsuitable activities and developments especially in relevance to the historic accuracy of some historic sections. The project also has to be able to aid the promotion of a range of diverse and generally inclusive formal and informal recreational ventures for the parks guests. The park plays a big role in the maintenance of the areas historical background and the project will be tailored towards promoting the historical significance and the relationship of the park with the whole of Derby city council. The park will have its security enhanced for the benefit of the visitors with particular emphasis put on a well kept environment that is also welcoming to its visitors. The project will also ensure that the park is improved to engage the wider community in relation to the present and any future management of the park and its resources. The intrinsic health benefits that the park can offer to the visitors and to the community are also well documented and will have to be exploited in the projects implementation. In the projects implementation, the restoration and maintenance will also look towards the attainment of noble environmental goals that will lead to the attainment of the coveted Green Flag Status awards among others. The project will also ensure that the visitors to the park get value for their money through ensuring a sustainable management regime which is responsive to the needs and suggestions of the visitors. Mundy Play Centre attracts the third largest number of visitors who come to the park according to research carried out with over 1366 respondents identifying Mandy Play Centre as their reason for visiting Markeaton Park. In conjunction with the management of the whole park, the two stakeholders will then be the main strategic stakeholders the report will be aiming for. At the same time, the funding of the whole project is to be sourced from the Heritage Lottery Fund and as such their considerations have to be accommodated in the implementation of the proposed project plan. The Heritage Lottery Fund has five outcomes that have to be shown to be considered before they can fund the project and these are as follows: 1 How will you increase the range of audiences using and enjoying the park? 2 How will you conserve and enhance the heritage value of the park? 3 How will you increase the range of volunteers involved in the park? 4 How will you improve skills and knowledge about parks through learning and training? 5 How will you improve management and maintenance? The project is not expected to address all of the issues facing the park, but it is hoped that the investment will provide a major stimulus to improving the park. The bid includes both capital works that will improve and restore the park’s physical infrastructure and landscape and the preparation of an activity plan that will detail how the above outcomes will be delivered. The activity plan is an important document as it will set out proposals that will meet the 5 outcomes to include evidence of need, project proposals, costs, who delivers, a timetable and the project’s long term sustainability– in effect a business plan. Background Information The Council has already collated some background information, and the remaining gaps in knowledge on how the park is used, for example quantitative information on where people access the park, move around it, congregate and use particular areas of the park is represented in the report below. The data used was available through a survey conducted and through the available data got from the following sources. Results of a public consultation exercise Information on local and city wide population and information on the profile of park users Broad figures on income earned from car parking and park activities Broad maintenance costs Outline project costs for the HLF project, outline project master plan and HLF Stage 1 application form Details on park facilities offered and opening times The Park Development Plan In conjunction with the Heritage Lottery Fund Project, the project will be carried out in partnership with the Mundy Play Center and the Markeaton park management. The funding will be availed by the Heritage Lottery Fund Project to a total of around ?2.4 million towards a project costing around ?3.0 million. The bulk of the money will be used by the project to fund the identified areas of interest that are as outlined below. To start with, the project will aim at carrying out the repair and restoration of the historical parkland setting which will entail the retention and maintenance of the buildings and other physical features and structures which include the remaining historic buildings and other structures and gardens. It will also cater for the maintenance of the surrounding parkland and its tree and other woodland elements as well as the available water features. The project will also encompass working on the historic views of the parkland from the Markeaton hall site. The accessibility to the park itself and to the various sections of the park will be improved or restored where necessary. The access to the historic sections of the park will require the restoration of the historic routes and it will also help improve on the circulation of people around the park encouraging people to explore the park more widely. The project will provide for the interpretation of the parks historical elements by employing the use of a variety of techniques that will help people to better understand and value the park and how it has evolved over time in terms of its use and relevance. With the preservation of the historic landscape in mind, the project will aim at the parks utilization as a framework within which the immediate and the future uses plus facilities can be set up without adversely impacting on the historic infrastructure in place. The project will also maintain the current recreational facilities as well as enhancing them to cater for all age groups and with a view to increasing the use of the park by its visitors. In the same breath, the community will be encouraged to take part in the use, maintenance, development and management of the park. Project plan break down The project will be divided into segments that are aimed at ensuring that all the important segments of the park are covered and not overlooked. Each segment will be allocated funds from the whole project budget and will have a time frame within which it will be completed. The repairs and maintenance of the different segments can take place concurrently to saver on time where applicable. The segments are divided as follows. The historic core This will be the area identified as containing the largest concentration of the parks historic features. This is mainly around the site of the hall which was already demolished. It includes the orangery, the duck pond area, the stables, ornamental gardens, the terrace and the entrance from Markeaton village. Markeaton hall site This is the hall that basically formed the main focus of the parklands main landscape and it was from where the original parkland design came from. It is with the use of recorded site evidence and excavations that the new plans will be made regarding this site. The excavations will help portray clearly how the hall was constructed and it’s positioning in relation to the rest of the park. The footpaths around the hall will be restored to their original locations together with the locations of the planted beds as they were originally. The Nurnberg fountain will also be a major restoration point for this phase of the project. It is currently located in the Derwent Park but will be restored to its original location. This will be done also with a view to giving relevance to the original halls positioning and location. To give a proper feeling of arrival for visitors, the original drive will be restored to the front of the hall also aiding access to the terrace garden. Footpaths and park entrances One of the most identifiable problems with most visitors to the park was identified as access for visitors into and around the park. This was in terms of the available network of paths and the state of the paths available. This is particularly problematic for the elderly visitors and the disabled. To solve this issue, the network of paths that is available will be renovated and resurfaced where necessary. These paths are from the original 18th century park with some being from an even earlier period. There is a plan to create a circular path ringing the outer limits of the park which will open up the parks further. This path will form a new nature trail and give unfettered access to the parks lesser known areas which will also allow for access to a number of historically relevant sites such as the ice house, medieval road and the ridge and furrow as well as the Bonnie Prince Charlie route. The paths will then be made in such a way as to reduce the impact on the landscape with the preferred option being to surface them with a natural bound gravel. This will also help in integrating the paths well into the more nature oriented green sections of the park. There will also be a new path linking the main hall to the lake as well as provide a new route going into the park from Markeaton lane. There is also a plan to add onto the path that leads to the Mundy Play Center car park. As things stand now, people can only access the main park from the car park only if they go through the play area. So the play area can be relocated so as to create room for a new path from the car park. This will improve access, allow for new tree planting and open up views of the currently blocked Markeaton Brook. It will also allow for the development of the brooks bank vegetation. It will also help separate general park users from the children and their families who are using the play area. The orangery Currently being used as a cafe, this building will still continue operating as a cafe but it will undergo some further refurbishing and restoration work. This will necessitate a full survey of the building so as to ascertain its condition and level of work needed before restoration work can begin. The work can entail the reconfiguration of the interior to allow it operate better and also without negatively impacting on its historical relevance. The toilet extension will be demolished and incorporated with the other toilets in an effort to retain the original historical accuracy of the building. The cafe’s external sitting area is historically distorting and as such will have to be demolished especially since the terrace offers a picturesque view of the grounds and also because the project will also explore additional options for installing an external sitting area for the patrons of the cafe. The lake area The lake will be dredged to deal with the accumulated silt and to improve the water quality which has until now affected the biodiversity negatively as well as the allure for bat use on the lake. It is also a historical feature and its banks will have to be improved and its vegetation managed to improve its overall outlook. The management of the vegetation will also aid in increasing biodiversity and also allow for controlled fishing to take place. Mundy Play Centre The center is a major attraction for many visitors to the park and with this in mind, a lot of investment is necessary to keep abreast with the facilities and standards necessary for the facility. Some of the funding for this segment of the park will not come from the HLF funding but will be sourced elsewhere though still a good portion of the restoration work will be done form the HLF budget. The relocation of the play equipment to create way for a path is one such idea that also falls in this category. The play equipment is also rather old and the relocation will provide an opportunity to replace them as well as provide play equipment for a wider age group range meaning toddlers and up to 15 years will all be catered for. It will also allow for the incorporation of more natural play features. Trees and Woodland There are a lot of very valuable trees ecologically and historically speaking including a number of old trees identified in a recent study. There are some recent tree plantings that are historically inaccurate for instance some conifer belts and municipal ornamental trees planted recently as well as some planted in inappropriate locations. The loss of some of the original tree cover is also noticeable. This work will fall under the conservation management plan and it will address how trees and the woodlands will be managed. Priority will be given to Yew walks, flood plain woodland and boundary trees. Evidence of need and reasons From the available data, it is easy to see that the bulk of the data points towards a need to improve the park infrastructure for several reasons. Although recreation means something different to each individual, on the community level the meaning of recreation is focused toward the attainment of an ideal, toward contributions in one form or another to a better way of life. It can then be said that recreation provides for the improvement of society and therefore is essential in our lives. We only have to look around us in Derby City and realize the quality of services that our Markeaton Parks provides through its exciting programs and soon to be exceptionally maintained park environment. When looking at our budget one will see that Parks and Recreation carves a large piece of the budget because our city sees the essential value in leisure activities. Parks may enhance the quality of life by offering a safe outdoor space for play, or maybe it’s the beauty and quietness of being in nature that makes you feel alive. It could be the healthy movement of exercise at your own pace or spending time with family. You might just discover the simple free time of fun and ability to relax in positive spaces. The parks may also serve as gathering places for socializing and learning; a common ground that connects you and neighbors. You will recognize the value of Parks and Recreation as they will forever enrich our lives in the neighborhoods and communities in which we live. I encourage you to live the promise that parks make life better and there is no better city than Foster City that exemplifies the many ways that Parks and Recreation positively affect our lives. With this in mind, we find that the amount spent on refurbishing the park will be money well spent and at the same time once the park is up to standard, then the people will flock in and the revenue generated will be enough to maintain the park and generate more income for the city. Programme of works and time scales Table: 1 No Activity Personnel Equipment/tools duration 1 Historic core renovation  Masonry builders  Construction equipment  6 months 2 Markeaton hall site  Masonry builders  Construction equipment  3 month 3 orangery Stone masons Construction equipment 1 month 4 Lake area Landscapers dredger 1 month 5 Footpaths and park entrances  Landscapers  Gardening and construction tools  4 months 6 Trees and wood land landscapers Gardening and landscaping equipment 3 months 7 Mundy play centre Construction crew Construction equipment 3 months The table above shows the time that it will take to complete each project phase. However it should be noted that the projects will be done at the same time except in cases where they overlap so the time is not cumulative as the activities can take place simultaneously. References Holtz, H. (1998). Proven Proposal Strategies To Win More Business. Dearborn Trade, a Kaplan Professional Company Read More