Natural England

Country Parks - a forgotten treasure? - 10 July 2003

The Countryside Agency commissiuoned the Urban Parks Forum and the Garden History Society to undertake a health-check of country parks. Towards a Country Parks Renaissance,  which will be available on the Countryside Agency’s website from Tuesday 15th July, reports the findings of that research. It establishes the current condition of country parks, and makes recommendations for their future management. It emphasises the important role country parks play in providing quality landscapes for people to enjoy around our towns and cities. The report shows that:

• There are 267 country parks in England which cover in the region of 39,000 hectares;
• The gap between well managed parks and poorly managed parks is continually widening;
• There is a consistent decline in the finances available to country park managers;    

·        Country parks receive an estimated 73 million visits per year. They offer a range of recreational opportunities and services for everyone.;

• Country parks are very successful in attracting volunteer involvement.    

The report makes recommendations including:

·        A single shared ‘country park’ identity and common goals;

·        Development of a set of minimum quality/service standards;

·        Training and support for staff; and

·        A programme to develop the links between town and countryside, and between ‘people’ as well as ‘place’.  

Addressing a Countryside Recreation Network seminar at Lydiard Country Park in Wiltshire today, Wendy Thompson, Countryside Agency programme manager said: “Country parks are one of our forgotten treasures. It appears that many have survived budget cuts and pressures to build on the sites against all the odds. And yet they provide a healthy, inclusive and educational environment in a very cost-effective way. Most are located near to towns and cities providing excellent places for people to visit near to home. But country parks need more support if the contribution they make to recreation, the environment, the rural economy and the viability of villages, towns and cities is to be sustained or further improved.”             

The Countryside Agency is working with partners to address the recommendations of the report through:

·        Supporting the development of a country parks network into a national forum for the discussion and exchange of information;

·        Developing a country parks website to promote and disseminate good practice within the country parks ‘community’;

·        Compiling practitioners’ guidance for inclusion on the country parks website;

·        Supporting training and development for country park staff and securing the commitment of local authorities and others by recognising the benefits country parks can bring to social, environmental and economic agendas;

·        Identifying funding and income-generation opportunities for country parks and promoting them through the network and website.

Towards a Country Parks Renaissanceis available on the website http://www.countryside.gov.uk/

-ends-

Notes to editors

The Countryside Agency is the statutory body working to make the quality of life better for people in the countryside and the quality of the countryside better for everyone.

History of country parks

The origins of the country park date back to the 1960s and were borne out of a concern to protect the greater countryside from the perceived threat of thousands of recreational urban dwellers.   The country park was intended to act as a ‘honey pot’.

By 1978 the original ‘honey pot’ concept had been discredited.   The emphasis on rural locations, only accessible by car, diminished in favour of urban fringe areas.

During the 1980s the impetus for creating country parks declined although this period also saw the development of the concept of country parks as ‘gateways’ to the wider countryside.