Bristol: a good plan means good parks

The city of Bristol has one of the highest ratios of green space per head in the country. But until 2008 it also had one of the lowest spends per head on improvements.

Well played

A robust strategy has helped Bristol to secure an extra £2.6 million for play facilities.

Hengrove Park by David Wilson Partnership © Bristol City Council

Now, parks and green spaces in the city are starting to benefit from £100 million in investment, guided by a 20-year strategy.

The strategy, which took four years to complete, sets out a plan to ensure that people have access to good-quality parks and green spaces close to where they live. Producing it required detailed technical knowledge which CABE offered in the form of an enabler, Len Croney. He helped the Bristol team analyse the conditions and maintenance of all green spaces, as well as interpret the government’s policy guidance on planning for open space, sport and recreation.

The public’s main concern about Bristol’s parks was the quality, with poor maintenance identified as the main reason for people not using them. The average score in the park quality audit was two, or ‘fair’, and the lowest quality green space was often found in the most deprived areas. The new strategy helps to prioritise investment, and aims to raise quality to a minimum of level three, or ‘good’, within two decades.

‘It was important to have CABE’s endorsement for the strategy, and to be told that we were embracing national best practice,’ says Peter Wilkinson, the city council’s head of parks. ‘That support mattered to our executive because that is what you want to report to your authority’s cabinet, to give them confidence. It has helped push parks up the agenda.’

Now the city council is developing plans for green spaces at neighbourhood level, with advice from CABE, and has produced a guide to good design for park managers, developers and planners.

One early win has been an extra £2.6 million for play facilities. Having a robust strategy helped the council to secure the money, and 28 playgrounds across the city, including Hengrove Park (pictured), now benefit from funding under the government’s Play Pathfinder initiative.