Issue - meetings

Bath and North East Somerset Council’s Parks service has recently completed a review of the Council’s Green Spaces Strategy. The review is designed to provide an assessment of both current open space and any surpluses or deficiencies in open spaces throughout the district. The findings of the review will help inform the policies within the B&NES Placemaking Plan, establish local provision standards and create an up to date evidential basis that can be maintained and used to aid the implementation of the policies and the provision of open spaces, during the life of the plan period.

The findings of this study have been drawn upon by the Parks Service to develop a set of nine objectives to guide the development and management of our open space assets until 2029.

NOTE: Given the large file size for these reports they can be viewed online as a series of pdf documents at:

http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/services/sport-leisure-and-parks/parks-green-spaces-information/green-space-strategy-review

Councillor Martin Veal said that the proposed Green Space Strategy 2015 would out a series of draft policies and standards for the provision of green space across the district, and a methodology for interpreting and informing the provision for these assets until 2029.  This strategy would be used to prioritise the allocation of existing resources for managing the green space asset and for directing developers’ and other third party funding contributions to where they would be most needed.  The proposed strategy would provide a means for prioritising expenditure associated with the district’s green spaces and would help the Council meet its obligations in the areas of Sustainability and the Natural Environment (as they relate to green spaces).

Councillor Martin Veal moved the recommendations.

Councillor Patrick Anketell-Jones seconded the motion that Cabinet adopt the proposed Green Space Strategy, findings of the review and associated area profiles, and agree that the findings of the report would be used when preparing an action plan for the delivery and management of the green spaces across the district from 2015-2029.

RESOLVED (unanimously) that the Cabinet adopted the proposed Green Space Strategy, findings of the review and associated area profiles, and agree that  the findings of the report be used when preparing an action plan for the delivery and management of the green spaces across the district from 2015-2029.