Public Places
There seems to be an appealing, but almost certainly mistaken, notion that these parks and green spaces are dormant cash cows which local authorities have failed to exploit
The River Dee at Chester - open spaces provide for quiet contemplation, reading and enjoying nature
parks and open spaces. NESTA recognised the uncertain future for
parks and open spaces, and the impending austerity measures, and identified the need for new approaches and models for their development, management and maintenance of public green spaces. In their report, Rethinking Parks: New
business models for parks, they cited examples of successful parks business models in the UK and internationally, involving community, social and private enterprises. They sought out local authorities and organisations to propose innovative approaches to park management and maintenance, new organisational structures, more diverse funding sources and identifying new uses for parks. Eleven projects were chosen, including using crowdsourcing, exploring endowment funding as used by the National Trust, Land Trust etc., business and property levies, pop- up businesses, preventative health-funding, asset transfer to communities, use of volunteers, grassland management regimes, subscriptions and corporate donations. The progress to date of these projects will soon
be made available, and I am sure there will be many lessons learned, mostly positive, I hope. There are estimated to be over 27,000
parks and recreational open spaces in the UK, of which more than 2,500 are parks of historic interest. There seems to be an appealing, but
almost certainly mistaken, notion that these parks and green spaces are dormant cash cows which local authorities have failed to exploit, and that public subsidy should not be required if they were managed properly. I am not convinced that this has any basis in reality. No doubt there are potential funding streams and new business/operational models which could help but, essentially, all but the most high profile parks and green spaces will require public funding for the foreseeable future, even for minimal maintenance. Private sector models for managing green spaces, such as the outstanding Trentham Gardens in Staffordshire, are hardly likely to get past local planning committees. Another great hope which seems naïve, over-optimistic and even absurd, is that
there is a huge appetite for local communities, sports clubs or ‘Friends Groups’ to take over the management and maintenance of their local green space. These groups do an amazing job bringing parks to life, improving facilities etc. but do they want to do more? Volunteer and help out, yes; run a sports facility such as a bowling club, yes; but to take on the legal, health and safety, financial commitments and day-to-day running of an average local green space is not likely, I would suggest, to attract too many takers.
Hopes for the future
Fortunately, all is not doom and gloom out there. A quick look at the current parks sector immediately uncovers some thought- provoking innovation and creative projects, and some remarkable ways of surviving and thriving in frugal times. One striking example is the emergence of
the community interest company, mutual and not-for-profit enterprises which, whilst prevalent in other sectors such as the health, leisure and social care, has few exemplars in the parks sector. They have been
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