The council is seeking feedback on its parks and open spaces as part of the annual park user satisfaction survey, including the improvements being made.
This year, the survey is again being made available online to give more residents the opportunity to participate. The short survey gives residents and park users a chance to tell the council how satisfied they are with the borough’s parks, woodlands and open spaces and to comment on what is important to them.
Councillor Will Rowlands, Executive Councillor for Environment says, “We know that the borough’s parks and green spaces are enjoyed by so many residents, both the local park and areas slightly further afield. We want to hear your feedback as part of checking our progress, in our annual park user satisfaction survey. The survey results are used to help plan our service delivery, and to inform the council’s decision making. As part of all of this, want to publicly thank and recognise the work so many volunteer Friends of Parks groups also contribute, for which we all have a debt of thanks, which is very much appreciated and naturally, if you are a Friend, please also feel free to complete the survey.”
Last year, in feedback, residents continued to highlight concerns about facilities in our parks and open spaces. The council again ringfenced and spent £250k of its maintenance budgets in parks and secured additional grant funding of £230k to complete improvements at ten tennis courts.
The council has also continued to award grants from its £1m Platinum Jubilee Parks Fund, enabling communities to apply for and direct investment in parks and open spaces in the projects that most matter to them. So far, the fund has been used to improve 13 playgrounds, install new community gardens or orchards at 3 sites, and a further 6 projects have made improvements to infrastructure such as signage, pathways and gates.
Earlier this spring, the restoration of the Grade II listed Croydon Road Recreation Ground Bandstand, made famous by David Bowie, was completed. In addition, last summer, the council committed £2m to desilt Kelsey Lakes in Kelsey Park, with a supplier currently being selected to deliver this important work. This builds on the work done to improve Croydon Canal in Betts Park, and the improvements made to Glassmill Pond by our partners Thames21 and the Environment Agency.
As improving biodiversity is also important to residents, last year the council also launched a pilot trial of Nature Friendly Verges at eleven sites across the borough, and a sustainable planting trial at 10 bedding sites, in support of wildlife and making financial savings. Also, an additional 79 trees have been planted in parks and open spaces as part of the Treemendous tree planting programme, with options continuing to be explored to plant a new woodland area in the borough.
The survey is open now and will be available for submissions until Sunday 15 September 2024.
For more information, head to the park user satisfaction survey page and fill in the survey.
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For media enquiries, please contact Andrew Rogers, Head of Public Affairs, on 020 8461 7670 or email Andrew.Rogers@bromley.gov.uk.