Council's plans for Plymouth's Central Park dubbed as "lacking overall vision"
The Friends of Central Park group is disbanding, after saying they felt the council were "not taking their views into account"
The Friends of Central Park group is to disband after failing to persuade Plymouth City Council to rethink plans for a drainage scheme which will create a network of ponds.
The group disagrees with some aspects of the project for the Barn Park area, which they say fails to address problems with access and landscape, and would rule out the creation of a lake first put forward when the park was opened in 1931.
The council says the scheme will tackle flooding, improve the environment for wildlife, increase biodiversity, safeguard historic and ecologically important trees, and provide opportunities to learn about water and wildlife.
The closure of the Friends is due to be discussed at a meeting of the city council on Monday. A motion has been put forward by the Conservative opposition asking the council to note the ‘demise’ of the group and thank the volunteers for their work.
It also asks the council to note ‘disappointment’ that Labour’s Cabinet member for the environment Sue Dann “hasn’t engaged as fully as she could have” on behalf of the council with the Friends group. The motion, put forward by Conservative deputy leader Patrick Nicholson, is unlikely to be supported by the council, which has a majority of Labour councillors.
Cllr Dann said on Friday that she had held email discussions with the Friends about the planning application for the drainage scheme. The Cabinet member said she had been unable to attend the one meeting she was invited to, but the council had held nine meetings with the group and its representatives about the scheme.
Cllr Dann thanked the Friends for their work, and said the council wanted to support the setting up of a new group but plans had been delayed by the pandemic.
Andrew Young, 68, a retired marine engineer, resigned as chair of the Friends of Central Park Plymouth in October. He said it was due to disband at the end of March as no one had come forward to take over, and any leftover funds would go towards promoting the history of the park.
He said the group felt their views had not been taken into account by the city council during the process to design the new drainage scheme to tackle flooding problems, which will see a network of ponds and natural run-offs to create what the council describes as a ‘wetland’ complex.
Mr Young said the Friends wanted the drainage scheme to be put on hold while a new masterplan was prepared for the northern part of the park, and for their ideas to be taken into account. They say that plans for a large lake, first put forward when the park was created, would be impossible with the ponds scheme.
Mr Young said the Friends were disappointed at the lack of an overall vision for the future of the park, and felt the drainage scheme failed to address the landscape and access problems in the Barn Park area. He said the scheme would block an informal cut-through path across the fields linking the north part of the park, which would prevent future improvements for a better north-south walking and cycle route.
The city council announced in July 2020 that planning permission had been granted for the drainage scheme in the area near the pond at the Barn Park Road entrance. The work, due to start in spring 2021, will see the old pond cleared and replanted, two new ponds created, a new ditch to catch run-off, and repairs to drains and paths.
The council says a new wildflower meadow is planned and the sports pitches to the north-west of the Barn Park entrance will be able to be used all year round.
Mr Young said the bank below the Barn Park field restricted views from Coronation Avenue towards the northern part of the park, impacting the scenic quality, and the drainage scheme would raise the height by 0.5m “making a known problem worse.”
He said the football pitches were unplayable during the winter and were not needed, according to an assessment of pitches in the city. The Friends would prefer to see the derelict cricket field near Outland Road developed as a new sports venue instead, with two new youth football pitches.
"The council has brushed off our many requests for a proper dialogue about these very consequential matters."
"We did not ask for special treatment, only to be treated as a legitimate stakeholder in the park and a voice for the park community. When that was refused, there appeared to be no point in having a friends group.
"I resigned as chair and nobody else would take it on. As a result, the group is set to disband at the end of this month.
"I would really welcome a cross-party consensus about Central Park. It is a precious asset."
Andrew Young - former Chair of the Friends of Central Park
"I was really disappointed to hear that at the Friends agm on the 14th of October that the chair stepped down and no one else came forward to take on the position, and the group had to cease to operate.
"I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to the chair and group for all their hard work. I had many emails with the group discussing the planning application about the drainage scheme proposed by the council.
"I was invited to one meeting but I had to send apologies as I was unable to attend, and asked someone to go in my place. The council also met nine times with the Friends of Central Park or their representatives to discuss the project.
"The Friends of Central Park have been a really proactive group and have helped name paths, support the developments in the park, volunteer programme planning, and taken part in events.
"The intention was to use activities planned before lockdown to instigate a new group, but lockdown has prevented this. Hopefully, a new Friends of Central Park will be constituted in the future."
Councillor Sue Dann - Cabinet Member for the Environment
The council statement about the scheme in July said it was a Sustainable Drainage Systems approach to deliver run-off drainage solutions. It would improve the environment for wildlife and aimed to increase biodiversity, safeguard historic and ecologically important trees, and create opportunities for education and engagement to learn about water and wildlife.
It said: "A network of ponds and natural surface run-offs are planned for the area near the pond at the Barn Park Road entrance, turning this corner into a home for wildlife as well somewhere for people to stop at rather than walk past or jump the giant puddles that form in the winter.
"Planning permission has this week been granted for the scheme which will see two new ponds created, the old pond cleared of dank and dreary vegetation and new plants brought in. The scheme intends to use nature to help reduce localised flooding by digging a swale – a shallow ditch to capture water run-off. There will also be repairs to drains and paths.
"A new wildflower meadow is also planned for the old Reservoir Field, while the sports pitches to the north west of Barn Park entrance will also benefit from drainage improvements, so they can be used all year round."