Issue - meetings

Report of the Director of Environment and Resident Experience.  To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Culture, Communities and Leisure.

Approval to adopt the Parks and Greenspaces Strategy and its supporting plans.

Appendices are attached in a separate pack.

The Cabinet Member for Culture, Communities and Leisure introduced the report which sought approval for the adoption of the Parks and Greenspaces Strategy.

Councillor Hakata commended the report, and paid tribute to the Council’s Conservation Manager who had compiled the biodiversity action plan.

Councillor Gordon added that this strategy was testament to the way this administration had prioritised open green spaces, and pushing forward protected spaces.

In response to questions from Councillor da Costa it was noted:

-               Consultation in Priory Park was ongoing, and a lot of enquiries had been received           in relation to locking the tennis courts. 

-               In terms of the woodland plans, it was expected that first drafts would be ready by             Autumn 2023. 

RESOLVED to

1.            Adopt the Parks and Greenspaces Strategy and the other plans identified in para 1.3.

2.            Delegate authority to the Assistant Director Direct Services, after consultation with the Cabinet Member for Culture, Communities and Leisure, to agree any minor amendments to the documents and to agree and publish an annual action plan.

3.            Agree that a formal review of the documents, objectives, and progress towards achieving the aims of the Parks and Greenspaces Strategy is reported to Cabinet every five years following adoption.

Reasons for decision

Previous strategic documents have all expired and therefore this means the borough has no agreed strategy for the management, improvement and enhancement of the parks and greenspaces in the borough.

The documents have the support of many stakeholders who collaborated with the Council to identify the priorities, needs and aspirations which are embodied in the new Parks and Greenspaces Strategy and its supporting plans, policies, and standards.

The Parks and Greenspaces Strategy is aspirational, seeking to make the parks and greenspaces in the borough truly inclusive for the whole community in Haringey. If achieved, then everyone will have the opportunity to benefit from the uplift in their wellbeing, have spaces that have adapted to climate change and enjoy a quality experience for all.

Funding and sustaining the outcomes hoped for in this strategy will always be a challenge in the current local government climate. However, as has been witnessed in Haringey on numerous occasions, starting from a position of collaboration can achieve much greater outcomes.

Alternative options considered.

The only other option would have been to not produce a new strategy or the supporting plans. This would have weakened the Council’s position. There would be no clear policy framework within which Councillors and officers could work. Decisions and opportunities would have to be weighed against their merits and not in relation to the agreed strategic aims and objectives. Without a strategy, the Council is in a weaker position to bid for external funding.