Kent Country Parks Service
strategy 2014 - 2017
kent.gov.uk/kentcountryparks
Contents
2
Foreword
3
Vision
4
Country Parks for People
4
Kent Country Parks
5
Quality Parks
8
Providing for Leisure Visits and Venues for Business
8
Protecting Kent’s Natural and Human Heritage
9
Learning and Training for All
10
Parks for Everyone
11
Supporting Health and Well-Being
12
A Quality and Forward-Focussed Service
13
Marketing to Maximise Income
14
Kent Environment Strategy
15
Delivering This Strategy
15
Action Table
16
Policy Framework
19
Key Strategies
19
Other Strategies
20
Foreword
This strategy sets out the aspirations for Kent County Council’s
Country Parks Service over the next three years.
KCC’s Country Parks Service provides opportunities for people to gain access to Kent’s
outstanding countryside. The country parks are important in providing safe, stimulating and
quality countryside open spaces for everyone, alongside outstanding wildlife, landscapes and
heritage. The country parks offer a place to unwind, to play, to explore, to experience nature, to
exercise, to socialise and to learn, contributing to the quality of life of Kent’s residents and visitors.
The Country Parks Service has faced challenges, not least in responding to unprecedented cuts
to public spending. These challenges will continue through the course of this Strategy as KCC’s
“Facing the Challenge” programme is delivered over coming years.
During the course of the previous strategy, the Country Parks Service put in place the foundations
to face these challenges and secured many successes, including increasing income and
reducing budgets whilst improving the quality of the parks and maintaining visitor numbers. It
has considerably expanded its role as an education and training provider and has established
new streams of income through, for example, environmental birthday parties, the sale of wood
products, venue hire and team building packages. All of these new areas of business will help the
Service to meet ongoing financial challenges.
In the next three years the Service will build on these successes and continue to respond to
challenges as consideration of the best model of delivery into the long-term future is determined.
Opportunities exist to develop its work in further supporting the health agenda and the Kent
Environment Strategy. Some challenges are more difficult to control, for example the threat to
Kent’s ‘jewel in the crown’ Shorne Woods Country Park from one of the options for the location of
the proposed Lower Thames crossing.
This strategy sets out how the Country Parks Service will meet these challenges and how it will
continue to provide this invaluable resource for the people of Kent.
David Brazier, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport
Paul Crick, Director of Environment, Planning and Enforcement
3
Country Parks for People
The Country Parks Service provides sites across Kent where
people can visit outstanding countryside, places where the
countryside and biodiversity are protected.
The parks are located across the county and in some of
the best natural habitats and landscapes that Kent has to
offer. They enable people to gain access to dramatic chalk
downland, tranquil riverside, internationally protected coast
and historic parkland; but they provide more than this.
Vision
To provide an
inspirational
countryside
experience
for all Kent’s
residents and
visitors.
4
A crucial part of the work of the Country Parks Service is to
make the experience of visiting the countryside come alive.
With welcoming staff, the chance to learn about the natural
world and environment and to try many types of recreational
activity, a visit to a KCC country park is a special experience.
Providing excellent service for these visitors is a core value.
The parks are places where people can experience the
outdoors in a safe environment, supported by a range of
facilities and with high quality access to routes where they
can walk, cycle or ride. They are places where everyone can
experience the fun and excitement of discovering something
for the first time. The Country Parks Service is committed
to making this available to everyone, regardless of age,
disability, gender, race, religion or belief or sexual orientation.
The work of the Country Parks Service links to a wide range of
policy areas, including biodiversity, access and health.
Key policies are shown on page 19.
Fundamentally, the Country Parks Service is about providing
country parks for everyone so that they can benefit from and
enjoy them; whilst holding a wider aspiration that this will
lead to an appreciation of the countryside and a recognition
of the need to protect it into the future.
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Kent Country Parks
The core of the estate is formed by nine key country parks.
1 Lullingstone Country Park.
3 Manor Park Country Park.
Lullingstone Country Park is the largest park lying
within the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural
Beauty (AONB) in the valley of the River Darent. Its
history as a medieval Deer Park creates a landscape of
grassland, ancient trees and woodland, parts of which
are a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Local
Wildlife Site (LWS). The park has a café, visitor centre,
classroom and meeting facilities. A Discovery Trail was
opened in 2011.
This site, with a mixture of woodland, flower-rich
meadows and a lake, was once part of an 18th century
estate. The park, close to West Malling centre, is now
a Local Wildlife Site. Facilities were improved in 2009
with the addition of a café and large play area.
2 Trosley Country Park.
On the scarp slope of the Kent Downs AONB and
partly a SSSI, this site offers a range of facilities
including a café, waymarked trails and a trim trail.
The site has protected woodland and chalk grassland
habitats which are grazed and is home to a rich variety
of wildlife. A new building housing an extended café
and new classroom was opened in 2011, together with
a new play area in 2013.
5
8 Pegwell Bay Country Park.
Part of the Sandwich and Pegwell Bay National Nature
Reserve, this site affords views across Pegwell Bay, an
internationally designated site famous for supporting
bird populations. A new play area and upgraded toilet
facilities were installed in 2013.
9 White Horse Wood.
4 Teston Bridge Country Park.
Taking its name from the adjacent ancient bridge
over the River Medway, this park consists of three
meadows nestling next to the river. The site offers
riverside greenspace, with a picnic site and play area, a
renowned annual Kite Festival and specialist riverside
wildlife. It is also a Local Wildlife Site.
5 Shorne Woods Country Park.
Shorne Woods Country Park is the most visited of
KCC’s country parks and truly offers something for
everyone. Set within the Kent Downs AONB, the site
includes a diverse range of wildlife habitats and most
of the site is designated as a Site of Special Scientific
Interest. The visitor centre is a model of sustainable
design and renewable technologies. The park has
a range of access for all facilities, with all-terrain
motorised scooters, easy access trails and a sensory
garden. A new amenity block and kiosk were added
in 2012 to meet visitor demand.
6 Brockhill Country Park.
This family-orientated park has a long history, most
of which is as part of a Victorian estate. The legacy of
this estate and gardens has created a site with plenty
of wildlife interest, including a lake and water features.
The park is also a Local Wildlife Site. Brockhill serves
modern needs with a play area and a vegetarian café.
Classroom facilities were added in 2010.
6
Alongside the remains of Thurnham Castle Ancient
Monument, this site in the Kent Downs AONB
offers stunning views, along with recently planted
woodland. Alternative arrangements for management
of this site are currently under consideration
In addition to the nine core sites is Parkwood (10).
This Local Wildlife Site forms part of a larger area
of woodland and has impressive displays of spring
bluebells. It is a key training site, used for students
learning how to coppice as part of the new Practical
Environmental and Conservation course being run in
east Kent.
In addition, the Service also currently manages
seven other sites. During the course of this
Strategy alternative management will be sought
for these sites:
Dryhill: Kent’s only designated geological nature
reserve and geological SSSI is outstanding for its
rock formations and fossils;
Stubbs Wood: A woodland on the Greensand
Ridge and part of a SSSI;
The Toll, Oldbury Hill: part of an Iron Age fort
and a SSSI;
Blue Bell Hill Picnic Site: Offering panoramic
views across the Medway Valley, this site in the Kent
Downs AONB is also a SSSI;
The Larches: A tranquil woodland and grassland
SSSI on the Kent Downs;
7 Grove Ferry Picnic Site.
Peene Quarry: A former chalk quarry and SSSI in
the Kent Downs AONB and within a Special Area of
Conservation;
This picnic site next to the River Stour offers a base
from which to explore the local countryside, including
long distance walks and Stodmarsh National Nature
Reserve. Toilet facilities were upgraded in 2010 and a
new play area added in 2013.
Preston Hill: On the western side of the Darent
Valley within the Kent Downs AONB, Preston Hill is a
site of semi-ancient woodland, chalk grassland and
arable fields, some parts of which are designated
as SSSI.
Strategic Aims
This section sets out the core aims of the Country Parks Service and how it will
address the issues and challenges it faces. It sets out the actions required to
continue to improve delivery of the central ethos of the Service.
The three strategic aims reflect the principal values of the Service. These are the fundamental
elements and each is a keystone.
Strategic Aim 1
Provide country parks for access and enjoyment and protect their landscape,
heritage and wildlife.
The first Strategic Aim relates to the physical provision of the estate and includes the management
of the sites for biodiversity, heritage and landscape, the provision of recreational facilities and the
quality of the sites.
Strategic Aim 2
Increase knowledge of the environment and countryside and ensure the benefits of using
country parks are available to all.
The second reflects the central role of the Service in educating and engaging people, to make
country parks available to all people of Kent and in supporting wider quality of life issues, such as
health and well-being.
Strategic Aim 3
Ensure that the provision of country parks in Kent is secure, with a model of delivery that is
sustainable, innovative and securely financed, to meet future needs.
The third aim is concerned with the running of the Country Parks Service itself; the operational
practices required for the Service to continue to deliver the first two aims, continually improve and
meet the challenges ahead.
Within these three core aims there are nine objectives, which are the headline statements of intent for the work
areas of the Service. The actions required to deliver these objectives are detailed in the Action Table, starting on
page 16.
7
Strategic Aim 1
Provide country parks for access and enjoyment and protect their
landscape, heritage and wildlife.
Country parks are places where nature and the outdoors can be accessed in a safe, supported
environment. With a range of facilities, from waymarked trails to fully serviced visitor centres, the parks
strive to offer a higher standard of infrastructure than the wider countryside.
Many of the country parks are of high biodiversity, landscape or heritage value and several are located
within the nationally designated landscape of the Kent Downs AONB. Management of the parks therefore
needs to deliver sound environmental stewardship.
As a front line KCC service, it is essential that visitors receive a high quality experience.
Quality Parks
Objective 1: Ensure high quality parks are
provided, maintained and improved and
that, where possible, quality standards are
independently verified.
The Service strives to provide high quality visitor
facilities where appearance, cleanliness and
infrastructure are well maintained. The quality of
the parks is linked fundamentally to the quality
of the visitor experience, the public perception of
the Service and the ability of the parks to attract
visitors in competition with other leisure providers.
It is important, therefore, that the Service invests in
quality, to continue to provide the high standards
which visitors now expect from leisure facilities and to
increase the range of facilities on offer.
The Service has been striving to achieve the
prestigious Green Flag status. This national award
judges parks on quality standards appropriate to
the individual site and the community it serves. By
2013 Green Flag status had been achieved at Shorne
Woods, Trosley, Lullingstone, Teston, Manor Park and
Brockhill Country Parks. In addition, South East in
Bloom awards have gained for Shorne Woods, Trosley,
Brockhill and Lullingstone Country Parks. The most
appropriate quality standards for the country parks
will be reviewed and the Service will continue to seek
independent and public quality verification.
Parks, especially those with high visitor numbers,
require constant maintenance as infrastructure
inevitably deteriorates, requiring repair and
replacement. Unless there are sufficient resources
8
to implement timely replacement, maintenance
becomes more costly and standards decline.
Providing for Leisure Visits and
Venues for Business
Objective 2: Provide a range of opportunities
for leisure and business, serving local and
county-wide needs and extending the visitor
base outside of peak times.
Not only do KCC’s country parks offer access to the
countryside, they do this through a wide range of
recreational resources, many of them with higher
standards than the wider countryside. All of the parks
can be accessed on foot, many having waymarked
trails. Several have routes for cycling and horse-riding
and many are used by sports clubs. The country parks
will continue to provide a wide range of facilities to
serve the recreational needs of visitors.
Between 2009 and 2013, the proportion of the UK
population which had visited the countryside in the
last seven days remained steady at around two-fifths,
with Kent having a proportion only slightly lower than
this1. The level of country park visits nationally also
remained stable with 7% of respondents visiting a
country park in the last year. In Kent this was slightly
higher at 9%.
There is clearly steady demand for country parks.
Many of Kent’s country parks are at capacity at peak
times (weekends, and school holidays) and therefore
spreading visits outside of the peak times will be
important.
1 Around 40% of people nationally, 36% in Kent 2009-2013. Ref Natural England Monitor of Engagement in in the Natural Environment.
During the course of the previous Service strategy, the
quality of infrastructure has been improved at many
of the parks. The views of visitors are also important
in this. The 2007 visitor survey indicated that visitors
most wanted new and improved play areas and, from
this direct feedback, five play areas were provided.
As the Service continues to strive for greater financial
sustainability and a diversity of income streams,
provision of venue hire and team building activities
will need to be expanded.
Protecting Kent’s Natural and
Human Heritage
Objective 3: Ensure that the biodiversity,
heritage and landscape values of the sites are
maintained or enhanced.
KCC’s country parks include examples of Kent’s
finest natural heritage, with sites of high biodiversity
value, sites within the special landscape of the Kent
Downs AONB, as well as sites containing Scheduled
Monuments.
Under the Natural Environment and Rural
Communities Act 2006, all local authorities have a
duty to consider biodiversity in all their functions.
The Country Parks Service has a key role to play in
demonstrating KCC’s commitment to this duty in the
way it manages its sites for the benefit of biodiversity.
Of the nine core sites, one is a National Nature Reserve
(and adjacent to internationally important sites), three
are Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and three
are Local Wildlife Sites. The parks include a selection
of some of the best habitats in Kent. The Country
Parks Service aims to improve understanding of the
biodiversity of its sites and carry out appropriate
management to conserve and enhance this
biodiversity value further. The Country Parks Service
will apply sound environmental stewardship to
all of its sites. Those which have a designation for
their nature conservation interest will be a focus for
particular attention. All key sites have management
plans which consider biodiversity alongside visitor
management, access and local communities.
There are opportunities for grant funding to support
biodiversity management and the Service will
continue to maximise this income.
Many of the country parks are located within the Kent
Downs AONB and therefore need to be managed
in sympathy with the landscape and with reference
to the aims of the Kent Downs AONB. The heritage
value of sites will be assessed and actions to protect
heritage included in site management plans.
The Service will also work with the Kent Nature
Partnership to contribute to the biodiversity
improvement targets for the county. The flower-rich
grasslands of several of the country parks provide, for
example, exceptional habitat for bees, a particularly
threatened group of insects.
9
Strategic Aim 2
Increase knowledge of the environment and countryside and ensure
the benefits of using country parks are available to all.
At a KCC country park everyone has the chance to visit the county’s varied and special countryside. Visits
to the outdoors have a range of well-documented benefits both to mental and physical health. The range
of recreational and learning activities available at the country parks truly offer opportunities for everyone.
Learning and Training for All
Objective 4: Provide a range of training
and learning opportunities for adults and
children to raise awareness of, and increase
engagement in, the environment.
The Service has significantly expanded its role as a
learning and training provider in recent years.
Environmental education for young people can
encourage awareness and curiosity about the
environment and can inspire a sense of wonder at
the natural world. It can broaden appreciation and
knowledge of environmental issues and fieldwork
can help young people to develop knowledge and
skills to add value to their everyday experiences in
the classroom2. The Service runs programmes both
for children and for teachers and also contributes to
vocational training in ‘green jobs’ for young adults.
Forest Schools3 are run at Shorne Woods, Brockhill,
Trosley and Lullingstone Country Parks. These
encourage young people to explore the woodland
environment through a programme of tasks
designed to enrich the curriculum through woodland
adventure. These help to develop language,
mathematical, physical, social and emotional skills as
well as encouraging appreciation for the environment.
Accredited programmes for teachers aim to instil
confidence in the benefits of outdoor learning in the
natural environment. These courses, focussing on Key
Stages 1 and 2 and Early Years, enable teachers to run
their own outdoor learning linked to the curriculum.
The Country Parks Service also runs events and
provides holiday trails through which visitors can
have fun, learn and explore the country parks. Several
of these events are also linked to the Children’s
University, which promotes exciting learning
opportunities and experiences outside normal school
hours for children aged 7 to 14.
The Learning Outside the Classroom quality badge
was achieved in 2014 to demonstrate commitment to
outdoor education and the Service intends to retain
this in 2016..
10
2 National Foundation for Educational Research (March 2004); A Review of Research on Outdoor Learning.
3 www.forestschools.com
Parks for Everyone
Objective 5: Be inclusive, involving local
people in the parks and making them
available for all sectors of the community,
regardless of age, health, ethnic group or
gender.
People visiting the countryside are more likely to be
white, to come from higher socio-economic groups4
and to live in households owning at least one car5.
The Service therefore needs to ensure that people
outside these categories are given the opportunity to
benefit from the parks and that no-one is excluded.
The survey of country parks in 2009/10 revealed that
around 4% of visitors are from a nonwhite background,
below the Kent population average.6 Research shows
that some members of ethnic communities perceive
accessing the countryside as a daunting experience.7
Country parks can be particularly important in this
respect in providing a ‘safe’ countryside experience.
The safe environment of the country parks, along
with enhanced facilities, also make them an ideal
recreational resource for people with a range of
physical abilities. Around 18% of Kent’s population
have a health problem or disability which limits their
day to day activity8. Around 1 in 10 visitors to KCC’s
country parks say they have a disability which limits
4
5
6
7
8
9
their daily activities. The Service will continue to
improve access facilities at all parks, to a standard
suitable given the particular environment of each site.
Most of KCC’s country parks are located outside urban
areas and travel is required to reach the park. Just over
80% of visitors arrive by car, leading to the potential
exclusion of those without a car. This is particularly
relevant to Shorne Woods Country Park9 and Brockhill
Country Park, where the local community has lower
levels of car ownership than the Kent average. The
Service will encourage alternative travel choices, for
example public transport or cycling.
The country parks are part of their local communities
and it is important that people have the opportunity
to get involved. Volunteers offer around 14,000 hours
of service per year, playing an active role in practical
site management, environmental education and in
catering and retail outlets. The help of volunteers not
only assists in the day to day running of the parks,
it provides benefits for the volunteers themselves
through learning new skills, providing a challenge,
exercise and the chance to get involved socially. The
Service will monitor the way it works with volunteers
to ensure that volunteering continues to be a mutually
beneficial experience.
It is also important that the Service consults with
local people, giving them the opportunity to find out
more and to comment. This is also a vital element
of gaining the Green Flag Award. As a principle the
Service will implement inclusive and consultative ways
of working with stakeholders and local people.
Groups ABC1.
Natural England Monitor of Engagement in the Natural Environment, full years 2009-2013.
6% of the population of Kent is of non-white ethnic group, ONS Census 2011.
Henley Centre for Natural England; Paper 2: Demand for Outdoor Recreation, A report for Natural England’s Outdoor Recreation Strategy.
Census 2011.
The local authority areas of Canterbury, Dover, Gravesham, Shepway, Swale and Thanet all have lower levels of car ownership than the Kent average.
Shorne Woods Country Park is within Gravesham Borough and Brockhill within Shepway District.
11
Supporting Health and Well-Being
Objective 6: Play an active role in supporting
improvements in health, well-being and quality
of life.
Lack of exercise is a key contributor to poor health.
It is associated with many illnesses and the national
rise in obesity, itself a contributory factor in health
problems. Physical activity outdoors has positive
physical and mental health outcomes and combining
exercise with nature can provide greater benefits than
either achieves alone.
Country parks are ideal places for everyone, including
those who are new to exercise or have impaired
health, to exercise. Providing easy access trails enables
people with a wide range of abilities to exercise,
conservation volunteering involves physical activity
and trim trails can provide a fun and challenging
alternative activity, as well as more traditional activities
of walking and cycling. The Service has also been
working to ensure that all catering outlets provide
healthy eating choices.
10 Mind (2007); Ecotherapy.
11 www.parkrun.org.uk
12
Run England 321 trails are offered at Trosley, Brockhill
and Shorne Woods Country Parks. These are measured
routes of 3km, 2km and 1km to support people to
reach their fitness goals and all are used regularly.
Parkrun is also available at Shorne Woods and Pegwell
Bay Country Parks.
The country parks can also have a key role in
supporting the work of those partner organisations for
which participation, health and well-being are primary
aims in operating such schemes, through the provision
of high quality, accessible sites.
Strategic Aim 3
Ensure that the provision of country parks in Kent is secure, with a
model of delivery that is sustainable, innovative and securely financed,
to meet future needs.
The revenue budget has progressively reduced between 2009 and 2014. In 2009-10 the revenue budget
was £826,000; by 2013-14 this had reduced to £526,000, a decrease of 39%. During the same period the
actions taken by the Service has moved it from being 46% to 72% self-financing. Good weather is key to
achieving many income stream targets.
The whole Service now only costs 35p per person per year in Kent to provide places to visit, stewardship
of the countryside, high quality education and places for people to enjoy the outdoors. This is a reduction
from 59p per person in the previous strategy 2009 – 2014, and represents excellent value for money for
Kent residents.
Funding pressures across the County Council have increased since the last Service strategy and will
remain into the future. This presents a significant challenge and the Service will continually strive to
secure income to cover a proportion of the cost of delivering its work. This must also be done with regard
to the wider aims of the Service to be inclusive and with regard to the capacities and environmental
sensitivities of each site.
Significant improvements in the infrastructure of the core parks were made during the course of the last
strategy and this has enabled the Service to raise the standard of facilities and secure its core visitor offer.
It has also significantly diversified income streams, for example an increased training offer, facilities for
businesses and wood products. However, the Service now requires effective and sustained marketing if it
is to re-position itself in competitive markets and sustain and build on these achievements.
Sustainable and responsible management also requires that the Service minimises the environmental
impact of its activities to play its part in addressing the global environmental concerns, which will have an
impact on Kent’s residents.
A Quality and
Forward-Focussed Service
Objective 7: Provide a quality, forwardfocussed and sustainable Service.
The Service is committed to being forward-focussed,
offering excellent value for money and offering the
services existing and future customers want. The
Service is committed to achieving consistently high
customer satisfaction levels and to monitoring its
performance, both against its own objectives and via
external verification.
Nine key parks have been identified, each of which
has a clear role to play and which have high benefit to
the public. Parkwood will also remain as part of the
estate in the medium term due to its importance as a
training site. Alternative management arrangements
will continue to be sought for the other sites.
The Service needs to face the challenge of maximising
cost-recovery whilst delivering other core aims and
maintaining the quality of the visitor experience.
Many of the core parks are at capacity during the
summer and at weekends and an emphasis to
encourage off peak visits is now key. The marketing
focus will also emphasise the need for market
penetration of established products rather than
developing more products.
The Service will continue to develop forecasts for the
true capital and revenue requirements of operating
the parks to ensure a sustainable future, evaluating
the most efficient and effective ways of working and
undertaking reviews across many work areas. This
may also include new delivery models. A three-year
financial plan setting out how the revenue budget can
be further reduced will underpin service delivery in
the medium term.
The Service will continue to monitor itself against Key
Performance Indicators and will carry out a visitor
survey in 2014 to evaluate customer feedback and
satisfaction. Marketing to Maximise Income
13
Kent Environment Strategy
Objective 9: Support Kent’s Environment
Strategy.
The Kent Environment Strategy (2011) sets out three
themes and ten priorities for Kent. The Service has a
contribution to make to most of these priorities and in
particular to priorities under the third theme ‘Valuing our
nature, historic and living environment’.
Marketing to Maximise Income
Objective 8: Market country park products
effectively in a competitive commercial
environment, in order to support income
generation aims.
To meet future income challenges and to provide
a secure future, the Service now needs to focus
on the market penetration of established core
products. Maximising income from established
higher income products such as venue hire,
team-building days and training will have a hugely
positive impact on the Service’s budget. This can
only be achieved with professional marketing
support.
•
The ability to compete with private organisations
will require a flexible approach to branding and
marketing to ensure that the KCC brand is used
positively to ensure success in this essential area
of work. A commercial approach to marketing
products, in order to maximise income, will be
required to help the Service to achieve challenging
financial targets during the course of this Strategy.
•
The Service is well placed to act as a front-line exemplar
and specifically contributes to key priorities:
•
•
•
•
through being part of the ISO 14001 system and
ensuring resource efficiency in buildings -energy,
water, and waste and refitting existing buildings
where needed with energy efficient measures. This is
evident through projects carried out at Shorne Woods,
Trosley, Lullingstone and Brockhill Country Parks;
by reducing waste and, in relation to food waste,
composting wherever possible;
by reducing our ecological footprint through the use
of local suppliers where possible;
by promoting the use of public transport to parks on
website and printed materials;
by adapting to climate change, ensuring that the
Service is resilient to severe weather events such as
flooding and habitat change;
by protecting and enhancing the parks, ensuring they
are well managed and of a high quality for visitors to
enjoy and benefit from.
There are also significant opportunities to raise awareness
of wider environmental issues through interpretation
and opportunities to influence visitors to adopt lifestyle
changes to help protect the natural environment. The
education programme is particularly beneficial in getting
key environmental messages into communities.
14
Summary of Strategic Aims and Objectives
Strategic Aim 1
Provide country parks for
access and enjoyment
and protect their
landscape, heritage and
wildlife.
Objective 1
Ensure high quality parks are provided, maintained and
improved and that, where possible, quality standards are
independently verified.
Objective 2
Provide a range of opportunities for leisure and business,
serving local and county-wide needs and extending the visitor
base outside of peak times.
Objective 3
Ensure that the biodiversity, heritage and landscape value of
the sites are maintained or enhanced.
Strategic Aim 2
Increase knowledge
of the environment
and countryside and
ensure the benefits of
using country parks are
available to all.
Objective 4
Provide a range of training and learning opportunities
for adults and children to raise awareness of and increase
engagement in the environment.
Objective 5
Be inclusive, involving local people in the parks and making
them available for all sectors of the community, regardless of
age, health, ethnic group or gender.
Objective 6
Play an active role in supporting improvements in health, wellbeing and quality of life.
Strategic Aim 3
Ensure that the provision
of country parks in
Kent is secure, with a
model of delivery that is
sustainable, innovative
and securely financed, to
meet future needs.
Objective 7
Provide a quality, forward-focussed and sustainable Service.
Objective 8
Market country park products effectively in a competitive
commercial environment, in order to support income
generation aims.
Objective 9
Support Kent’s Environment Strategy.
15
Delivering This Strategy
The actions required to deliver this Strategy are detailed in the Action Table below. These
actions will be incorporated into the annual business plans of the Service.
Key to Benefits:
 Provides a competitive leisure attraction
£


Increasing income, reducing expenditure, or
contributing to wider cost recovery aims
Social inclusion
J
Engaging people

Contributes to sustainability and the
environment
A well-managed Service

Health and well-being
Strategic Aim 1:
Provide country parks for access and enjoyment and protect their landscape, heritage and wildlife.
Actions
Benefits
Objective 1: Ensure high quality parks are provided, maintained and improved and that, where
possible, quality standards are independently verified.
1.1 Continually review, adopt and implement standards for signage, cleaning, opening
times, customer engagement, uniform and other areas of public interface.

1.2 Continually adopt working practices and training of frontline staff if required, to foster an
attitude of excellent customer service.
J
1.3 Review the most appropriate external verification for the parks, for example Green Flag
or SE in Bloom, pursuing those which best contribute to achieving higher standards and
capturing the offer of each country park.

Objective 2: Provide a range of opportunities for leisure and business, serving local and county-wide
needs and extending the visitor base outside of peak times.
2.1 Increase the range of ‘access for all’ facilities to a level appropriate to the physical
conditions and the visitor profile of each site.

2.2 Promote venue hire and team building packages to increase income.
£
2.3 Install a play area at Lullingstone Country Park.
J£

2.4 Continually seek opportunities to increase off-peak income and manage demand.
J£
2.5 Deliver against agreed actions arising from the 2014 Team Tourism Visitor Offer Product
Analysis
£J
Objective 3: Ensure that the biodiversity, heritage and landscape value of the sites are maintained or
enhanced.
3.1 Identify the management actions and resources required to bring or maintain SSSI sites
in favourable condition and incorporate into whole site management plans, or review
existing habitat management plans where necessary in the interim.
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
Actions
Benefits
3.2 Identify the management actions and resources required to manage LWS positively
for biodiversity and incorporate into whole site management plans, or review existing
habitat management plans where necessary in the interim.

3.3 Manage all non-designated sites to increase biodiversity to a level appropriate to that
site and actively seek opportunities for biodiversity enhancement.

3.4 Identify opportunities to deliver Kent Biodiversity Action Plan targets and Kent
Biodiversity Strategy targets.

3.5 Fulfil obligations under European legislation for protection of species and management
of habitats.

3.6 Identify and implement actions required to maintain heritage value of sites and include
in management plans.

3.7 Identify and implement landscape management objectives for all sites within the
Kent Downs AONB to support enhancement of landscape character and include in
management plans.

Strategic Aim 2:
Increase knowledge of the environment and countryside and ensure the benefits of using the country
parks are available to all.
Objective 4: Provide a range of training and learning opportunities for adults and children to raise
awareness of and increase engagement in the environment.
4.1 Maintain the Learning Outside the Classroom quality badge in 2016.
£
4.2 Increase a consultancy service in relation to enhancing schools grounds so that a more
sustainable approach to outdoor learning can be achieved.
£
4.3 Expand the accredited training provision so that teachers are better qualified to deliver
in school settings.
£J
4.4 Regularly review and monitor the education and training provision to ensure it is
demand-led and meets the highest standards.
£J
4.5 Seek other opportunities to expand educational income generation projects.
J£
Objective 5: Be inclusive, involving local people in the parks and making them available for all
sectors of the community, regardless of age, health, ethnic group or gender.
5.1 Maintain current volunteering opportunities and encourage new volunteers to join
existing teams, working in partnership with Kent Volunteers and other partners.
5.2 Provide work experience and apprentice opportunities for young people.
£J
J
5.3 Develop new ways to consult with visitors, and current non-visitors, to ensure voices are
heard in a customer-focussed approach.
J
5.4 Seek opportunities to be inclusive, including in facilities, communication and marketing.
J
5.5 Work with partners to increase social inclusion at country park sites.
J
Objective 6: Play an active role in supporting improvements in health, well-being and quality of life.
6.1 Promote the facilities and events available at country park sites to visitors, interest
groups and those delivering health improvement programmes to raise awareness of and
increase uptake for health and well-being purposes.
J
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Actions
Benefits
6.2 Support the work of partners whose primary remit is to deliver health and well-being to
increase health and well-being events, activities and facilities,.
J
6.3 Explore the potential for an additional Parkrun location to increase opportunities for
regular exercise.
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Strategic Aim 3:
Ensure that the provision of country parks in Kent is secure, with a model of delivery that is sustainable,
innovative and securely financed, to meet future needs.
Objective 7: Provide a quality, forward-focussed and sustainable service.
7.1 Continue to review all business areas to maximise income and investigate new ideas
which are supported by a strong business case.
£
7.2 Review grants and external funding and proactively seek grant sources for projects,
working with partners to increase effectiveness.
£
7.3 Continue to investigate alternative management arrangements for those sites for which
this has been identified as better serving the aims of this Strategy.
£
7.4 Monitor activities against Key Performance Indicators.
£
7.5 Carry out visitor surveys to determine visitor profile, customer satisfaction, areas for
improvement, to support improvements in customer delivery and cost-recovery aims
and adjust delivery of services where necessary.
£J
7.6 Achieve financial targets in line with three year financial plan.
£
7.7 In line with ‘Facing the Challenge’, determine future model of delivery by April 2015.
£
Objective 8: Market Kent’s country parks effectively in a competitive, commercial environment, in
order to support income generation aims and present a consistent, positive image.
8.1 Develop and deliver a marketing plan to achieve the aims of this Strategy, with particular
attention to market penetration of existing income streams.
£
8.2 Ensure appropriate professional expertise is secured to support the marketing aims of
this strategy
£
Objective 9: Support Kent’s Environment Strategy.
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9.1 Continually seek opportunities to minimise environmental impact, to include reducing
energy use, increase proportion of energy use from sustainable sources, reduce waste
and water use and implement measure to improve environmental sustainability.
£
9.2 Promote the use of local produce in retail and catering outlets and source local goods
and contractors for use in the parks.

9.3 Forward plan in order to respond to the potential impacts of climate change in the day
to day operation of the Service.
£
Policy Framework
Kent County Council’s Country Parks Service not only supports the delivery of several Kent
County Council strategies, it contributes across a broad work area to support delivery of the
policies of partner organisations. How the objectives of the Service specifically contribute to
these strategies is detailed on page x.
Key Strategies
Facing the Challenge (2013): Delivering Better Outcomes The aspiration is for Kent County Council to
become a commissioning authority over the next few years. Each service, including Kent Country Parks, will be
reviewed to determine the best model of delivery into the future.
Kent Countryside and Coastal Access Improvement Plan (2013): This 10 year plan was updated in
2013, with an interim plan to 2017. The Plan is Kent’s strategic countryside access development blueprint and
details actions to improve access to Kent’s countryside.
Vision for Kent (2012): The Vision for Kent is the community strategy for Kent, developed by the Kent
Partnership. It has three central ambitions ; to help the Kent economy to grow, to put the citizen in control
and to tackle disadvantage. The three cross-cutting themes are protecting and enhancing the environment,
improving community safety, crime and anti-social behaviour and improving health.
Kent Environment Strategy (2011): The Kent Environment Strategy12 aims to deliver environmental
improvement across three themes and ten priorities. These encompass a broad range of environmental agendas
including biodiversity, climate change, water, waste, land management and sustainable travel, in order to
address environmental issues affecting the county. The Service has a particular contribution to make:
Theme
Kent Environment Strategy Priority
Contribution of Kent Country Parks Service
Living ‘well’
within our
environmental
limits
EF Priority 1 Make homes and public
sector buildings in Kent energy and
water efficient, and cut costs for residents
and taxpayers.
The Service owns several buildings and will seek to
ensure that these are as efficient as possible.
EF Priority 2 Ensure new developments
and infrastructure in Kent are affordable,
low carbon and resource efficient.
New country park buildings have used sustainable
construction techniques and this will continue to be an
aim for any new building.
EF Priority 4 Reduce the ecological
footprint of what we consume.
Through adopting lower impact ways of working e.g.
biomass
Rising to the
climate change
challenge
CC Priority 5 Reduce future carbon
emissions.
Through adopting lower impact ways of working.
CC Priority 7 Support the development of
green jobs and business in Kent.
Through vocational training schemes for young adults
at several country parks.
Valuing our
nature, historic
and living
environment
VE Priority 8 Utilise the full social and
economic potential of a high quality
natural and historic environment in Kent.
The Service has a key role in supporting health and
well-being.
VE Priority 9 Conserve and enhance the
quality of Kent’s natural and heritage
capital.
At the core of the Service, with several country parks
sites also designated for nature conservation and in
special landscapes.
VE Priority 10 Ensure that Kent residents
have access to the benefits of Kent’s
coasts, countryside, green space and
cultural heritage.
High quality access to the countryside is at the heart of
the Service.
12
Growing the Garden of England: A Strategy for Environment and Economy in Kent (2011).
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Kent County Council Environmental Policy (2012): Kent County Council’s policy to reduce the
environmental impact of its operation and services.
Unlocking Kent’s Potential (2009): This is Kent County Council’s 25 year regeneration plan for Kent. It
outlines five key challenges which must be faced; building a new relationship with business, unlocking talent to
support the Kent economy, embracing a growing and changing population, building homes and communities,
not estates and delivering growth without transport gridlock.
Other Strategies
Local Nature Partnerships: the Kent Nature Partnership is one of Kent’s two Local Nature Partnerships13. It
aims to have a strategic role for Kent’s natural environment, bringing together a range of organisations to deliver
benefits for biodiversity alongside maximising social economic benefits.
Kent Downs AONB Management Plan14 (2009): Sets out a vision and actions for the AONB to 2024 to
deliver an integrated approach to conservation and enhancement of the designated landscape.
Local Transport Plan (2011): Kent’s third LTP prioritises actions under five themes; growth without gridlock,
a safer and healthier county, supporting independence, tackling a changing climate and enjoying life in Kent.
The plan supports Kent’s 25 year master plan for regeneration, ‘Unlocking Kent’s Potential’.
Local Authority Greenspace Strategies: Several Local Authorities have now produced Greenspace
Strategies and many of Kent County Council’s country parks have a key role in support delivery of local
greenspace provision.
Kent Joint Health and Well-Being Strategy (2013): This plan sets out to promote healthier lives for
everyone in Kent, with priorities are to tackle the key health issues where Kent is not performing as well as the
England average, tackle health inequalities within Kent and tackle gaps in provision.
Mind the Gap (2012): This is Kent’s plan to tackle health inequalities.
Live it Well (2010): This is Kent and Medway’s Strategy for improving mental health.
Kent and Medway Tourism Development Framework (2009): This sets out a broad framework for
delivering tourism in Kent.
13
14
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The other is the Thames Gateway Local Nature Partnership but only Shorne Woods Country Park is near to the boundary.
Within Kent there is also part of the High Weald AONB, but there are no KCC country parks within this area.