Sidmouth and Exmouth fly the flag with pride
Monday 16 September
TOWNS BOAST PUBLIC GARDENS THAT ARE AMONG THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY
CONNAUGHT Gardens in Sidmouth and Manor Gardens in Exmouth are STILL among the best in the country – and that’s official!
Both have again received the prestigious Green Flag Award, a sign to visitors that the park is a well-maintained and well-managed high quality green space, with excellent facilities. It’s the tenth year in a row for Sidmouth, while Exmouth has now won the award nine times consecutively.
The gardens are among a record number of parks and green spaces receiving the Green Flag Award this year, ensuring that even more of us now have access to well-managed, high-quality green spaces.
This year, 1,447 parks and green spaces will fly the Green Flag, a sign to visitors that the space boasts the highest possible standards, is beautifully maintained and has excellent facilities.
National award
The national award, handed out by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, recognises and rewards the best parks and green spaces across the country.
Councillor Iain Chubb, EDDC’s Cabinet Member for the Environment, said: “I’m truly proud of the gardening staff who work so hard in all weathers to provide our towns with the kind of gardens and floral displays that give East Devon the wow factor. To continue winning this prestigious award against a backdrop of reduced funding is indeed an impressive achievement”.
The record number of awards across the country means more people than ever before will have access to well-managed, quality green space, which is vital to people’s health and wellbeing.
Green Flag Award Scheme Manager Paul Todd said: “We are thrilled to announce yet another record-breaking year for Green Flag Award parks and green spaces.
Recognition
“A Green Flag Award provides national recognition for the hard work and dedication of all the parks managers, staff and volunteers who have helped to create these fantastic places for all to enjoy.
“Quality green spaces are absolutely essential to happy, healthy communities. They are fundamental to our quality of life, whether in cities, towns or villages. That is why it is so significant that we have given out more awards than ever before.”
East Devon District Council - NewsNotes to Editors
Keep Britain Tidy is a leading environmental charity. We inspire people to
be litter-free, to waste less and to live more. We are run programmes
including Eco-Schools, the Green Flag Award for parks and green spaces and
the Blue Flag/ Seaside Awards for beaches. To find out more about Keep
Britain Tidy, our programmes and campaigns visit www.keepbritaintidy.org
Keep Britain Tidy run the Green Flag Award scheme in the UK on behalf of the
Department for Communities and Local Government. It is run in partnership
with Keep Wales Tidy, Tidy Northern Ireland, Keep Scotland Beautiful, the
National Housing Federation and the Federation of City Farms and Community
Gardens.
Any green space that is accessible to the public is eligible to enter for a
Green Flag Award. Awards are given on an annual basis and winners must apply
each year to renew their Green Flag status. A Green Flag Community Award
recognises quality sites managed by voluntary and community groups. Green
Heritage Site accreditation is judged on the treatment of the site's
historic features and the standard of conservation.
For more information visit:
www.greenflagaward.org.uk
www.keepbritaintidy.org
www.communities.gov.uk
www.green-space.org.uk
www.btcv.org
Nick Stephen, Communications Officer
There are suggestions that the Knowle gardens should receive the same recognition:
Parks & Recreation grounds ( one of fourteen types of open space identified in the OSS!) are carefully specified as “defined areas of green open space that have been formally laid out for public enjoyment. Typically they will include lawns, flower beds, paths, and occasionally facilities such as toilets or a food stand. (This includes public parks and gardens such as Connaught Gardens or The Knowle in Sidmouth, (as well as privately owned formal gardens that are open to the public such as Killerton Gardens in Broadclyst.”)
An oversupply of parkland in Sidmouth? | Save Our Sidmouth
Sidmouth’s need for open spaces: New study challenges crucial part of EDDC’s planning application for Knowle | Save Our Sidmouth
The designation given to the Knowle by the National Planning Policy Framework and the
Local Plan (see Item 3 of my original List of Objections) is supported by the Devon Open
Space report. This brackets the Knowle parkland with Killerton and Connaught Gardens as public recreational areas.
www.eastdevon.gov.uk/6103-christopherrpbeauchamp.pdf
The East Devon Open Space Study 2011 ( http://www.eastdevon.gov.uk/lpopenspacestudyfinalreport.pdf ), which was apparently commissioned by EDDC, lays considerable emphasis on the importance of formal parks and gardens for an older population, such as in Sidmouth, in providing the opportunity for the population to keep active. This is mentioned in para 3.34 in the following extract from the East Devon Open Space Study. It may also be noted that the Knowle in Sidmouth receives a mention in para 3.32, alongside the Connaught Gardens in Sidmouth and Killerton Gardens -
“3.32 Parks and recreation grounds refer to defined areas of green open space that
have been formally laid out for public enjoyment. Typically they will include
lawns, flower beds, paths, and occasionally facilities such as toilets or a food
stand. This includes public parks and gardens such as Connaught Gardens or The
Knowle in Sidmouth, as well as privately owned formal gardens that are open to
the public such as Killerton Gardens in Broadclyst."
www.eastdevon.gov.uk/3036-johnlabrumrefpoint6_39.pdf
www.eastdevon.gov.uk/lp-openspacestudyfinalreport.pdf
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