How Will We Create a Strategic Plan?

Parks are places for people to be outdoors and meet the natural world. Places where they can come to exercise, play, explore, relax and enjoy fresh air and a peaceful moment of the casual company of others.

They can be widely and wildly different places varying from utilitarian recreation grounds to curated natural landscapes. You may find anything from a manicured flower bed and childrens’ playground to ancient trees and havens for nature. How does one decide what sort of park is best for a particular place? You can click the pictures below to expand them to full size.

Winnall: Residential Playground

City Centre: Abbey Gardens

Landscape setting: St. Giles Hill Viewpont

There are many factors to consider and the place to start is its location and its place in the wider landscape. Where it sits and how it fits with its surroundings. Is it in a City centre or in the countryside? What is the physical nature of the location? Is the land flat or hilly, what is the bedrock and soil type? What is the natural ecology of the area?

Then there are the human elements to consider. Is this an historically important site? How has it been used in the past? What memories are embedded? How is it used now and how is it to be in the future? Is this a show place for visitors or a recreational space for local residents? What place is there for memorials? Are there historical points of interest?

St. Giles Hill Park has all of these and many more factors to be considered.

It is the job of landscape designers to think about all the factors and then create a design for the park that will meet the needs of those who will visit. They start by agreeing a vision for the future and the purpose of the plan. A set of aims and objectives is agreed and all the information necessary to inform the design is collected to inform and evidence the design strategy.

We have appointed Ed and Abi Gant of Lichen Studio to prepare the plan.

To help them all those with an interest in the park, especially those for whom it is part of their daily lives must be heard, their voices matter. Local community groups must have a major say.

However, St. Giles Hill Park was not acquired and created just for the benefit of the immediate local residents. The site occupies a dominant position in the landscape of Winchester as a whole and its purchase by the Borough in 1878 was driven by a desire to prevent the City being overlooked by housing development.

The park is home to some of the finest views in England and a highly rated visitor attraction. It is only 400 yards from the Cathedral and provides the backdrop to King Alred’s statue. What impression does it create? Does it match the image Winchester wishes to present of itself? Will it be a source of civic pride or shame?

All those interested in the future of the park are known as Stakeholders. They range from the local communities in Highcliffe, St. Giles Hill and Winnall to those with wider interests such as the City of Winchester Trust (CWT), Hampshire Gardens Trust (HGT) and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust (HIWWT) and by no means least Winchester City Council (WCC). As the landowners they are entrusted with the task of ensuring the park evolves to meet the needs of the times and is maintained to the standard desired.

Bringing all these Stakeholders together and enabling their voices to be heard is the role the Friends have taken on in commissioning a Strategic Framework Plan.

Stakeholders will have an opportunity to contribute to the development of the plan from the beginning. One local community group has already completed a survey. A clear picture of resident’s likes and dislikes emerged as well as some areas of potential disagreement. More are being encouraged and local meetings are being arranged.

Stakeholders such as HIWWT are offering very positive support and assistance with gathering the important information needed to make sure nature is nurtured. CWT and HGT have published articles in their magazines to make their members aware of the project and we are liaising as closely as we can with the Councillors and officers at WCC.

A park is a place for people and the people must be heard. We welcome all contributions.