The Friends of Leazes Park are working on a long-term vision that we hope will help inform a new Park Management Plan. Building on the knowledge developed over recent years our outline vision was generated to start the ball rolling and form a basis for discussion with the Park’s users and stakeholders. We carried out a survey of park users and incorporated their feedback into our vision.
It is our ambition that there is a presence in the Park every day of the week to improve safety, regular maintenance and engagement within the Park to generate a wider feeling of ownership and care.
We looked at the Park in a zone-based system, discussing the strengths and weaknesses of each zone and our vision for them.
By zoning the Park and ensuring that there are buildings in each zone this provides an opportunity for a ‘people presence’ in key areas across the Park. This people presence can be provided through three key channels, staff, volunteers and park stakeholders.
The key aim is to ‘activate’ the Park.
Several actions were identified that would make an immediate improvement to the Park and if funding/personnel resources can be made available they could be carried out quite quickly:
Signage consistent throughout the Park
Seating consistent throughout the Park and well maintained
Memorial trees/plaques/book, maybe an arboretum
More tree planting
Research projects/surveys of the Park’s wildlife, topography, lake study
Returning water to the water sculpture in Zone 2
Drinking fountains installed
A plastic free zone
Bins consistent throughout the Park with a review of capacity, placement, recycling, collection of waste. Including dog bins.
Regular patrols of the Park
Creating relationships within the RVI, Universities, NUFC, Northumbria Water, local businesses
Selling bird food and signs regarding appropriate feeding
Remove bbq, wheelie bin holders and enforce byelaw regarding no fires in the Park (a fineable offence)
Creating attractive and well-maintained entrances to the Park