Stanmer Park restoration plans

A video about plans for a multi-million pound Lottery-funded restoration of Stanmer Park, Brighton.
Find out more: www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/stan...
Transcript of commentary:
Nestling at the edge of the South Downs National Park, Stanmer Park is the largest of the city’s public open spaces.
Owned by Brighton & Hove City Council, the park’s unique 18th century landscape includes environmentally-important woodland, chalk grassland and Grade 2 listed buildings
But, in recent years the park has suffered from a lack of investment. And this has led to the estate being added to the Heritage At Risk Register.
It was clear that an ambitious project, and major funding was needed to restore the formal parkland to its former glory.
For the past three years, Brighton & Hove City Council has been working with Plumpton College, the South Downs National Park and other organisations including Historic England, to prepare a Masterplan for the park and submit an application for funding.
The application was successful and the project has been awarded a £3.8 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and BIG Lottery Fund’s Parks for People programme.
The Stanmer Park and Estate Restoration Project will see around 20 hectares of the park’s landscape, and Grade 2 listed and other buildings restored and given new life.
The plans will see the end of the current ad hoc and unregulated parking. Visitors will be encouraged to park at the Lower Lodges entrance and a new car park will be created on The Patchway for visitors to the Walled Garden, Stanmer House and village businesses.
The car parking at the front of Stanmer House will be removed, creating a simple and open arrival area,
The original Green Drive will be recreated providing an attractive shared route for pedestrians and cyclists from the Lower Lodges through the parkland.
The ambitious landscaping scheme will see the parkland return close to the original 18th century design
250 new trees will be planted, others will be relocated and groups of self-seeded trees removed.
The walled garden will be restored to become the ‘jewel in the crown’ of the newly restored park. Dating from around 1727, the garden was originally used to grow food and plants for Stanmer House and currently houses the council’s plant nursery. The plans will see the whole area transformed to include a new garden centre, café and seating area alongside a formal garden with water feature. Plumpton College will lead on developing and managing the garden. The Permaculture Trust’s orchard will be stocked with new apple trees.
The Frankland Monument, erected in memory of MP Frederick Frankland in 1775 on the edge of the great wood is currently in poor condition and hidden from view. The scheme will see this listed monument restored.
The Listed barn beside the walled garden will be restored and put back into use.
The water catcher was built around 1870 to collect rain water and provide clean water for Stanmer House and gardens. The project will fund further archaeological investigation and restoration work.
A working model will be re-created to help visitors understand how the water catcher worked and explain the importance of this natural resource.
Work is already underway to develop the plans, Work on the ground is due to start early in 2018, and completed the following year.
Cllr Gill Mitchell says in the video: "We are aiming to recreate the 18th century designs for Stanmer Park so that the lovely Stanmer House can once again be seen in its right and proper setting as it was in its heyday, as part of a working farm. I’m particularly excited about getting the walled garden back to how it was, so that visitors who come to see it can observe some of the Victorian gardening practices that were carried out there. All the way through this we have taken note of what people have said to us - what they would like to see in the newly-restored parkland. And so those ideas are going to be incorporated into what we’re doing and we’ll continue to keep in touch with them as the project goes forward."

[@Hdtjdjbszh]

there was talk of having a cycle hire place out here and having the existing mountain bike trails improved and more provision for cycling and walking in the park, what is the plan for this?

[@BrightonRich]

Well, it's April 2018 and nothing has started yet .. any dates ?

[@nickm5941]

No mention here of the main downside of the council's plans - to charge for parking at the site (proposed at £5-6). As around 90% of people travel to Stanmer Park by car, public transport is poor and only at weekends, this is effectively a new charge for the park. So a charge on walkers, cyclists, dog walkers, families using the park. The current parking charge proposals are at the same rate for off peak winter weekday and high summer weekend - something that previous council reports said would not happen as that would discourage dog walkers and others using the park midweek when it is quiet
The video also says that parking is "unregulated". That is incorrect. The council has introduced a number of schemes to limit and regulate parking over a number of years. There are many signposts in the park, double yellow lines and so on. However these do not seem to be enforced. Surely that is the issue? Charging will just price many people out of visiting this lovely site and prevent them gaining the health benefits this area can provide

[@derekwright3546]

23 and 25 bus passes every 6-7 mins

[@saints146able]

Turn this into a bike park it will bing more money than any other thing in the park