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RESPONSE
TO THE HORSHAM PARK MANAGEMENT PLAN CONSULTATION DRAFT
We welcome the Management Plan and agree with the
overall aims and objectives.
We are particularly pleased to see the objective to
maintain the naturally managed areas of the Park as we
have been concerned about recent trends to suburbanise
the Park with more formal planting and hard
landscaping. It is important that the essential
parkland setting, with sweeping uninterrupted views is
protected and enhanced. We note the very high approval
rating in the 2005 user survey and lack of ambition
for unnecessary change or tinkering.
More attention needs to be given to tree and other
permanent planting designed to screen the Pavilions in
the Park and the Leisure Centre from view from within
the Park.
We support a review of the Park byelaws but consider
that more should be done to enforce them. We agree
that there is a need for regular and frequent on-site
presence of clearly identified Parks staff.
The Plan admits that there is currently a significant
amount of cycling in the Park in contravention of the
byelaws which have not been actively enforced for many
years. The Plan refers to the recent widening of the
path adjacent to the tennis courts and says it was
designated as a shared cycle/pedestrian route. We find
this hard to understand as it would be contrary to the
current byelaws. We are opposed to a presumption in
favour of cycling in the Park and wish to see the
current regulations remain.
We agree that suggestions for further lighting should
be resisted other than in the areas identified in the
Plan.
As indicated in the Plan, the Horsham Society welcomes
the proposals to return the nursery site to parkland
and expects the County Council to remove the existing
buildings, hard surfacing etc in the very near future,
or for HDC to do it and recharge its costs.
The former putting green provides the opportunity to
return a significant piece of land to parkland, thus
making up in some small measure for the depredations
of the Leisure Centre and Pavilions. This would be our
preferred option; we most certainly would not favour
formal planting.
As far as possible the widening of existing footpaths
should be resisted, particularly those crossing the
Park which would have the most detrimental visual
impact. There must be no further incursions into the
Park to provide extra car parking.
In conclusion, we are pleased to see the Council’s
commitment to safeguarding this unique public asset
and the recognition that little change is necessary or
desirable beyond continuing high standards of care and
maintenance.
10 February 2008
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