Embargo: not for publication or broadcast before 00:01 am 23 August 2001
A trip to the park is a favourite summer pastime. But research from the most comprehensive study ever undertaken into the state of local authority parks in the UK, published today in the latest issue of Cultural Trends, highlights the impact of 20 years of reduced funding and neglect on Britain's historic parks.
The research quantifies, for the first time, the condition of the various features that characterise our historic parks. It shows the sheer scale of the features and amenities that have been lost, destroyed or abandoned:
The research found that the overall condition of historic parks varies enormously. Of the historic parks assessed for the survey, 50 per cent were felt to be in fair condition; 32 per cent in good condition, and 13 per cent in poor condition. Historic parks make up just 32 per cent of the total area of public open space in the UK. Factoring in the remaining 'recreational open spaces' paints a different picture: only 18 per cent of parks overall are felt to be in good condition. The data suggests that 82 per cent of the UK's population does not have access to good parks and open spaces.
Only 26 per cent of all parks are considered to be improving, while 33 per cent are considered to be in decline. One of the most striking findings of the research is that most of the improvements are to parks which are already in good condition, whereas most of the continuing decline is in parks which are described as fair or already poor, indicating a polarisation in levels of care. Parks that are provided in the most deprived areas of the UK are generally in poor condition, and their decline is continuing. The good are getting better, while the poor are becoming worse. None of these findings should come as a surprise.
In the last 20 years, spending on parks has decreased considerably. The total cumulative under-spend on parks revenue since 1979/80 is estimated to be in the region of £1.3 billion. Parks of historic interest have suffered disproportionately from this reduction. In order to restore the level of expenditure previously applied to historic parks, current budgets would require increases of around 83 per cent. Capital funding intended to reverse this trend has increased in recent years with the establishment of the Heritage Lottery Fund's Urban Parks Programme. Between 1996 and 2000 the programme had provided capital funding for the restoration of 161 parks, with an average expenditure of £1.4 million per park. However, the authors estimate that the capital needed to restore Britain's parks to their former glory is in the region of £3.5 billion.
Stewart Harding of the Countryside Agency and former head of the Urban Parks Programme, who co-wrote the report, says:
"At last we have definitive information showing the dramatic decline in the quality of our parks and, for the first time, a national database of parks which can be built up into a reliable and comprehensive record. The record currently shows that for many parks the decline in funding and quality continues. Reversing this deep-seated trend requires clear leadership from government and decisive action from local authorities, with substantial support from government departments and agencies as well as the Lottery distributors."
Tim Smit, Director of the acclaimed Eden Project in Cornwall, adds, in a commentary accompanying the research:
"Nothing short of a commitment at the highest level to ensuring that public space is high on the political agenda will create the climate for the urban parks renaissance that Britain so urgently needs and its people deserve."
Dame Jennifer Jenkins, former chair of the National Trust and President of the Ancient Monuments Society, who also contributed a commentary to the research, agrees:
"The message from this report is that public parks are in serious decline, especially those in deprived areas. Until neglected spaces in run-down neighbourhoods match the well-carded for gardens in prosperous city centres, regeneration will be an empty word."
Contact: Jo O'Driscoll, PSI, on 020 7468 0468
Notes to editors
1. 'Local Authority Historic Parks in the UK' is in Cultural Trends 38, published by Policy Studies Institute. Press review copies are available from the PSI Press Office on (020) 7468 0468. Copies of Cultural Trends 38 are available from Taylor and Francis on (01256) 813000, priced £41.
2. The chapter is based on research commissioned by Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage, and the then Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions from ILAM (Institute of Leisure and Amenity Management) Services. A second phase of the research, commissioned by Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage, the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions and the Countryside Agency, published by HLF and undertaken by the Urban Parks Forum, corroborates the findings. The second phase of the research is published by Heritage Lottery Fund and is available from the HLF web site, www.nhmf.org.uk.
3. The research involved sending postal questionnaires to named officers in al 475 Local Authorities, with follow-up interviews from selected local authorities and consultants to help validate the findings. 174 Local Authorities responded to Phase 1 of the research, representing a 37% response rate. Phase 2 of the research saw an increased response rate of 85%. This database now has 405 authorities, with 2150 historic parks, 1860 listed buildings and over 20,000 features.
4. PSI is a registered educational charity (no. 313819) and has no association with any political party, pressure group or commercial interest.