East Devon and open space

In April 2012 East Devon District Council published a report by (yet more) consultants Bennett Leisure & Planning Ltd and JPC Strategic Planning & Leisure Ltd on Open Spaces which you can find here.    A few choice highlights from the 140 page document:

Pararaph 3.34 Parks and gardens are especially important in a district such as East Devon with a significant aged population. Older generations use formal parks and gardens more than any other open space and so there is a need to provide interesting and evolving parks and gardens that can offer the chance for older generations to keep active. They also,
as the surveys of young people in East Devon have shown, well used by young people for informal recreation.

Paragraph 4.32 The following analysis and commentary is based upon questionnaire returns from 32 out of 59 rural, and 5 out of 7 urban (missing are Axminster and Sidmouth) town and parish councils. [Note from Sidmouth Independent News: There is no explanation about why Sidmouth and Axminster are not included].

Paragraph 5.3 – Civic Spaces.  No quantity standards set. However, there should be some sort of meeting point or civic space within each Parish, as well as in the towns. In parishes, this might take the form of a well designed space outside the village hall of the main village. Civic spaces in Exmouth, Sidmouth, Honiton, and Axminster should be of particular importance and the focus for public celebration spaces.

Paragraph 5.88 The consultation asked people their opinion on the quality of different types of open spaces, with regards to local recreation grounds or parks, around 70% stated they were very good or good. Many of the parks in tourist areas (e.g. Sidmouth) are excellent, and this may well contribute towards this very high satisfaction level.