Chris Burton (Park Manager) delivered the Park Manager’s Report to the Joint Committee, and discussed:

a)     An overview of the park, including its natural, historical and environmental significance, as well as its free entry for the public;

b)    Around £1.4 MM of grants had been attained by the park this year. The Garden Battery initial scoping works had taken place and the drainage system had been restored, and the Orangery toilets refurbishment had been completed, and work on the English Garden House had commenced. Other maintenance works had included holiday lets, formal benches, fencing, Barrow Centre windows, and the Gardeners Lodge roof work;

c)     Phase One of the Conservation Management Plan (CMP) would assess non-roof heritage and landscape assets, and a new stewardship application would provide a steady revenue income;

d)    Volunteering remained a strong asset in the Park, with various businesses providing a voluntary workforce, including the Royal Navy, EE, and the Department for Work and Pensions;

e)     Secure Forests had conducted two dry stone walling courses for ex-service and Blue Light men and women, providing re-training and mental wellbeing, while providing the Park with a high quality, repaired dry-stone wall;

f)      The East Garden Lawn had been replanted with climate and deer resilient plants, with grant support received from the Friends;

g)     As part of a future project to improve climate resilience, the team were looking to improve the water transport infrastructure across the park, This would require replacement of the Victorian led pipes;

h)    The 12 Cornish Black Bee colonies continued to remain strong, despite a Bee warning being issued due to the wet summer;

i)      A Willow hedge had been planted in the play area, and the formal planted beds would be planted in a new floral theme;

j)      Work was ongoing to maintain the heritage infrastructure, including 56 listed buildings:

                          I.          £1 MM of Heritage Lottery funding had been received for the Garden Battery, and initial works had started;

                         II.          £300,00 of funding had been attained to replace the roof of the English Garden House. Once complete, the Conservation Management Plan (CMP) would help identify potential funding sources to help transform the rest of the building;

                       III.          Plans were in place next year to repair the French Garden House;

                       IV.         The Main House roof had been repaired;

                        V.         Additional office spaces had been created, which could present an additional income source;

                       VI.         The Orangery Toilets had been refurbished;

                     VII.         Work was ongoing to refresh the Wedding Marquee. Meetings had been conducted with the architects and Historic England to ensure an appropriate planning submission later this year. This long term investment was vital to maximise income for the park, provide an appropriate standard for weddings, while maintaining a design sympathetic to the park and historic landscape;

k)     Pressures affecting the Park remained largely unchanged, including Ash Die-Back (approx. £10,000 PY), storms and tree safety works, utility bills, wage bills, cost of living, inflation and local authority funding;

l)      Feedback for the Park remained positive, with the Park featuring in Trip Advisor’s Travellers Choice Award for the third consecutive year;

m)   The working horses were training to provide carriage rides next year as part of a business partnership, while also conducting winter woodland work;

n)    Holiday Lets were performing well in comparison to national averages however, the market remained down overall;

In response to questions, the Joint Committee discussed:

o)    The operation of the working horses, including their potential to feature in wedding ceremonies;

p)    Operational issues of the current wedding marquee, which was 13 years old and required frequent and repeated repairs. The marquee was also utilised for events, and helped support commercial tenancies;

q)    Incorporating Natural England’s comments, an estimated cost of a new wedding marquee was £450,000, which it was hoped would be funded from capital receipts;

r)     The Mount Edgcumbe Country Park was covenanted land, purchased for the purpose of a country park. Country Parks were enshrined in the 1968 Countryside Act as having to provide free public access;

s)     Plymouth City Council operated a ‘Memorial Bench’ scheme, enabling members of the public to commission benches around the City, and including the Mount Edgcumbe Country Park.

The Joint Committee agreed to:

1.     Thank the Park management and team for their continued efforts and successes within the Park;

2.     Note the report.