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Stanmer Park Restoration Project: Update 6, October 2020
The construction phase will complete by January 2021.
The restored Walled Garden is due to open to the public in spring 2021.
Construction of the 'Green Drive'is nearly complete
Leading into the heart of the park from near the Lower Lodges entrance, this shared pathway provides a car-free route away from the central roadway for pedestrians and cyclists.
The pathway will be ready for public use around December 2020.
Visitors are requested not to use the path until then, as some finishing-off is still taking place.
The new pathway is part of the park's initiatives to support access for all and sustainable transport.
Access road and Patchway car park
Work on the new road from the T-junction has moved ahead well.
The new road is currently open ONLY for specified authorised vehicles needing to access Stanmer Depot.
When finished in January or February 2021, this road will take vehicles away from the most sensitive parts of the park's historic core to the restored Walled Garden area and the new landscaped Patchway car park. The latter is currently under construction and due to complete January 2021. The new access road means the previous narrow roadway will become primarily for pedestrians and cyclists, improving safety.
Roadworks by Stanmer House
The project is doing works on the roadway near Stanmer House. A temporary one-way "trackway" was put in place on the Green alongside the roadway on 12 October 2020 to allow vehicles including the park's 78 bus service continued access to areas around and through this part of the park. The works will take around four weeks. Signage and traffic marshalling is in place.
Additionally, from 4 November there will be resurfacing roadworks for around a week above Stanmer House in the T-junction area. This is likely to cause significant disruption. Further information will be widely provided, including on:
All park users and visitors, particularly pedestrians and those driving vehicles, should exercise particular care while moving around in and near the works area during all these works.
Information and Welcome Kiosk
This new building, which will offer drinks and snacks, and include park bike hire and public toilet facilities, is due to complete in December 2020.
If you are interested in tendering to run this facility, contact Avison Young on 01273 738 383.
Restored Walled Garden
This exciting new regional attraction is due to open to the public in Spring 2021.
Work continues at a pace, with around 60% of the space now having been handed over by Buxtons Building Contractors.
New paths have been laid, trees have been planted and over 5000 plants fill many of the borders.
While lockdown has prevented our many interested volunteers from joining the team, Senior Gardener Peter Wood and apprentice Hannah Maplesden worked throughout the summer to bring the gardens to life.
8,000 spring and summer bulbs have arrived, ready to be planted around the garden, and we are working towards safely inviting limited numbers of volunteers to help.
Plumpton College horticultural students returned to study in September and are using the new teaching facilities within the Walled Garden.
The building contractors continue to work towards completing new classrooms for Plumpton College students, plus the market and kitchen ready for opening to the public next spring.
Traffic Regulation Order at Stanmer Park: car parking charging
The restoration project aims to improve access for all.
Managing car parking will help protect this important heritage park's sensitive environment and preserve its visual appeal.
A Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) with proposals and options for the introduction of car parking charges at Stanmer Park was advertised for public comments in spring 2020. The TRO went to the Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee on 29 September 2020.
A decision was made to enact the Order and to start charging for car parking at Stanmer Park once the Project's construction works are completed in January 2021.
Car parking income will contribute directly to maintaining and managing the park. It will also contribute to progressing the park's sustainable transport initiatives.
Note: Disabled parking facilities will be provided in the re-landscaped west Lower Lodges car park and in the new Patchway car park.
The Upper Lodges and church car parks, plus the Lower Lodges east car park area, are not being reconstructed as part of the Restoration Project, but will have designated disabled spaces.
Update on current car parking arrangements at the park
There is extra pressure on designated car parking spaces at Stanmer Park at the moment. The situation will become better when the west side Lower Lodges car park re-opens in December 2020 after improvements and re-landscaping.
As stated in the Updates section, a new car park at the Patchway is in progress, and is expected to open in January 2021. All the small car parking areas alongside the main driveway are now closed permanently, as they are being returned to grass.
We closed the temporary car park on the grassed area at the Lower Lodges entrance end, as vehicle movements were causing significant damage and carrying mud onto Stoney Mere Way, creating a safety issue.
The east side Lower Lodges car park and the church car park remain open as designated car parking areas.
Parking is enforced at Stanmer Park and visitors should park in marked designated parking areas only.
Project Activity Plan: community engagement and volunteering
Many of the existing and planned activities included in the Activity Plan are having to be postponed or adjusted due to Covid-19 restrictions, and the need to keep people safe.
We are working closely with our Activity Partners to develop Covid-secure ways to deliver an exciting, meaningful and interesting programme of activities for all from 2021 onwards.
Help us capture your connection to the environment during these challenging times
We're coming to the end of the UN Decade on Biodiversity. It’s an opportunity to reflect on the state of wildlife and conservation, globally and locally.
The Nature2020 project has been developed to celebrate biodiversity across The Living Coast Biosphere to mark this special decade.
In collaboration with the Mass Observation Archive (MOA), Nature2020 is collecting writings and artwork from people living in the Biosphere, reflecting their connections to the natural environment (like beauty spots, back gardens, local parks or other green spaces) during Covid-19.
The Living Coast is asking people from across the Biosphere – whether living in an urban or rural area - to contribute. It could be digital artwork, photos or diaries, children’s drawings - anything goes!
Submissions will go to the MOA, a national collection of people’s everyday lived experiences based at The Keep at Falmer.
South Downs National Park: a precious asset supporting our wellbeing
Stanmer Park is the gateway to the South Downs National Park, the country's newest national park.
Kate Drake, South Downs National Park Authority's (SDNPA's) Health and Wellbeing Officer, talks about how they are working to help people reap the full health-boosting benefits of the 628 square mile National Park, especially this autumn and winter.
"The importance of the South Downs National Park as a breathing space and part of a network of “natural health service” providers has been increasing every year since it was created ten years ago.
But when the pandemic struck, the level of appreciation of the health and wellbeing benefits of having the South Downs on our doorstep was even further amplified.
One of SDNPA’s priorities is to develop more “green prescribing” – working with health and social care providers to encourage people to make the most of the National Park.
The stark statistic that mental illness is affecting more than one in four of the population at any one time is taken seriously by all National Parks. It’s driving the development of several new health and wellbeing strategies that complement the NHS.
A Covid-19 Recovery Fund was launched earlier this year, and a raft of community projects are set to benefit from funding that will help connect communities, such as those around Stanmer Park, to the National Park."
What you can do if you are unable or not yet ready, to step out for real
SDNPA has put extra focus on promoting remote ways to savour the benefits of the South Downs. This includes developing virtual walks of stunning beauty spots, plus a range of online resources for children, in the "Learning Zone"