It is really pleasing that Crawley has again received the coveted Green Flag award for three of its green spaces –TilgatePark,GoffsParkandMemorialGardens. The Green Flag Award scheme is the benchmark national standard for parks and green spaces inEnglandandWales. For an award to be made, a park has to meet a range of criteria in the assessment. These areas include maintenance, sustainability, conservation and heritage.
We live in a tight urban area at a density of 5,700 people per square mile. This compares with aUnited Kingdomdensity of 669 people per square mile which is already a high figure compared to the rest of the world. In this context, it is important for our town to have its fair share of green lungs maintained to a high standard. We are fortunately blessed with a wide range of green spaces well maintained by Crawley Council staff and through the support of the community.
Crawley’s achievement in green space management and horticulture is well-recognised through being a finalist inBritainin Bloom. Such a plaudit requires a great deal of hard work and proper resourcing from the Council. This is powerfully complemented by community involvement, including through the very successful Lets’ FACE (Focus Action forCrawley’s Environment) programme.
The heritage dimension to our green spaces and parks is fundamental. These areas all have a history and this is recognised as part of our Heritage Strategy. It is all too easy to think ofCrawleyas a New Town having just 60 years of modern history but there is much more to us than that. For example, Ifield and Worth were both mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086.
It is important to celebrate, understand and learn from our past and we have plans to extend our ability to do this in a sustainable way. In part, this means ensuring that any new provision we make can be properly funded and is fully affordable to local taxpayers, alongside the maintenance of existing front-line services. As a Council, we do not believe in introducing new initiatives that cannot stand the test of time.
Part of our efforts will be directed at relocating the Museum Service to provide the best possible showcase forCrawley’s heritage. It is intended to apply for some HLF (Heritage Lottery Fund) support for this project.
A further initiative is around the restoration of WorthParkGardenswhich cover 20 acres in Pound Hill, comprising formal gardens, recreational parkland and a lake area. The park has a rich history including evidence of features built by James Pulham, a famous 19th century landscape gardener, whose work is also present within the grounds ofBuckinghamPalace. We have already attracted significant HLF support for this project.
It is a lesson of Crawley’s history that we should not stand still but continue to show aspiration for the future. The two projects that I have referred to are evidence that this tradition is alive and well.
Councillor Bob Lanzer, Leader of Crawley Borough Council
4th August 2010