Improved amenity offer and bio-diversity among benefits of 8,000-strong woodland tree-planting plan

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Sheffield City Council and Trees for Cities will plant around 8,000 trees around the city over the next few weeks.
Some 7,500 native woodland trees, mainly whips, will be planted at three parks in the south-east of the city, while hundreds more, including semi-mature standards, will be planted at other sites.

Different planting events will take place at the three park sites, involving members of the local community and children from neighbouring schools, while Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Councillor Denise Fox, will joing the planting at Fox Lane Recreation Ground.

The council’s cabinet member for culture, sport and leisure, Councillor Mary Lea, said: “This is especially important at a time when we are increasingly cementing our reputation as the UK’s Outdoor City and demonstrating that Sheffield is a city where people can come to walk, jog, ride their bikes and enjoy family days out in an array of fabulous green spaces.”

Its community forestry manager Tim Shortland added: “Sheffield’s existing woodlands are renowned nationally, but many are in decline and despite being of great value to people and wildlife alike will not last forever.

“These new woodlands will maintain the cities woodland legacy, increase biodiversity, clean the air and create new amenity opportunities. They will create the next generation of woodlands for future generations of Sheffielders to enjoy.”

Trees for Cities chief executive David Elliott said: “These projects will bring diversity to the landscape, enhance the wildlife and give residents opportunities to connect with nature. They will be an invaluable asset to the health and wellbeing of the local communities.”

* Elsewhere in the city, Sheffield City Council has come under fire for its street tree removal programme.

Interviewed by presenter and veteran DJ Andy Kershaw while inspecting felled and soon-to-be-felled trees in the city BBC’s One Show, arboriculture consultant Jeremy Barrell said: “From a health and safety point of view they are fine – none of them need to come out.

Defending the policy, the council’s Cabinet Member for Environment councillor Bryan Lodge said the trees “are causing damage to pavements and highways including those on Rustlings Road” – the site of a controversial night-time felling operation in November.

Greenkeepers launch new strategy for responsible golf course management

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The Federation of European Golf Greenkeepers Association (FEGGA)has developed a new strategy aimed at promoting responsible and sustainable golf course management.

FEGGA’s 24 European national greenkeeping organisations will promote and endorse the association’s strategic vision, which ‘embraces golf’s potential to produce multiple benefits for nature and man’.

As part of the vision, the association has outlined a roadmap that offers a three-dimensional sustainability strategy to people working in the industry.

This roadmap has a focus on achieving positive results in resource consumption, biodiversity, waste, pollution and extent of managed turf. Other areas covered include research and education, and improving transparency and developing community outreach.

“This is the first time that the daily practitioners of golf’s grassroots movement agree on a strategy for such an important aspect of our industry’s future,” said Olafur Thor Agustsson, chairman of FEGGA.

FEGGA’s strategy also encourages the use of monitoring and reporting tools by greenkeeping teams, including GEO’s OnCourse framework.

“Golf course management is coming under increasing pressure across Europe,” said Jonathan Smith, GEO’s director. “Pesticide and water regulation is starting to bite in many countries, costs of resources and materials are increasing, and golfers expectations continue to rise. This timely statement, backed by so many of the industry’s course management representatives expresses an important commitment and plan that will help the sport address these significant challenges, now and in the future. We were very pleased to play a part in its development.”

FEGGA has issued a document that shows how progress will be monitored and how awareness of the association’s strategy will be raised.

“It is extremely encouraging to see the greenkeeping profession in Europe, through FEGGA, promoting sustainability for golf course management,” said Steve Isaac, the R&A’s director of sustainability. “The R&A has led this cause, but only the implementation of accepted best practice by the professionals who care for our golf courses, and transparent reporting through systems such as OnCourse, will convince everyone that the sport can bring economic, environmental and social benefits. We commend FEGGA for producing this statement and hope they are able to achieve its adoption so we see greater sustainability on the ground.”

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More than £4m to be invested in Milton Keynes park to drive visitor number

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The Parks Trust Milton Keynes is pumping just over £4 million into Milton Keynes’ most popular park over the next three years to improve facilities and grow visitor numbers by 50%

Stage one of the process, which has been designed by landscape architects LDA Design, involves a £2m investment in Willen Lake, including landscaping work to resolve pinch points and create a better space for events and the creation of a 10,000 square foot Splash Park which can accommodate up to 300 children at any one time.

The water park, which will cost around £500,000, will feature a number of water features, such as fountains, jets and plunge baths, which encourage children to interact. The specific theme and design have not been finalised as the design and installation contract is currently out to tender.

Stage one also includes 300 extra car parking space, a new coffee and ice cream kiosk and improved toilets.

Work has already started, with the in-house parks team clearing trees and shrubs. The Parks Trust is on the verge of announcing which contractor won the contract for the landscaping works, which is due to start before the end of the month.

Willen Lake general manager Rob Wood, who joined at the beginning of the month said: “This is clearly the most popular lake and park that we have. We are looking to push past the one million visitors mark and push north of one and a half million over the next five years.

“Some of the challenges faced at the lake in the past have been limited parking and we’ve had feedback on accessible toilets,” added Wood, who lives locally and has been visiting the park since he was a child.

He added that the LDA design will improve the customer journey around the lake itself as well as offer more space for people to spread out during events, which include regular park runs and a dragon boat festival.

Phase two involves a second £2m cash injection to build a water sports centre which will link the existing boarding centre into a larger lakeside centre with a new café, changing room and other improved facilities.

“This is will be a hub venue for the lake, with good facilities, good visual impact, information and a café. We look to be starting that at the same time next year with a view to opening in summer 2018,” Wood said.

He said the plan was to fund future growth and eventually become self-sustaining. The first two phases will also create new “double figure” jobs, with staffing able to “grow with demand”.

Some of these could be horticulture roles, Wood said, particularly if also combined with education and tours. “We want people, especially in and around the lake, to experience almost a concierge service,” he said.

LDA is working on anything up to five phases with phases 3 – 5 dependent on the success of the first two.

“We have to measure the success of these phases there has to be a return on what we’re doing to allow us to invest in the future phases,” Wood said.

Willen Lake hosts several concessions, including a Premier Inn, an independent café and a Freedom Fitness gym, where Wood previously worked for seven years and managed for five.