The Open Space Audit identified and assessed the Borough's open spaces. This included a factual assessment of their facilities together with an assessment of their character. The results have been collated and the findings analysed to produce a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative baseline record of the Borough's open space stock, detailing the amount, type, quality and distribution of open space.
Open Space was defined as:
Open land within 500m of urban areas, which has the potential to provide recreational, environmental, social or economic benefits to communities, regardless of access or ownership. Such land shall not include land within the curtilage of private dwellings or farmland.
The audit began with a desktop study to identify open spaces using up-to-date mapping and aerial photography. Each site was visited and documented using a standard survey sheet. The findings were then entered into a database and analysed, before the Audit underwent public consultation. The survey results, together with conclusions, were published for public consultation to ensure that the Audit was transparent and fair, and covered all of the open spaces. Some new sites were proposed and these have been surveyed and entered into the database.
You can view the sites that were identified in the Open Space audit and their scores by clicking here.
The Audit itself is a survey, and therefore will not be given significant weight as a document for decision-making. However, having undergone a public consultation exercise and having been through the political process for approval, the Survey has credibility as a reliable data source. This will be used to inform other projects in the future.
