Greenspaces Strategy appendices

Case study 1: Addressing lack of football pitches for local needs

Before:

After:

Issue

A local football club was struggling to facilitate games for one of their teams due to a shortage of available Reigate & Banstead Council run football pitches. The pitches that were available required substantial travel, making it inconvenient for the team and its supporters. The club identified two areas of nearby open common land, both siting informal pitches that did not meet Football Association (FA) size guidelines, both pitches were mainly used for recreational purposes. The land that was identified was Whitebushes and Petridge Common. However, both pieces of land presented several challenges:

• The pitches were in wet areas, becoming unusable in the winter.
• The land was designated as common land, requiring Section 38 consent for any drainage works, which can take a long time to secure.
• Parking in the vicinity was limited and identified as a potential problem.

Solution

The proposed short-term solution was to assess the existing informal pitches and identify the essential upgrades to bring them into a playable condition that met the minimum FA guidelines, on a trial basis, as a means of assessing impact and allowing further consideration of potential longer- term solutions. We identified Whitebushes as the most appropriate site for enhancement.

Approach

Assessment and planning:

• The pitch was measured to ensure it could be adjusted to fall within the minimal requirements for FA guidelines.
• An initial survey of the pitch identified existing issues such as holes, divots, and worn goalmouths.

Pitch preparation:

• Holes and divots were filled to create a more even playing surface.
• Verti-draining and slitting were undertaken to improve the drainage as part of regular maintenance, reducing the need for extensive and costly drainage works at this time.
• The goalmouths were repaired to ensure safe use.
• New goals and nets were purchased to upgrade the pitch while maintaining its suitability for informal use.
• The pitch was marked out to meet FA standards.

Community and club agreement:

• An agreement will be made with the club to ensure that informal nets would be reinstalled after formal use to maintain the pitch’s availability for recreational users.
• The pitch was added to the Councils’ booking system, allowing the team to schedule games formally.

Conclusion:

The pitch was handed over for the team’s use, with ongoing monitoring to assess the impact on parking and the effectiveness of the drainage improvements through maintenance. By taking this approach, we were able to provide a short-term solution to the club’s immediate need while minimising costs and maintaining community access to the land.

Case study 2: Actively participate with communities and partners to enhance local spaces, through tree planting initiatives

Issue

Ash Die Back, climate change, the steady ecological decline of species and habitat loss requires action locally, nationally and globally. Protection and improvement of our existing green assets can play a key role in this. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring a diverse mix of native planting to provide greater resilience to the effects of climate change, ensure food source for insects and mammals, create shelter near urban areas, provide nesting material for birds, and ultimately contribute to the enjoyment of high-quality greenspaces for local communities to use for years to come.

Appropriate tree planting plays an important role in enhancing local spaces for local communities and local ecology. It is critical that tree planting plans are informed by land designations, for example to avoid planting trees in areas where grassland habitats are the priority, to avoid changing or impacting existing ecological habitats.

Remedial action

Planting and establishing thousands of trees annually is not something most local authorities can resource.

Working in partnership with other authorities and local groups/communities is a great and efficient way to maximise tree planting within existing resource constraints. Surrey County Council offer partnerships to those authorities that have resource to not only research and provide locations but also have access to local communities to help plant these much-needed native trees. The trees being offered by Surrey CC are funded through the Forestry Commission Urban Tree Challenge. These are in the form of whips ('whips' are slender, unbranched bare root trees or hedging plants grown from seed in bulk in open fields, typically used in forestry, farm hedgerows and amenity schemes) and feathers (a feathered tree is one with a single main stem, having side branches emerging right down, almost to the ground in some cases), which are small enough to allow hundreds to be planted on single sites to achieve the diverse mix needed.

Additionally, local Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding also allows for tree planting to be applied for. This fund allows for the purchase of standard trees (standard trees are grown with a clear stem, having branches higher up. These are useful in order to keep the view open and allow easy access alongside the tree), these are taller more instant impact trees that can be used in park settings for successional planting. This means as the mature established trees go into decline these standard trees will naturally replace the old trees allowing for continued park enjoyment and retained local character. Thirteen locations were assessed, chosen and planted throughout the Borough during 2024/25 tree planting season, through these two different funding options.

Approach

Reigate & Banstead Borough Council’s Greenspaces service applied for both funding streams, providing detailed planting maps and pre-planting site preparation plans. The applications were accepted, and 2550 trees were allocated. In partnership with Surrey County Council, RBBC Sustainability Team and RBBC Greenspaces, the community planting days were advertised to request the assistance of the local communities in this endeavour. This resulted in thirteen days of planting utilising dozens of local volunteers, including one school where local children in Merstham planted several hundred trees.

In addition, Reigate & Banstead Borough Council is supporting local communities to organise ongoing and regular watering of these newly planted trees to bolster the watering undertaken by SCC and RBBC, ensuring better survival rates especially in drier summer months. It is also arranging mulching around the newly planted trees, reducing the need for herbicide spraying to stop weed competition, this also improves soil moisture content. Again, much of the mulching has taken place with local community involvement.

Conclusion:

The dozens of people who volunteered managed to plant the 2550 trees across the borough in only a couple of months. Friends were made, residents brought out coffee and tea to the volunteers and staff met many inspired local people of all age groups. This resulted in new relationships and contacts being made with new lines of communication between staff and residents.

Some lessons have been learnt as to broadening the advertisement of these planting days and utilising of local knowledge in future locations for planting. The planting days created a real sense of achievement, wellbeing and of ownership within the communities and all are excited to see the results of their hard work. Whilst it will take a few years for these plants to grow, the communities and partnerships that are actively involved already have a legacy that future generations will also enjoy and benefit.

Case Study 3: Redevelopment of Merstham recreation ground

Before

During construction

Design illustration

Approach

The playground was relocated to a central position, and new youth areas, including parkour zones and an outdoor gym, were introduced to encourage active use by various age groups. The tennis courts were upgraded to meet LTA standards, and the MUGA was refurbished to support multiple sports activities. Football pitches were realigned and improved for better usage. A modern pavilion with a café operator, public facilities and changing rooms were built which included solar panels and a green roof, reducing the area’s carbon footprint. A new network of footpaths was constructed to encircle the entire recreation ground, improving access and connectivity for all users, incorporating new benches and solar compacting bins to prevent the overflow of litter.

Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), including swales with native planting, were introduced, supporting healthier ecosystems, providing habitats for a wide variety of species safe passageways for wildlife to move between different habitats in urban landscapes. The fenced-off water course was opened, widened and the gradient of the banks reduced to develop into a wetland area. This is fostering a healthier, more diverse, and resilient ecosystem that supports a broad array of wildlife and reduces the risk of flooding in the area. An increased number of trees and planting areas were established throughout the whole site to promote biodiversity and provide aesthetic value.

Conclusion

The redevelopment of the recreation ground transformed it from a neglected area into a vibrant community hub. Through strategic planning, community engagement, and sustainable practices, the project successfully addressed the initial problems. The new facilities, improved access, and environmental enhancements fostered greater community use, improved the quality of life for users, and supported biodiversity in the area.

After