Top national award for local park

     



Folkestone's Lower Leas Coastal Park was officially recognised as one of the best in the country this week when Baroness Kay Andrews, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State gave it the prestigious Green Flag Award.

Winners of this national quality standard award are judged to be welcoming, safe, well maintained and involve the local community

Cllr Carol Waters, Shepway District Council Cabinet Member for Regeneration said:
"I am delighted that the Lower Leas Coastal Park has been recognised as one of the country's top parks. We should all be rightly proud of this very beautiful area at the heart of our district.

"I particularly want to thank the staff involved including those who had the original vision for restoration, who won the grants to do the work, everyone involved in the restoration and the current management and maintenance team.

"As part of Shepway District Council's regeneration plans for the area we wanted to restore the park to its former glory as a popular place for local residents and visitors. Our aim was to maximize the site's unique location along almost a mile stretch of undercliff.

"This award shows just what a tremendous success this has been, and with half a million visitors coming to the park every year we know it is a hit with residents and visitors alike. I believe we have managed to preserve and enhance the unique character of the park with its intricate path network and stunning sea views, while introducing a contemporary design approach.

She said the amphitheatre had a popular programme of summer events and for children there was the largest free outdoor adventure playground in the south east, complete with a pirate's ship.

"All of this opens up area to people who would not normally visit such a park and makes it a real attraction for everyone in the area.

"The coastal park has set the standard that I would like to attain for all of our parks, gardens and open spaces across the district"

Baroness Andrews said: "I'd like to congratulate all of the Green Flag winners this year. Parks are an oasis of calm and natural beauty and have a vital role to play in our modern lives as places where people come together to relax, exercise and play.

"Green Flags are awarded to the country's best parks but everyone should be able to enjoy great quality parks and green spaces. Our ambition is that all communities should benefit from this renaissance and local people have the opportunity to take part in the transformation of their parks."

BACKGROUND ON THE LOWER LEAS COASTAL PARK
• In Victorian times Folkestone's Lower Leas Coastal Park was one of the highlights of the south coast with walkways and promenades leading down to the sea. Over the years it had become overgrown so that local people and visitors rarely went there.
• The aim was to create a park that would be a real focus for visitors and families, encouraging people who would not normally visit such a park to get involved. We also wanted to preserve the unique environment and heritage of the area.
• Shepway District Council successfully applied for grants including from the Heritage Lottery, SEEDA, the Home Office, Sustrans and the EU.
• The park has three zones:
• A wild zone at the western end of the park is an area managed with nature in mind.. The sensitive management of the wild zone is resulting in an increase in biodiversity bringing a larger variety of plants, insects and birds to this zone.
• The fun zone has the largest free children's adventure play area in the south east. The play area was carefully designed to blend in with the landscape. One of the units in the area was especially designed to be accessible for all including children in wheelchairs and pushchairs
• The final and most recent development is the formal zone. With careful work an area of scrub and tarmac was transformed into five acres of formal and semi-formal gardens, summer meadows, new walkways, terraces and a tree-lined boulevard all leading down to the sea. These semi-formal gardens, are planted with a mix of sea tolerant species, while the Mediterranean Bank is being developed with exotic shrubs and small trees, including Figs and Olives to evoke a Mediterranean ambience. It is also recognises climate change and the need for drought tolerant planting.
• Richness and interest was added by careful design to create a sequence of areas, each with its own special character. The big challenge has been balancing contrasts - between the historic and the contemporary, the natural and the designed, the need for rest and the need for activity.
• One of the key elements of the new design is an outdoor amphitheatre which hosts a busy schedule of events during the summer
• The coastal park is now very popular among all sections of the community and is a source of pride in the area. Around half a million visitors come to the park every year.