north lodge park cropmer

Strict deadline looming

Strict deadline looming for Cromer Town Council to take over North Lodge Park

Sophie Wyllie, edp

north lodge park cropmer north lodge park cropmerThe clock is ticking for Cromer Town Council to take ownership of a much-loved but stagnating clifftop park following 15 months of “frustrating” legal delays.

North Norfolk District Council, which owns North Lodge Park, has laid down the law dictating the legal transfer of ownership of the public space to the town council must be complete by July 21 this year.

As part of the process, the district council will give the town council £150,000 for the park. If the July deadline is not met by the town council, the district council said it would look at other options for future park maintenance.

The town council asked to take control of the area from the district council and, following the go-ahead from district council cabinet members in February last year, it was expected the legal transfer of ownership would be completed by spring that year.

But delays over legal issues, including covenants, have hampered the process.

Julie Chance, town council clerk, said: “Unfortunately it has taken a long time. The delays have been on both sides. We are just as frustrated as the district council.”

But district council leader Tom FitzPatrick said: “We were ready to transfer the park by April 30 last year. The delay doesn’t lie with us.”

The town council met this Tuesday’s strict deadline set by the district council to commit themselves to taking over the park ownership on a permanent freehold basis and to sign the legal contract by July 21.

Mr FitzPatrick said the district council was now digging into its reserves to maintain the park in an “unplanned way” after cancelling its Kier contract in anticipation of an ownership transfer last April.

“We are trying to make it look nice and have spent money on it. We didn’t put a new tenant in the cafe because we were hoping to transfer it to the town council. There is a stagnation in the park as a result and that is not of our choosing.

“We have to act as quickly as possible. We are now 15 months down the line and need a degree of certainty to what is happening,” he added.

A district council report said a considerable amount of officer time had been spent on the park transfer, diverting resources from other projects.

“It does not represent value for money for taxpayers to continue with this process indefinitely,” it added.

Mrs Chance said the council was fully committed to owning the park but needed to review legal issues thoroughly so there were no “nasty surprises”.

Council chairman Tim Adams said they would “pull out all the stops” to complete the transfer.

He added: “We as a council have been fighting for North Lodge Park for more than 10 years. There is a lot of public feeling for it and we all want to see it well-maintained. It is important we get this right.”

Tony Knight, chairman of Friends of North Lodge Park, separate from the town council, said: “There is a great frustration and disappointment over the park. It is not a good picture for Cromer. There is a great passion for the park hence the disappointment.”

He said the group, formed in March this year, was happy to work with any owner of the park.

Mr Adams said after a transfer immediate grass improvements needed to be made and bedding plants needed to be reintroduced.

He also hoped to attract more community events in the park, clean up the toilets and re-open the cafe, which has been closed for more than a year, as soon as possible.

But the council needed to decide on longer-term improvements as well as future uses for the park, which could take between five and 10 years to introduce.

 

from the edp 2 July 2015

The questions we asked.

The Friends of North Lodge Park was set up to oversee the future of North Lodge Park on behalf of the community.  As such, we want to be confident that, if Cromer Town Council (CTC) were to take on ownership of the Park, its future would be sustainable in both the medium and long term.

Over the few months that we have been working with CTC, we have raised a number of concerns with the Park committee and these have not been answered satisfactorily.  This has left us concerned about the future of the Park should CTC take on ownership.

Last week (Wednesday 3rd June) CTC called an extraordinary meeting to discuss the transfer project.  We wanted to make sure the full council were aware of our concerns before making key decisions about whether to continue with the transfer project.

Our concerns are summarised here, with a full set of notes available online here.

1. Introduction

The Friends of North Lodge Park first asked the council to reconsider the extent to which:

  • they really wanted to own and manage the Park;
  • they had considered sufficiently what this entails and had ensured they had the capacity, skills and budget to make the Park a major community asset for Cromer;
  • the views and wishes of the community were seen as important in their decision making.

2. The transfer process

We asked two simple questions about the transfer project:

  • who has responsibility for managing this project?

This is a simple transfer of an asset between two public bodies – what has gone wrong?

If there are concerns why have these been allowed to drag on for 15 months?

  • who is in control of its escalating costs?

What are the legal costs to date and who will pay these costs? Whichever public body pays the legal fees it is still the people of Cromer who will have to pay – Cromer Town Council is responsible.

3. Budgets and planning

The Council’s Financial Regulation requires that when property or land is acquired there should be in place a report to Full Council that considers:

  • its valuation and details of covenants etc
  • a survey of its condition
  • a proper business case
  • and adequate consultation with the electorate.

We have not seen information with regard to these sensible requirements and asked if individual councillors were comfortable with these points, in particular whether they understood the budget, the business plan, the maintenance plan and the costs proposed for managing the Park.

We asked whether, individually, councillors know how the Park was to be funded (eg further precept increases, income from the proposed crematorium, the proposed ‘dowry’ or other income generation proposals), and why the budget was different from the business plan.

In conclusion, we asked pointedly, whether each councillor could confidently say:  “I have seen all the facts and figures, they are reliable and well prepared, I understand the risks and I believe that we have a sound business case for managing the Park”, as their financial regulations and  duty as Councillors requires.

4. Council procedures

Our experience of working with CTC has been uncomfortable and embarrassing; the procedures CTC are being advised to follow seem inconsistent and unwieldy.   The procedures are there to protect CTC, to ensure due process is followed, to help manage the public’s money in an open and honest way; but unless they are used consistently, and properly, they are open to abuse and cause potential risks.

We are concerned that managing the Park within the current procedures would be difficult and there is considerable scope for improvement.   The Park would be a new sort of asset for CTC to operate, bringing new challenges.  We are uncomfortable with managing the Park without reviewing the operating procedures of the council.

We have already proposed changes, but these have not been adopted.

We asked the council whether, as individuals:

  • Are you comfortable with the advice you are given on the procedures you have to follow?
  • Are you happy to take on the management of a major visible asset for Cromer using procedures that aren’t appropriate?
  • Why is there such resistance to change? And where is this resistance coming from? Why not use the Friends committee as a catalyst for change?

5. The community

We have concerns about how CTC are working with, and plan to work with, the community in overseeing the Park.  We asked the following questions

  • Many Councils recommend setting up a Trust to oversee park management, because they recognise they cannot do it on their own, what makes Cromer different?
  • Why would CTC show a total lack of interest in the findings of the community survey?
  • Why would CTC want to proceed with the transfer of the Park without engaging the help
  • of the community? Why would CTC not want a committee process and structure which embraces members of the community who are willing to give their time and resources to support and work with you?
  • Why would you not want to do everything you can to get the cafe open as soon as the transfer completes and why are you using the procedures that you have to prevent this community priority from happening?
  • Why is there such a lack of openness? Why do you not want the Friends to be able to vote on the committee?
poppies in north lodge park

NLP: the saga continues

poppies in north lodge parkWhere next for the Park?

Cromer Town Council extraordinary Park meeting report

Some key decisions were made by Cromer Town Council on Wednesday night. We are issuing this brief interim newsletter to make you aware of what is, and isn’t, happening to your Park.

Last autumn, over 6 months ago, Cromer Town Council facilitated the creation of a community group to work with them on North Lodge Park.  We all thought that, at last, there were to be some positive actions in the saga of the Park.

Unfortunately our hopes for progress this year were wrong, and they were completely dashed on Wednesday night.

At an extraordinary meeting of Cromer Town Council the council discussed how to proceed with the project to transfer ownership of the Park from the district.

The Friends used the opportunity to speak from the public gallery, to ask members of the council some serious questions about the project, the same questions we have been asking in the North Lodge Park committee meetings for some time.  The debate in the meeting failed to answer our questions.  (We are getting our notes together and will publish our questions soon so you know the details of what we asked.).

Our concerns have centred around the extent to which we feel the Council is prepared for the transfer; we have been told repeatedly that the council couldn’t spend much time and effort on preparation as the transfer might not go ahead.

Our view has always been that without proper preparation it would be impossible to be ready when the transfer occurs. Proper preparation is also essential to ensure that all implications are fully identified and considered before the decision is taken.

These very different views have caused tension and on Wednesday night we were accused of being confrontational and aggressive. One member questioned how much we had been Friends to the Council, missing the point that we are Friends of the Park and everything we have said and done has been in its best interest. We have been firm, maybe too firm at times, in the meetings but only as a result of trying to get satisfactory answers to our questions and also in trying to establish a more equal working relationship.

The council proceeded to vote on two points.

  1. Cromer Town Council voted to dissolve their North Lodge Park committee, their mechanism for working with the community regarding the Park.  Their rationale was that the committee was causing a distraction from the transfer project, and it is not needed until transfer has been completed..
  2. Cromer Town Council voted to continue with the transfer project, without putting any time limits on completion, committing more public money on legal costs with no proposal on how to draw the issues to a close.

Apparently the District Council (NNDC) gave Cromer Town Council a deadline of the end of May to resolve any outstanding issues – we don’t know what the implications of not meeting this deadline are.

We are very disappointed with the conclusion, and angry with how the decision was reached without any consideration of the community view, and no debate around the important issues we raised.

We leave you to draw your own conclusions while we re-group to determine how the Friends of North Lodge Park continue.  Our focus has always been to put the Park first, and we will continue to do that in these very difficult circumstances.

We hope to speak to NNDC in the coming days to understand their position on working with the Friends

Many thanks to you all for your support, and apologies for not being able to personally reply to your emails offering support and practical help – we really appreciate the positive way you have responded to us – it is your support that gives us the energy to continue.

Barry Meadows
(very disgruntled) Secretary, Friends of North Lodge Park

north lodge park

Photo Opportunity: Wednesday 27th May 2015: 12.30.

north lodge parkWe seem to be getting the message across:  that there is an active community in Cromer eager to help in North Lodge Park (when/if the councils manage to complete the transfer.)

To this end, the EDP have asked if we would arrange a photo opportunity for them, to show a (large) group of frustrated potential volunteers, with garden tools in hand in North Lodge Park.

Tomorrow. Wednesday 27th May at 12.30pm.

We know it is very short notice, but if you could dust down some garden tools of various shapes and sizes, and come to be ready for a photograph by 12.30 tomorrow afternoon in North Lodge Park (meet by the boating lake), this could be the start of something.   All welcome,  Spades, Forks, Trowels, etc at the ready.

Warning: This event may contain flash photography.

Look forward to seeing you all.

Barry Meadows
Future film producer and Secretary of North Lodge Park

To help us recruit film stars for the day please share this message with your friends:

north lodge park

Tiptoe through the tulips

north lodge park

North Lodge Park

 The community view

As you know, our report, based on analysis of almost 750 responses to the survey was presented to Cromer Town Council on 30th April, and at an open meeting on 14th May. We have been heartened by the positive response from you, at the meeting and elsewhere: there is definitely a passion for the Park in the community.

Thank-you to those who stayed behind at the open meeting to join the working groups to generate ideas and to commit your time to help with improvements to the Park. Anyone who couldn’t make the meeting who would like to join one of the working groups please let us know, email us on friends@northlodgepark.org.uk and we’ll let you know what is planned.

Tiptoe through the tulips

You will not be surprised that creating an equal working relationship with Cromer Town Council is not proving to be easy – there are two different cultures involved and the Council procedures seem designed to hinder progress. We still have major concerns, for example, about the budget and how prepared the Council is for owning the Park, but we are doing what we can to make it work.

At the open meeting, and elsewhere, we have emphasised that there remain challenges in moving forward: more than 15 months after it was agreed to transfer the Park to Cromer Town Council there still seems to be a stalemate in the process. We have dug hard at both NNDC and Cromer Town Council to try to get to the bottom of the impasse, and are now assured that if the transfer isn’t agreed by the end of June it will be stopped. At last we might get some clarity on the situation soon if not progress!

The next planned joint Cromer Town Council and Friends of North Lodge Park committee meeting is on 4th June. This will be a key meeting to resolve many of the constraints that are obstructing the establishment of a partnership with the Town Council. For the sake of the Park, we can not keep tiptoeing through the tulips.

The opportunities

The working groups at the open meeting brought forward many ideas that we are bringing together into a working plan alongside the recommendations and priorities that came from the survey analysis. We have developed a specification for a cafe operator and have offered to manage the process and work with interested parties over the coming month so that when the smoke clears in June we will have a preferred operator ready to recommend to the Park owners to take on the cafe at the earliest opportunity this summer.

Unfortunately there is little we can do without support from the Park owners – on your behalf we will continue to encourage the two councils to bring this sorry saga to an end – whether there will be any film rights to the story remains to be seen!

Remaining positive

Nelson Mandela said “It always seems impossible until its done”; we remain positive that with support from the Park owners, either the district or town, your enthusiasm will help us make North Lodge Park a real asset for Cromer. Walt Disney was right when he said “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible”.

Let’s hope the fun from working with Walt Disney proves Nelson Mandela right.

Open meeting 14 May 2015

may - north lodge park open meeting14There will be an open meeting on THURSDAY 14th MAY at 7pm in Cromer Community Hall where we will present the report to you, and we can discuss the recommendations and develop some actions.

Please come to listen and help.

north lodge park

North Lodge Park The Community View

north lodge park

We completed the analysis of what you said in the survey – all 747 responses – and presented the findings with 10 recommendations to Cromer Town Council on 30th April – you can read the full report on the website northlodgepark.org.uk.

north lodge park open meetingThere will be an open meeting on THURSDAY 14th MAY at 7pm in Cromer Community Hall where we will present the report to you, and we can discuss the recommendations and develop some actions.

Please come to listen and help.

In summary the 10 recommendations are:

  1. the Park should be managed as a TRUST for the community
  2. a set of PRINCIPLES should be used to guide decisions made about the Park
  3. the BUDGET for the Park must be sufficient to stop further deterioration
  4. the CAFE should be opened as soon as possible
  5. the potential of the CONCRETE AREA should be explored as soon as possible
  6. all developments should be considered within a 5 and 10 year PLAN
  7. specific areas of the Park should be TIDIED and REPLANTED
  8. ACTIVITIES should commence as soon as possible
  9. PUTTING should be reintroduced
  10. movement and parking of CARS should be controlled

Full details of these recommendations are in the report.

While we wait for the transfer to actually happen, and for Cromer Town Council to respond to our recommendations, life in the Park is at full speed and things need to be done. There are a number of things already going on and more are planned:

  • we prepared a specification for the cafe which was agreed at last week’s meeting with the Town Council, and if all goes well the cafe should be open this summer
  • we prepared a specification for the maintenance of the Park which will go to tender this summer and if all goes well should start in the autumn
  • we have agreement to put up speed limit signs (5mph) and to develop proposals for improving management of vehicles in the Park
  • we have agreement to look into the feasibility of managing the Park under some form of community trust

There are lots of things on our ‘to do’ list – don’t hold back if you’d like to help with any of these

  • the ugly concrete area and run-down bandstand need to be improved – its the focal point on the main entrance – do you have some positive ideas and some energy to develop this area with us if the Council think it is possible for the Friends to make use of this building?
  • there are many areas in the Park which have been neglected for too long – do you have expertise and time to help us plan and then develop these in the short term? Can the Friends add value within the maintenance tender by managing specific areas of the Park?
  • to bring some life into the Park this summer we’d like events to be run – if you have ideas please let us know – bring them to the meeting on 14th May
  • putting is high on your list of activities to restart in the Park – do you want to help with this – let us know; we could start straight away by organising a competition weekend – would you interested in organising this?
  • there needs to be a set of ‘rules and regulations’ to help manage the Park – based on the proposed principles we need to develop some working guidelines; we don’t want rules to be overly restrictive – the Park is for all the community – we want rules to encourage community engagement and consideration for others – what do you think? We need your help to develop some working guidelines.

We expect the menorth lodge park open meetingeting on 14th May to focus on the proposed actions and ideas – guided by the proposed principles and priorities highlighted in the report. Please come along with your ideas and energy to work with us to develop some short term plans for North Lodge Park.
Look forward to seeing you soon

Barry Meadows
Secretary, Friends of North Lodge Park

North Lodge Park – The Community View

north lodge park the community viewThe Friends survey on North Lodge Park generated a very strong response with 747 people responding during March and April 2015.

The overwhelming view is that the special character of the Park as a beautiful, peaceful green space in the heart of Cromer should be safeguarded, and that the lawns and flower beds of North Lodge Park are an important asset to the town. Nothing should happen that is not in keeping with this special character. Respondents often spoke passionately about their fond memories of the Park throughout their lives and how it provides an ‘oasis of calm’, particularly at times when the town is very busy during the summer months. In order to protect this special nature of the Park, the Friends are proposing a set of principles that will guide how the Park should be maintained and developed.

Respondents show very strong support for improved maintenance and improved facilities in the Park. There is a clear wish from the community for the café to be reopened as soon as possible – the café should be open by this summer (2015).

There is also strong support for more dedicated areas such as a play area for children. There are several areas in the Park where immediate improvements are required, such as the concrete area by the main entrance. The Friends recommend actions are taken to address these areas quickly. In addition, the movement and parking of vehicles in the Park needs to be urgently reviewed.

There is also support for more activities and events, and allowing private events which raise funds for the Park provided these are carefully controlled and don’t over-constrain other public uses of the Park. It is recommended that activities and events are facilitated by the Friends and others to bring the Park to life this year. Putting in the Park is definitely one activity missed by the community and it is recommended that the Friends explore ways to bring this back.

To establish North Lodge Park as a living community hub is an objective strongly proposed in the survey responses. One key recommendation, therefore, is that the Park is run as a Trust managed by members of the community. While this is set up, it is recommended that the working arrangements on the current Park management committee are reviewed to ensure an equitable partnership between the Town Council and the Friends. Another key recommendation is that the budget allocated needs to be sufficient to maintain and improve the Park and ensure no further deterioration.

The community understands the need to manage the Park within a long term plan. The recommendations arising out of the responses to this survey are given as a first step in this process and the Friends propose to take a proactive role in developing, and then consulting on, a 5-10 year plan for the Park. This will include exploring ways to develop a play area as well as investigating many of the other interesting ideas suggested in the survey.

Cromer Town Council has been asked to respond in writing to these recommendations and the Friends look forward to a positive response so we can all work together for the good of our Park.

Read the full report here.

north lodge park wall flowers

A Jumbo response to park survey

north lodge park cromer consultation

There were 747 responses

Many people said Cromer was tired of being asked what they wanted in North Lodge Park so we really were surprised to receive 747 responses – more than all previous surveys. This tells us you still have a lot of passion for the Park and its future. Thank-you, and thank-you for the confidence you have in us to work on your behalf.

north lodge park wall flowersWe’re beavering away analysing what you have said in time to present to Cromer Town Council on Thursday 30th April, following which we will publish our report on the website (northlodgepark.org.uk). We’re sorting out a date to present the report to you around the middle of May.

We don’t think you will be surprised by the results: The overwhelming view is that the special character of the Park as a beautiful, peaceful green space in the heart of Cromer should be safeguarded. Nothing should happen that is not in keeping with this special character. You spoke passionately about your fond memories of the Park and how it provides an ‘oasis of calm’, particularly at times when the town is very busy during the summer months. Responses show clearly that the lawns and flower beds of North Lodge Park are seen as an important asset to Cromer. Maintaining this special character was the most frequently mentioned strongest wish for the Park.

Based on our analysis of what you have said, our report will contain recommendations to Cromer Town Council. We will publish the Council’s written response to these as soon as we have it.

In the meantime…

While we get ourselves together for the longer term, daily life must go on. As soon as the Park is transferred (any day now?) Cromer Town Council will have responsibility for its maintenance – including keeping the grass cut, weeding the flower beds and cleaning the toilets.

We have been working with the Council on a specification for the grounds north lodge parkmaintenance which should be put out to tender in early May, with a new contract in place by the end of the summer. However, we have raised concerns with the Council about the maintenance during the interim period, from when the Park is transferred until a longer term contract is agreed, because without other quotations it is difficult to know if the price quoted represents good value for money and it comes with a lower specification than previous maintenance.

If you know of anyone who may be interested tendering for all or part of the maintenance, please ask them to get in touch with us friends@northlodgepark.org.uk or the Council.

In the meantime…the Park will need your help, especially in maintaining the flower borders. Do you have ideas for what can be done, and/or the time and ability to help do it? We hope to run some ideas and work days in May/June to make the Park closer to what you want in the short term. If you are interested please get in touch: friends@northlodgepark.org.uk and keep up to date on the website or social media.
There is a clear wish from you for the café to be reopened as soon as possible – the Friends are already working with the Town Council to expedite this, and if all goes according to plan the café should be open by the summer. Again, if you know of anyone who may be interested in this opportunity please ask them to get in touch – through the survey we have already had a couple of interested parties come forward.