Boundary, Entrances, Gardens & footpaths
Description
Most of the park boundaries are formed by hedges and fences, which reflect the previous agricultural use of the land and are largely in keeping with the local environment. The exception to this is the eastern boundary alongside the town's inner relief road, St. Mary's Way. The relief road was constructed in the 1970s and widened in the 1980s, to enable the High Street to be pedestrianised. During the construction of the road, a new brick wall and metal railing park boundary was erected. The entrance to the lower park from Church Street is named Archena Gardens after Archena, a town located in the Murcia region of south-east Spain, with which Chesham was twinned in 1995. Archena Gardens is comprised of footpaths, a small lawned area and shrubs.
Current condition
There are numerous pedestrian entrances into the park. Vehicles can enter the park for maintenance purposes at each end of The Avenue. The pedestrian access at the northern end of Skottowes Pond, linked to the town centre by a pedestrian crossing over St. Mary's Way, is probably now the most frequently used park entrance. It is undistinguished and there is a confused series of footpaths with level changes occurring inside the park. The overall design intent of Archena Gardens has been weakened by overly mature planting and poor quality repairs. There is a confusion of footpaths at this point.
Many paths require resurfacing and are very narrow. Access to the Upper Park is difficult and in some cases impossible to some people with disabilities or pushing buggies.
Future Plans
The creation of a more welcoming main entrance with seating and simple path links to the Rue de Houilles and Skottowes Pond. The introduction of entrance markers and an information board plus the removal of poor quality trees. The main aim is to underline the relationship between the town and the park. It will also enhance the visitor experience and knowledge on arrival in the park. Improvements will also take place to the other park entrances and improved surfacing, plus the installation of information boards and planting where appropriate.
The design of Archena Gardens will be simplified, with increased horticultural quality, which will provide a resource for horticultural training. The existing path network will be simplified to form a single path and a welcoming park/garden entrance.
The Chartridge Lane entrance will also have a French drain installed to remove water draining across the entrance from the land above.
A wide, longer grass margin will be left to encourage biodiversity and blur the edge between more formal treatment and the rural feel of the park.
Footpaths will be widened from 0.8m to 1.8m. To aid access for those with disabilities and those with buggies, new tarmac footpaths will be installed linking the Upper and Lower Park and incorporating rest areas and anti bike/skateboard features. Paths will be adjusted to maximum gradients of 1:15 with rest areas to ensure that they are Disability Discrimination Act compliant
News & Events
On February the 28th the Friends submitted their biggest funding application yet...
Hardly news, but we ended 2008 on a disappointing note. The Town Council was unsuccessful in its bid for heritage lottery funding under the Parks for People scheme.
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