Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council has commissioned independent experts to carry out an extensive appraisal of iconic Sutton Park, as a first step towards securing its long-term sustainable future.
The Town Council has appointed environmental planning, design and management consultancy LUC (Land Use Consultants) to conduct a detailed review to assess Sutton Park’s current physical condition and the work and associated costs required to restore, manage and maintain it over the next 30 years.
The team at LUC has a successful track record in tackling a number of challenging similar projects of varying sizes across the UK, aiming to find the most sustainable solution for each.
With over 50 years’ experience, they draw on a multitude of in-house ecological and historic environment skills and should be ideally positioned to advise on the many challenges and opportunities facing Sutton Park.
Previous clients include the National Trust, Natural England, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), as well a multitude of local authorities, National Parks and other Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Taking on responsibility for Sutton Park has always been the long-term objective of the Town Council, since it formed in 2016. The Strategy & Resources committee agreed that work would begin in 2019 to look into the implications of taking on the park to better understand what this would entail, an ambition reflected in the Town Council’s Strategic Plan priorities for 2020-2023, that was itself the result of significant public consultation.
At the end of 2019, Birmingham City Council agreed to work together on a joint strategic plan for Sutton Park, following months of discussions around the proposed Devolution Deal.
Leader of Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council, Councillor Simon Ward, said: “This critical programme of work LUC will carry out, will create the foundations for a long-term sustainable future and ultimately better outcomes for our park.
“We have been really clear about our long terms ambitions here and are determined to deliver for all stakeholders in Sutton Park. We’re confident that our investment in LUC will give us a robust appraisal in order to identify the progress that has been made against Birmingham City Council’s 2010 – 2020 Management Plan for Sutton Park and give us the valuable insight needed to develop a new vision and Strategic Plan for our park’s future.
“The longer-term goal of the Town Council remains to take over the responsibility of Sutton Park and we absolutely recognise that more work needs to take place before we are in a position to do that in a responsible way that addresses the condition of the park today and the work that needs to be done to safeguard its future.
“Ultimately, we want to ensure our park is looked after by those who care most about its future and for those who visit the park, they will agree that it needs significant capital investment. Sutton Park sits at the heart of our Royal Town and is enjoyed by residents and visitors alike. We take the responsibility of being its future custodians extremely seriously, the work of LUC is just another demonstration of this.”
