Executive summary
The plan concentrates on those areas of the park currently managed by Coventry City Council although reference is made to areas of historic landscape currently not in the Council’s land holdings.
Consultation is and will be an ongoing process with our key partners and service users. This plan covers the period from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2028.
The plan is designed to cover the three key areas of management – historic buildings and landscape, environmental conservation, and visitor management.
Understanding the value of Coombe
The social and economic benefit of parks and green spaces is becoming increasingly more understood within the national agenda.
A key issue that has been recognised during the last five years is the need to integrate and improve our management of the country park as an integral part of the Coventry and Warwickshire landscape, the emphasis of a landscape approach rather than site-based approach to managing the natural environment is one of the key messages in Central Governments first white paper on the natural environment for 20 years - The Natural Choice: securing the value of nature. This issue will be addressed in this management plan, one of the key drivers will be the Dunsmore Living Landscape Partnership which is already in place and has started to drive landscape-wide initiatives, across Coventry and Warwickshire.
Whilst Coombe is very much a country park, with excellent links to Warwickshire’s broader countryside, its proximity to the City of Coventry means that many of the demands that are placed upon it are similar, if not identical, to those placed on urban parks. These challenges are met by a dedicated team of staff, who are based on site, supporting the extensive range of facilities and experiences offered at Coombe. This enables the provision of a safe and discreetly structured visitor experience which recognises the needs of most visitors to the park who desire access to the ‘open countryside’ whilst enjoying the comforts and convenience of the onsite amenities and services that might normally be expected in an urban setting.
Coombe, therefore, with its range of habitats, wonderful opportunities for structured and unstructured play, educational resources, and its setting within a unique historic landscape has the potential to contribute significantly to the lifelong learning, and health and welfare of the city’s residents. Coombe also contributes to the economy by adding value to the surrounding property, encouraging employment and inward investment through a positive image of the city, and the site clearly attracts local, regional, and national visitors.
The final report of the Urban Green Spaces Task Force, stated that:
“The quality of parks and green spaces provides a quick and highly visible indicator of whether an area is an attractive place for people to live and for business to locate. The potential of parks and green spaces in enhancing and contributing to the changing economies of towns and cities should therefore underpin regeneration programmes."
