Coombe Abbey Park Management Plan 2024 - 2028

6.1 Overview

Ground maintenance works are carried out by site-based Estate Officers, under the direct instruction of the Senior Estate Officer and Park Manager and with assistance from other site-based and Park Service officers. Existing operations are largely based on a schedule of works, detailed in the action plans, although there is a ‘static allowance’ that enables staff to undertake non-scheduled works as necessary. This provides the budget holder with a degree of flexibility and cost effectiveness to maintain a large site cost effectively. Some operations are carried out by Streetpride (the councils maintenance team), these include playground inspections and side arm flail cutting of the perimeter hedging. Litter bins are emptied by on site staff to a skip, which is then collected and expands to two skips in high season.

Most of the arboricultural work is undertaken by the council's external Arboricultural Contractor under the supervision of the Council’s Trees and Woodlands Officer, the onsite staff carries out some tree maintenance work also.

Grass cutting:

Amenity grassland cut by on-site staff using various types of pedestrian and ride-on mowers at various frequencies, as per action plans. The wild flora areas are cut after seeding has been completed using a flail collector and tractor, usually September/October. The arisings are commercially composted off-site. Strimming is carried out as necessary, varying in different areas of the park.

Play area and climbing forest:

Daily visual inspection by on-site parks staff, visual weekly safety inspections are undertaken by Streetpride play area inspectors. Operational inspection undertaken quarterly, and an annual inspection undertaken by an external company. Inspections are electronically recorded for audit purposes.

Go Ape:

It is the responsibility of Go Ape to ensure that the course and associated features are inspected as part of their daily visual checks by staff, furthermore, more thorough course inspections are carried out quarterly throughout the year. There is also an annual tree inspection undertaken by Go Ape’s internal Tree Officer.

Site furniture:

Boundary fencing, lighting columns, notice boards, signage, benches and bins are inspected regularly by park staff and repairs and maintenance carried out as necessary.

Buildings and structures:

All buildings and structures in the park are formally inspected quarterly any repairs are recorded and orders placed to rectify these and on a reactive basis if necessary.

Leaf collection:

Fallen leaves are cleared and removed during the autumn in areas such as the formal gardens and arboretum. Larger open areas are cleared using a flail behind a tractor, which mulches the leaves and twigs into a material that is left to compost.

Fly tipping:

Fly tipping on the park boundary is either reported by staff or members of the public. Any such occurrences are reported directly to Rugby Borough Council via their website www.rugby.gov.uk or by calling 01788 533533.

BBQs site ban:

The city-wide BBQ ban was introduced in 2019 following a period of extreme hot weather and associated fire risk. This has reduced waste and infrastructure repair costs significantly allowing us to divert budgets to enhance the site.

6.2 Inspections - infrastructure

Infrastructure items such as fences, gates, benches, bins, etc. are covered by a general visual inspection carried out by the park staff to identify any basic hazards. Most are generally reactive repair works (see Site Furniture above).

Emergency Services Unit (ESU)

Coombe Abbey Park is open 365 days per year and our normal operating hours are from 7.30am until 4.30pm daily. Outside of these hours a telephone answer service is currently available. ESU operates out of the Communications Centre on a city-wide basis and has comprehensive communication network. Most mobile staff are connected through this network which provides fully integrated communications and safety support at all times. Should any incidents occur they provide a manual or electronic logging facility.

During any 24-hour day, 365 days a year ESU provides a communications link for any person, including other local authorities, that may require contact with Coventry City Council.

Call 024 7683 2222. Out of hours 024 7683 2222 Help desk (normal office hours) 024 7683 2960.

6.3 Health and safety procedures

Coventry City Council has produced a Corporate Health and Safety Policy that sets out the duty of care by the council to its employees and citizens.

In addition to this document, each service provider has a specific health and safety plan covering that area of work.

The Parks Service Management Team discuss health and safety issues monthly with each other and discuss with Teams at their regular meetings. The section below is a guide to how we address both the physical safety of the park’s infrastructure and the safety of people in the park.

6.4 Safety of equipment and facilities

Coombe Park contains a range of facilities that require regular inspections due to their potential hazard to park users. Different agencies take responsibility for items as follows (see also monitoring regimes below):

Children’s play areas including the climbing forest – the play facilities are checked visually daily by park staff. In addition, a weekly recorded (PSS Live) inspection is undertaken by park staff. A quarterly operational inspection is undertaken by Streetpride staff, who record all inspections on the PSS Live play area inspection recording system. In addition to this, an independent playground inspection is carried out annually identifying compliance with appropriate EU standard risk assessment. Both inspection processes are complementary and identify “findings” that require rectification within a pre-set timescale depending on the issue identified.

6.5 Safety of users and staff

The site-based staff operates on a shift system to ensure that regular monitoring of the park is undertaken. These staff are trained in basic health and safety awareness, first aid, safeguarding and customer care as part of the Parks Services training and development programme. All estate staff are provided with uniforms so that members of the public can clearly identify them when needed. They are equipped with radios and operate seven days a week.

All accidents or incidents are reported according to Council procedures entitled “The reporting of accidents, near misses and incidents”. These are recorded on Alcumus. Copies of all non Alcumus. occurrences are kept within the departments electronic files. The Parks Services Management Team monitors accidents/near misses and incidents on a quarterly basis.

6.6 Tree safety

A new approach to Hazard Tree Surveys was implemented by the Parks Service covering parks, woodlands and open spaces. An external consultant assisted in preparing our Tree Risk Management (TRM) strategy (see Appendices) which moves away from the compulsion to tag and survey every tree and moves towards a hazard and target-driven approach. Individual sites are assessed on usage level in the proximity of large trees and then categorised into red, amber or green zones with red equating to high risk, down to green, low risk. The professional surveyor makes this assessment which is logged on a handheld data collector using MapInfoGIS linked into the council’s Asset Management System, Confirm. The nature of the zone dictates the frequency of inspection and during the inspection process tree defects are noted and corrective orders raised through Confirm with the instruction going to City Services and Development to complete work in an agreed time frame.

Coventry City Council manages the risk from falling trees under the Tree Risk Management Plan and at Coombe Abbey Park, the formal areas are designated as a red zone with a frequency of a 42 month rolling inspection programme. The remainder of the park is either an amber zone with a 60-month inspection rolling programme or green zone with hazards assessed as they are discovered.

6.7 Hazard identification and risk management

This is set out in the table.

6.8 Monitoring regimes

Coventry City Council sets out a clear system of responsibility for monitoring regimes within key parks including Coombe Abbey Park. This is set out in the table.