eccelsall woods management plan.pdf - University of Sheffield

Community
Involvement
Marketing
Management
There is an active Friends group
with along established association
with the site. There is evidence
that the group has provided
valuable input at operational level
through mapping, recording and
active conservation management
tasks together with evidence that
Friends have played a strategic
role in securing the future of the
site over many years. Indeed
evidence suggests that were it not
for earlier activity of the Friends
the site may have been lost for
alternative use many years ago.
A difficult site to market in some
respects due to largely informal
nature of site and use although
some valuable promotion work
noted.
Strong evidence of positive
proactive management of the site
by committed team of staff and
volunteers.
6
Analyse and better understand use
of site, who uses it, when, why, for
how long, how they travel and from
where? etc. Also examine which
groups (age, gender, ethnicity, etc)
do not use the site and explore any
barriers to doing so. Explore
strategies to ensure access for all.
Action
Please see comments above
Ensure plans look sufficiently far
ahead and incorporate need to
retain, renew and refresh
community involvement.
Action
Agreed and included in new
management plan
Include an emergency contact
number on signs, leaflets and other
information.
Improve / replace toilet facilities.
Action
See comments above
Overall comments Development of timber yard site offers great potential to develop living
heritage and secure woodland future through productive use. Whilst
this has the potential to develop as a very valuable resource at many
levels (including significant potential for educational use) there is a risk
that the proposals could become victims of own success. For example if
the number of visitors, particularly car borne visitors is allowed to
develop beyond the capacity of the site to accommodate this then it
could ultimately prove to be detrimental to the site overall.
The work of staff and volunteers is reflected in the high standard of
the site overall. These high standards do credit to all concerned.
Ensure careful balance between desire to develop timber yard site as
commercial and educational resource and the overall conservation
needs of the site. Particular attention should be given to the potential
difficulties of increased vehicular traffic and parking at the timber yard
site.