start-with-the-park

The need for quality green spaces
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Generating ring-fenced
income for green spaces
It is therefore vital, when planning
a green space, to look at ways of
embedding within the plan sources
of income generation that can be
ring-fenced to provide money to pay
for maintenance. These could include
producing crops for biomass energy
generation or earning rents from
buildings in the park such as cafés,
health centres or community buildings.
These ideas need to be considered
right at the outset – once the space
has been designed and completed
it is often too late to create revenuegenerating
elements within it. Although
features such as cafés and community
buildings can generate income, this is
likely to be far more difficult in poorer
areas where people have less to spend.
In general, we need to find a range of
different ways to bring ongoing funding
to green spaces. CABE Space is
helping to do this by researching
alternative models of securing
revenue funding for green spaces.
The Milton Keynes Parks Trust
was founded in 1992 as an
independent body to manage
and create new parks and green
spaces. It was set up with £18
million of assets, including a
range of commercial buildings.
These provide a secure income
of around £3 million a year to
fund the trust’s work, including
providing and maintaining over
1,800 hectares of wetlands,
woodlands, parks and
transport corridors
Mile End Park receives a
considerable proportion of its
maintenance funds from events
held in its two pavilions and the
rents from retail units beneath
the green bridge. Further income
will be generated by installing
twin wind turbines, which will sell
electricity to the National Grid,
and selling water from an
on-site borehole