TEP’s landscape design and management teams have collaborated to produce a new 50-year Spatial and Landscape Management Plan for Black Park Country Park, in Buckinghamshire – an acclaimed VIP (Very Important Park). The Park is a 217ha swathe of pine forest and heathland, home to a nature reserve, SSSI and renowned for on-location film sets for Harry Potter and James Bond.
The focus of the project was a thorough analysis of the park; collecting, mapping and analysing data on its key landscape features, their condition and pattern of use. This was combined with an analysis of existing information on visitor experience and other end users.
Using this data, and working closely with the country park’s management team, TEP developed a clear vision for the landscape and agreed strategic objectives covering visitors’ experience, landscape management and nature conservation. The final result is a Spatial Plan that will guide decision making on future improvements. It also provides recommendations for the development of landscape management practices, to support the delivery of future projects and actions.
Recommendations in the plan include new walking trails, giving visitors the opportunity to appreciate the full value of the park as a nature reserve, and to highlight the sites of memorable film sets. The enhancement of the park’s play value was also recommended, with existing play areas being upgraded and new proposed play destinations considered. As part of the Plan, Black Park Lake, the focal point for much of the park’s visitor activity will be protected. This will be achieved through actions including new marginal planting to ameliorate the effects of erosion and rejuvenating pathways to ensure the value of the destination is improved.
TEP’s Black Park Spatial and Landscape Management Plan are essential for its development and will provide the Park’s Managers and Rangers with a robust and coherent blueprint to ensure that the Park thrives in the years to come.
For more information on the project, read our detailed project overview. The overview documents the Park’s vision, objectives and also explains why three Exmoor ponies now reside in the park.
