wvrp business plan (2012 - 2015)

Wandle Valley Regional Park Trust

Business Plan 2012 – 2015

“We’re creating a regional park along the River Wandle in South West London, stretching from Croydon and Sutton through Merton and Wandsworth to the Thames. Our exceptional network of green spaces rich in history will help you escape the pressures of city life, get closer to nature, and to be more active. The park will create a high quality environment that helps

bring jobs, growth and prosperity to the Wandle Valley”

Wandle Valley Regional Park Trust Business Plan 2012 – 2015 draft v4 final 16.07.12

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Contents Page

Part One: Core plan. Pages 3 -‐ 35. Part Two: Work programme. Pages 36 -‐ 42

Executive summary 3

Page

1. Introduction 1.1 Business Plan – context and aims 1.2 Business Plan – Regional Park Trust and partnership

4 5

8. Asset management and IT 8.1 Assets 8.2 Information Technology

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2. Wandle Valley Regional Park partnership 2.1 Existing organisation and governance 2.2 Governance Study 2.3 Key achievements

6 7 8

9. Strategy, management and delivery 9.1 Regional Park Strategy 9.2 Performance management framework 9.3 Delivery model 9.4 Project management 9.5 Quality assurance

18 19 20 21 21

3. Policy framework 3.1 National 3.2 London Plan 3.3 London Borough

9 10. Organisational development and learning 22

4. Wandle Valley Regional Park Trust 4.1 Shadow Trust 4.2 Representation 4.3 Legal framework 4.4 Delivery model

10 10 11 12

11. Operational policy and compliance 11.1 Equalities and diversity 11.2 Environment 11.3 Health and safety

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5. Vision, mission, outcomes and objectives 5.1 Translating the vision: vision for the future and All London Green Grid 5.2 Translating the vision: vision, mission and outcomes

13

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12. Finance 12.1 Revenue budget: 2012/2013 12.2 Budget forecast: 2013/2015 12.3 Capital funding 12.4 Financial management 12.5 Fundraising

23/25 23/25 23 23 24

13. Risk register 26-‐30 6. Marketing, communications and engagement 6.1 Research 6.2 Communications 6.3 Engagement

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7. Staffing 16

Appendices Appendix 1: Non-‐local authority Trust Member statements of support Appendix 2: Translating the wider vision Appendix 3: Trust objects

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32-‐33 34-‐35


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Executive Summary

This is the first business plan of the Wandle Valley Regional Park Trust, a body set up to provide the vision, leadership, coordination, and resources to create a regional park along the River Wandle. The Trust has a Board of 16 directors nominated by 11 partner organisations from the public, community and private sectors. The Trust will be constituted as a Limited Company in July 2012 and aims to achieve charitable status by March 2013. As 2012/2013 is a transitional year, the business plan will be reviewed in October 2012.

The business plan explains how the Trust will effect change, including through supporting thematic working groups and supporting the development of the Wandle Forum as the representative body for resident groups throughout the park catchment. The Trust’s marketing has a focus on research within the catchment, and on the need to improve communications and engagement in a holistic, connected and pan-‐Wandle way – as summarised in the ambitious Communications and Engagement Plan. Also of great importance is the development of the Heritage Lottery funded Living Wandle landscape partnership programme, which has significant public facing elements and needs to be tied very closely with the wider ambitions of the Trust.

During the life of this plan, the Trust’s establishment will be limited to the minimum level of staffing – namely a part time Chief Executive plus an administrator – that can be funded by the core income from the local authority partners. The current working assumption is that the Trust will not be seeking to acquire and hold any assets -‐ the general principle being that the Trust will work with, and through, the existing green space owners and managers to deliver the regional park; by advocating integrated land management policies and practices to set and sustain standards -‐ and achieve coherence.

The Trust will adopt the strategic priorities in the ALGG Wandle Valley Area Framework 8 -‐ as they largely capture the most significant, spatially specific opportunities in the future regional park with the potential to deliver the partnership’s vision and objectives. In order to develop the business strategy, the Trust needs to work with partners to design a performance management framework so that the regional park’s success criteria are clear, measurable business objectives can be set, and progress can be measured towards achieving them.

The Trust will be established with very limited resources, initially having to rely more or less 100% on the core contributions from the four London Boroughs plus their additional contributions that equate to the 2% savings on the Lee Valley Regional Park precept – as provided for all Boroughs in 2012/2013. The revenue budget for 2012/2013 is £75,500, with approximately £22,000 available for key projects including developing a GIS resource for the park, a volunteering study, supporting the Wandle Festival 2013, and developing a new web site. The Trust starts with no capital funding but the business plan proposes where new capital might be secured. Growth overall will be directed through the production of a comprehensive fundraising strategy, to be adopted in line with charitable status.

The business plan includes a risk register identifying the initial risks that the Trust will need to be keep under regular review during the first 12 months.

Part two of the plan comprises the annual work programme for the Trust, presented based on the eight business outcomes. The work programme comprises an action plan for each of the outcomes and has a main focus on 2012/2013 financial year -‐ with reference to where actions are likely to continue into 2013/14 and 2015/16. Under each theme, actions are divided into two categories a) Directed (or controlled) projects led by the Trust and b) Influenced projects led by partner organisations that are strategically important for the Trust and the regional park. Some of the headline priorities within the work programme include supporting the development of the Stage 2 proposals in the Living Wandle HLF project, investing in improvements to the Wandle Trail, exploring the development of a Wandle Green Team, and developing programmes for healthy activities within the regional park.


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1. Introduction:

1.1 Business Plan – context and aims

This is the first business plan for a brand new organisation, the Wandle Valley Regional Park Trust which has been set up to provide the vision, leadership, coordination, and resources to create a new regional park along the River Wandle over the next 10 years.

The Trust needs time to evolve from a ‘shadow’ organisation, still in effect governed by the London Boroughs, in April 2012 into a Limited Company with charitable status by March 2013 -‐ if not well before. 2012/2013 is therefore regarded as a transitional year and the Business Plan needs to reflect this – as a living, breathing document that will evolve as the Trust settles into its position leading an expert, dedicated and highly motivated local partnership.

As this is a new venture and transitional year, it is proposed that the first formal review of the Business Plan will be in October 2012 to ensure it is fit for purpose.

The key aims of the Business Plan are to:-‐

-‐ Establish a business model and distinctive roles and for the Regional Park Trust, that adds value to the partnership and drives delivery on the ground;

-‐ Translate the adopted regional park vision into a more tangible and compelling proposition that will attract new resources and justify the repatriation of the Lee Valley Regional Park precept;

-‐ Develop a comprehensive work programme that defines the key roles of the partnership’s ‘delivery partners’ and the key interfaces between strategic projects – in particular the Heritage Lottery funded Living Wandle Landscape Partnerships project;

-‐ Develop a more efficient and effective operational and performance framework for the partnership, based on shared outcomes and a more systematic approach to project management;

-‐ Provide a framework for effective marketing, communications and engagement across the partnership to support the wider business objectives of the Trust.


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1.2 Business Plan – Regional Park Trust and partnership

The Wandle Valley has a long history of organisations and individuals across the public, private and voluntary sectors working in partnership. The creation of the Regional Park offers a unique opportunity to consolidate these partnerships and to provide an implementation framework to ensure a more co-‐coordinated approach to strategic planning and project delivery. A broadly based partnership will be crucial to ensuring that the Regional Park is integrated into the wider regeneration of the Valley, embedding its principles into plans, strategies and projects.

The Trust inherits this impressive legacy of cooperation and delivery on the ground, and it is important that the Business Plan respects and reflects all the good work that has gone before. Much of this legacy is captured in the Wandle Valley Regional Park – A Vision for the Future (2008) and the All London Green Grid Area 8 Framework (2010/11) which remain extremely relevant background reference documents. Section 5 (pages 13-‐14) and Appendix 2 (pages 32-‐33) illustrate how these documents have been used to shape the Trust’s initial business planning framework.

The Trust has been set up to take forward the vision for the new Regional Park and to translate this wider, ambitious and longer-‐term statement of intent into a more tangible proposition that will attract the interest of politicians, funders and the public. The four London Boroughs have already made a commitment to challenging the Lee Valley Regional Park precept -‐ potentially via the promotion of a Private Bill that seeks to repatriate all, or a significant proportion, of the £1.2m funding that residents from the four Boroughs contribute to the Lee Valley; which few ever visit and most are unaware of. The Boroughs believe that achieving the repatriation of the precept will be an appropriate expression of localism working in practice.

In the context of the Lee Valley Park and the proposed precept challenge, it is important to recognise that the Wandle partners are not setting out to create a new park authority like LVRPA -‐ a product of 1960s planning and legislation. The establishment of the Trust is an expression of commitment to a contemporary and more inclusive partnership model, where delivery on the ground is secured through working through other bodies rather than the lead organisation doing (more or less) everything itself. The Business Plan is just the start of developing the means whereby this model will work in practice.

The Trust will need to operate within a number of important guiding principles, including:-‐

a. The Trust must have a distinctive role and add value to work already being undertaken, without adding unnecessary cost overheads that could be better used to make a difference on the ground. This is even more crucial at a time of intense pressure and scrutiny over public finances;

b. Although this is the Trust’s business plan, it must set a strong framework for how the partnership as a whole will function;

c. The Business Plan will establish controls over how the Trust manages its own resources, but also explain how the company will seek to influence the outcomes from projects delivered by others;

d. Whilst it is important to sustain existing partnerships, the Trust must also attract new partners to reflect evolving policies and funding opportunities;

e. The partnership must work hard to engage with local residents via the ‘refreshed’ Wandle Forum, and to define the respective and most useful roles that each of the ‘delivery partners’ can provide – always seeking to avoid overlap and potential conflict between communities and organisations;

f. The Trust must promote the importance of learning and knowledge management/transfer, avoiding repetition and making best use of previous work.


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2. Wandle Valley Regional Park partnership: 2.1 Existing organisation and governance The partnership has been operating under interim governance arrangements over the past two years, based on the following structure:-‐

-‐ The Development Board comprising two lead Members from each of the four London Boroughs, plus the Mayor and limited representation from other partner organisations. The Board has been Chaired by a Councillor from London Borough of Wandsworth (2010/11) and London Borough of Sutton (2011/2012).

-‐ The Management Board representing a wider range of partner organisations, including local authority officers, Government agencies and many of the leading voluntary and community organisations working in the Wandle Valley;

-‐ Working Groups representing employees from a wide range of partner organisations, plus community representatives with an interest in the group’s particular theme. The most active groups have been for Landscape and Biodiversity and Heritage and Culture, plus there were groups covering Transport and Access, Sport and Leisure and Climate Change that rarely met and didn’t establish an agenda or work programmme.

-‐ The Wandle Forum which has represented a number of community groups along the Wandle, including park Friends Groups, wildlife and heritage groups and access networks. The Forum brought these groups together with employees from a number of the partner organisations, and prior to the Development and Management Boards being established in 2010, it was often the Wandle Forum that was driving forward initiatives and carrying the agenda.

The table below summarises the range of organisations that are committed to creating a better future for the Wandle Valley and the regional park. Please note this is not an exhaustive list, and is for illustrative purposes only.

National agencies National charities London agencies London Boroughs London charities Local charities Business agencies Resident groups -‐ Environment Agency -‐ Natural England -‐ English Heritage

-‐ National Trust -‐ Groundwork -‐ Sustrans

-‐ Greater London Authority -‐ South London Partnership -‐ Mitcham Common Conservators (*) (* Conservancy established under legislation to manage Mitcham Common)

-‐ London Borough of Croydon -‐ London Borough of Merton -‐ London Borough of Sutton -‐ London Borough of Wandsworth

-‐ London Wildlife Trust -‐ Metropolitan Public Gardens Association

-‐ Wandle Trust -‐ Wandle Festival Trust -‐ Merton Priory Trust -‐ Wandle Industrial Museum -‐ Carshalton Tower and Garden Trust

-‐ South London Business

-‐ Wandle Forum -‐ Park Friends Groups -‐ Wildlife groups -‐ Residents Associations -‐ Neighbourhood groups/forums -‐ Heritage groups -‐ Access groups -‐ Sports clubs


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2.2 Governance Study

In September 2010, the partners appointed Regeneration Ltd to undertake a Governance Study, which would recommend the form of organisation that would best take forward the adopted 2008 vision for the Wandle Valley Regional Park. The study involved three organisational models; a) formalised partnership, b) park authority and c) independent Trust being tested against the following criteria:-‐

a) Capable of willing agreement by all the parties. b) Contractually binding for initial 3-‐5 years with some permanent arrangement thereafter. c) High level, commanding senior member level participation and leadership.

d) Inclusive and with appropriate roles/powers for both funding and non-‐funding partners. e) Recognising the statutory powers/limitations of the Mitcham Common Conservators and National Trust. f) With key roles for the four Boroughs recognising their inescapable geographical, statutory and public benefit roles. g) Help inform and deliver green infrastructure strategies at all levels including the All London Green Grid.

h) Have a clear understanding and expertise in green infrastructure issues. i) Be able to be a real guardian for green space and its real inherent value. j) Sustainable for the long term, must be both a 3-‐5 year Business Plan and a long term plan. k) Affordable in the short, medium and long term. l) Strategic so that it includes London-‐wide interests such as the Mayor/GLA. m) Inclusive of the community so that there are channels of communications with the interested community organisations. n) Inclusive of the community so that people will give freely of their time at all levels. o) Can employ an executive team to progress matters. p) Capable of engaging with the education sector or at least not doing things that undermine the potential for education uses. q) Can develop and hold long term transformational visions with a connoisseur and not just bureaucratic outlook.

r) Can understand and be driven by the contribution that the Wandle Valley can make to London’s economy within the context of an excellent regional park.

s) Able to embrace involvement by the other South London Partnership members, if appropriate.

As a result of a comprehensive assessment process and extensive stakeholder engagement, the consultants recommended that the independent Trust

model would provide the best fit with the partnership’s aims, with the suggestion that the Trust should be a Company Limited by Guarantee with charitable status.

A decision to establish the Trust was taken by the partners in April 2011. Further information about the Trust is provided in Section 4 (pages 10-‐11).


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2.3 Key achievements Over the past two plus years, the partnership achieved a great deal whilst the governance arrangements were being reviewed. Some of the most significant achievements are summarised below:-‐


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3. Policy framework: These tables summarise the policy context for the regional park, with links to more detailed policy information (including policies not featured here) on the Trust’s web site. Additional statements of support from the non-‐local authority Trust Members are included in Appendix 1 (page 31) 3.1 National Policy 3.2 London Plan 2011 3.3 London Borough Policy

Key Legislation

Localism Act (2011): a range of new rights and powers for local communities, plus freedoms and flexibilities for local government. Reform of the planning system, via Neighbourhood Planning.

Health and Social Care Act (2012): establishes the framework for public health strategy (Healthy Lives, Healthy People, 2011), including new duties for the London Boroughs from April 2013.

Climate Change Act (2008): creates legal framework for mitigation and adaptation strategies, and context for All London Green Grid.

Strategies, White Papers and other policy

National Planning Policy Framework (2012): streamlines the planning system, replaces PPG17, and introduces Local Green Space Designation.

Community Infrastructure Levy (2011): new policy to fund essential infrastructure through development, including parks and green spaces.

Natural Environment White Paper (2011): introduced Local Nature Partnerships, Nature Improvement Areas, Biodiversity Offsetting and encourages environmental volunteering.

Water Framework Directive (2003): EU led policy to protect and enhance freshwater rivers and streams, via River Basin Management Plans.

Comprehensive policy references, including:-‐

Chapter 2: London’s Places:

Key Policy 2.18: Green Infrastructure: The network of open and green spaces.

2.16: Strategic Outer London Development Centres. Wandle Valley: Development Centre for Leisure/tourism/arts/culture and sport.

Chapter 5: Climate Change:

5.10: Urban greening 5.13: Sustainable drainage

Chapter 7: London’s Living Places and Spaces:

Key Policy 7.18: Protecting local open space and addressing local deficiency. Examples of other polices include the following:-‐

7.2: An inclusive environment 7.22: Land for food 7.24: Blue Ribbon Network 7.3: Designing out crime 7.4: Local character 7.5: Public realm 7.8: Heritage assets and archaeology

All London Green Grid: Supplementary Planning Guidance. March 2012. Other SPG’s for Tree and Woodland Strategies (draft) and Play (2012).

Local Development Frameworks

London Borough of Croydon

Submission Core Strategy policies (January 2012): CS4 (urban design), CS5 (community facilities), CS6 (environment and climate change), CS7 (green grid) and CS8 (transport and communication).

London Borough of Merton

Core Strategy policy CS5 – Wandle Valley includes “Support the creation of the Wandle Valley Regional Park, achieving a high quality linked green infrastructure network, protecting biodiversity and providing opportunities for formal and informal recreation”.

London Borough of Sutton

Core Strategy policy PMP5 -‐ Wandle Valley includes “Creating the Wandle Valley Regional Park (as shown on the Proposals Map), including improved provision for recreation and leisure along the River Wandle and within adjoining parks and open spaces”.

London Borough of Wandsworth

Core Strategy policy PL10 -‐ Wandle Valley includes reference to the regional park. Also reference in policy PL4 that states “The Council will work with partners to develop and implement proposals for the Wandle Valley Regional Park”.


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4. Wandle Valley Regional Park Trust:

4.1 Shadow Trust

Following the decision in April 2011 to establish a Trust, the Development Board then agreed in October that the new body should first meet in shadow form in April 2012. This was to allow for the transitional arrangements to ‘bed in’ and for the Shadow Trust’s fundraising and business planning to evolve over the first 12 months. It was agreed that the Business Plan would set out the timetable to formalise the governance arrangements through incorporation of the Limited Company and application for charitable status (see 4.3).

4.2 Representation

At the October meeting, the Development Board also decided to double nominations from the London Boroughs from four to eight Councillors, which with nominations from the other partner organisations would have created a Trust Board of fifteen -‐ comprising eight London Borough nominees and seven from other partners. Following representations from the non-‐council partners over concerns that the Board would be unbalanced, and further consideration of this important issue by the Development Board in January 2012, it was agreed that the Wandle Forum would be asked to nominate an additional Trustee/Director. This would establish a Board of sixteen, and is the composition that is now proposed; as illustrated in the table below.

The Trust’s Board will therefore comprise the following member organisations and Trustee/Directors, with all nominations now agreed:-‐

Member organisations Progress Future Trustees London Borough of Wandsworth Nominations confirmed Sarah McDermott and Matthew Maxwell-‐Scott London Borough of Merton Nominations confirmed Andrew Judge and Diane NeilMills London Borough of Sutton Nominations confirmed Jayne McCoy and Graham Tope London Borough of Croydon Nominations confirmed Jason Perry and Phil Thomas Wandle Forum Nominations confirmed Bruce St. Julian Bown and Angela Gorman Natural England Nomination confirmed Jane Wilson Environment Agency Nomination confirmed David Webb National Trust Nomination confirmed Nic Durston Mitcham Common Conservators Nomination confirmed Timothy Godfrey Wandle Trust Nomination confirmed Theo Pike South London Business Nomination confirmed Peter Pledger

Observers Mayor of London Nominations confirmed Richard Tracey

Steve O’Connell


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4.3 Legal framework The Wandle Valley Regional Park Trust will be company limited by guarantee, governed under the Companies Act 2006, with the members of the company as set out in the table in 4.2. The Trust in addition to being a company will also be a charity. The Directors (including alternate Directors) will therefore be charity trustees and in addition to their duties under the Companies Act 2006 they will have duties under the Charities Act 2006.

The Articles of Association for the new Trust provides the detailed legal framework for the new organisation. A copy of the objects of the Trust have also been included for reference purposes, in Appendix 3.

The Trust is therefore following a tried and tested model used by numerous national, regional and local charities across the country. Following the recommendations of the Governance Study, this provides the most flexible constitutional and operational legal structure for the regional park, with the ability for the Board to expand the Trust’s reach as priorities evolve and resources grow.

As at least half of the Board’s trustee/directors will be nominated by local government, the company will be registered as a Local authority controlled company. This means that the Trust will have to comply with a small number of specific regulations relating to business transparency and the appointment of the Auditor. However, these additional conditions are not onerous and will not constrain the way the Board operates, nor it’s ability to pursue conventional charitable fundraising.

Board members must act independently in the interests of the Wandle Valley Regional Park and have a legal duty to put the future wellbeing of the Trust ahead of their nominating member organisations. However, it is generally understood that the influence of the Director/Trustees within their nominating organisations will be crucial to the success of the Trust and the regional park.

As the Trust will be a limited company, this limits liability on the Directors and member bodies as long as they operate lawfully under the respective company and charity legislation. Despite this, the Board will take out the necessary insurances to ensure any risks are indemnified.

It is proposed that the Chair and Vice Chair of the Trust will not be an elected representative of national or local government. This is to ensure that the business of the Trust does not become politicised, and to avoid the perception outside the Trust that the Board is controlled by government. In addition, the Trust will adopt conventional procedures as defined under the Articles of Association, to ensure that any conflicts of interest are declared and the appropriate action is taken at meetings. There is potential for all Board members to be required to declare conflicts of interest.

It is proposed that the Trust will hold quarterly meetings and follow ‘open government’ principles to ensure transparency and ongoing communications with the public and community stakeholders. The Board will also consider the potential to develop their individual roles via appointing ‘Link Trustees’, with specific duties in relation to the main business outcomes and themes within the Annual Work Programme (see Part Two, pages 36-‐45).

It is proposed that the Shadow Trust will become a legal entity during the first year of operation. In order to support the essential need to boost revenues and demonstrate confidence in the future of the regional park, the target is to incorporate the Company within three months of the first Board meeting (ie 31st July) and to seek registration as a Charity within six months (ie. 31st October).


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4.4 Delivery model

The Trust will develop working methods that are illustrated in the diagram below. The draft Articles of Association allow the Board to delegate some decisions to committees, if and when required. This might include day-‐to-‐day operational decisions being taken by an Executive Committee that meets more regularly than the main Board, or human resource management through an Establishment Committee. Delivery of projects will often be through commissioning work through the Working Groups, and public accountability will be established through empowering the Wandle Forum to grow its capacity as the representative body for resident groups throughout the park catchment.

Further information on how this model is planned to work in practice is in Section 9 (pages 18-‐21) where delivery planning is covered in greater detail.


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5. Vision, mission, outcomes and objectives:

5.1 Translating the partnership vision: Vision for the Future and All London Green Grid

The Business Plan needs to translate the vision and priorities expressed in Wandle Valley Regional Park – A Vision for the Future (2008) and All London Green Grid Area Framework 8 (2010) into a compelling business proposition that the Trust will lead. This diagram illustrates how this is being approached:-‐

In Appendix 2 (pages 32-‐33) there is further information in tabular form that illustrates how the Trust will apply the strong legacy of previous studies and partnership working to its business planning over the next decade. As 2012/2013 is a transitional year, this information is provided for reference to show how the transition will be made. It will not be required in future versions of the Business Plan.


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5.2 Translating the partnership vision: Vision, mission and outcomes The table below sets out the partnership’s vision for the regional park to which all the main partners signed up in 2008. The Trust will adopt this vision.

The table then sets out the Trust’s business mission for the next decade – this is the ‘road map’ to deliver the partnership’s agreed vision.

The Trust’s business outcomes are also set out below, derived from the partnership’s adopted vision statements (see Appendix 2, pages 32-‐33). This ‘outcomes framework’ sets out to create the basis for project delivery both by the Trust and partner organisations (see Section 9, pages 18-‐21).

Wandle Valley Regional Park Vision

Our shared vision is for an innovative, sustainable and high quality Regional Park in the Wandle Valley that is easily accessible, with a rich and thriving biodiversity, offering recreational, landscape, heritage, cultural and resource management benefits in which local people and businesses

can take pride and ownership Wandle Valley Regional Park Trust Business Mission

The Trust will provide leadership, coordination, innovation and resources -‐ working towards the ultimate aim of benefiting from the repatriation of the Lee Valley Regional Park precept to the London Boroughs -‐ to enable the longer-‐term vision of a high quality, multi

functional and attractive regional park to be achieved.

Wan

dle Valley

Regiona

l Park Trust

busine

ss outcomes

Governance and business strategy

A Wandle Valley Regional Park Trust that provides effective and inclusive governance, enabling a strong partnership to develop creative and innovative approaches to the Park’s long-‐term resourcing and management.

Communities and Open Space

A Regional Park that celebrates its distinctive character, the diversity of local communities, engaging residents at all stages of the park’s development and providing an open space resource that improves their quality of life.

Climate Change A Regional Park that acts as a best practice model for utilising the potential of an open space network in adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change, and that encourages its users to adopt “climate change-‐proof” behaviours.

Natural Environment

A Regional Park rich in biodiversity with a healthy and thriving River providing a living landscape that is accessible to all.

Regeneration and Economy

A Regional Park with a distinct identity that encourages growth and regeneration, attracting and retaining competitive businesses and a skilled workforce

Travel and Connectivity

A Regional Park with integrated public transport links and extensive Greenways network, facilitating a thriving business environment and encouraging people to choose car-‐free travel alternatives such as walking or cycling.

Heritage and Culture

A regional park with a rich and unique heritage, �contributing to a brand that helps define the ‘park offer’ -‐ boosting all aspects of development and tourism, facilitating business growth and encouraging a shared community identity.

Health & Active Recreation

A Regional Park offering a vibrant mix of leisure activities that attract all members of the community and contribute to the Wandle Valley NHS – the local ‘natural health service’.

Business objectives for the regional park will be determined once the Trust has established a new performance framework – this is explained further in Section 9.2, page 19)


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6. Marketing, communications and engagement:

The Trust needs to adopt some of the key principles and practices of a commercial, marketing led organisation, in taking forward the development of the regional park as a new visitor destination. The company is starting with very limited data covering the regional park catchment area, and the data that is available is often out of date. During the development phase for the Trust over the past 6 months, there has been a focus on the need to improve communications and engagement in a holistic, connected and pan-‐Wandle way -‐ leading to the production of a Communications and Engagement Plan where initial priorities have already been agreed. Also of great importance is the development of the Heritage Lottery funded Living Wandle landscape partnership programme, which has significant public facing elements and needs to be tied very closely with the wider ambitions of the Trust.

6.1 Research

The regional park residential catchment will be defined as within 1 mile (1.6km) from the regional park. This broadly equates to a 20 minute walk and therefore captures existing regular users and a significant proportion of the future customers of the regional park. Within this immediate catchment, there is a need for the Trust to commission research to establish the size of the potential local market and its demographic profile; plus to measure current activity and awareness levels, patterns of use by different user groups, and use this information to forecast some the local market’s future needs.

Once the Trust’s initial local research needs have been met, the focus will move to the wider catchment of people living within 8km of the park. This distance is used to define green space deficiency areas in the London Plan, and will be relevant for medium to longer-‐term destination marketing strategies.

The initial focus on more local demographic analysis will provide essential baseline management information for ongoing revisions to the communications and engagement plan. For example, it will be used to guide the Wandle Forum’s discussions over new target areas for outreach and development work.

6.2 Communications

The Communications and Engagement (C&E) Plan provides analysis and a more detailed action plan, and is therefore an important supporting document for the Business Plan. Communications priorities include developing the ‘core narrative’ for the regional park to support the press and media plan (and all other communications), investing in the web site, making best use of partner newsletters, and delivering targeted briefings to key audiences within the partnership.

Of vital importance is ensuring joined up planning and programming with the Living Wandle Heritage Lottery project, which includes the need to take a holistic approach to interpretation planning. Additional challenges within the C&E Plan include strategic priorities such as branding and on-‐site communications, including signage and the development of a regional park design guide to ensure integration and consistency across the partnership.

6.3 Engagement

Within the C&E Plan there are clear priorities including supporting the capacity development of the Wandle Forum and empowering the future Forum to have status as the representative body for communities throughout the regional park catchment. Other priorities include the Volunteering baseline study which will provide essential foundations for the Living Wandle volunteering development plan


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7. Staffing: During the life of this Business Plan, the Trust’s establishment will be limited to the minimum level of staffing required to function adequately -‐ and that can be funded by the core income from the local authority partners. Any additional staff will need to be funded from external funding. The staffing proposals are as follows:-‐

-‐ Chief Executive:

The initial proposal is to appoint a part time CEO working for 2 days per week, to focus on delivering the priorities in the business plan and in particular revenue generation. The current preference is for the contract with the existing Interim Chief Executive to be extended for a further 12 months, with a 6 month break clause for both parties at the end of October. Some of the benefits to the Trust of this type of consultancy contract are that the contractor covers their own national insurance, other insurances and any pension contributions; plus there can be additional benefits from flexible working.

-‐ Secretariat and administration:

The options for administrative and secretarial support are currently being reviewed by LB Croydon, which became the lead local authority on 1st April 2012. The options are for the duties to be taken on by LB Croydon, one of the other London Boroughs, or retained for a further 6/12 months by Groundwork London -‐ continuing the work they have been delivering effectively for the partnership over past two years. This arrangement will include administrative support for the Trust Board, the working groups and the Wandle Forum; with additional roles including database management and web site updates.

-‐ Company Secretary and Treasurer:

The Trust Board will need to consider the options and timetable to recruit a Company Secretary and Treasurer. Initially both roles will not be particularly onerous and could potentially be filled by volunteers from the local business community with appropriate legal and financial expertise. There might also be scope for these services to be provided by one of the London Boroughs, a Trustee/Director -‐ or in the shorter term either the Chief Executive or contracted legal adviser could fulfill the Treasurer and Secretary roles respectively. Having a Company Secretary in place by the time of incorporation is the priority.

-‐ Regional Park Development Officer:

The priority appointment requiring external funding would be a Development Officer who would have a number of central roles in delivering projects, supporting coordination of work between various partners and boosting the Trust’s fundraising capacity. Fundraising for this post will need to be opportunistic, potentially through drawing a % project management fee from several successful grant aided projects.

-‐ Volunteers:

Establishing a framework for volunteering is as important for the Trust as any other third sector body. There are potential links here with the Living Wandle volunteering programme, as well as initial scope for volunteers to be taken on by a partner such as Groundwork London and then placed with the Trust.


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8. Asset management and Information Technology:

8.1 Assets

The draft Articles of Association give the Board powers to acquire, purchase and take responsibility for land and other assets as long as this is to further the mission of the company and not in conflict with its charitable objects.

It is however the current working assumption that the Trust will not be seeking to acquire and hold any assets within the first three years; and beyond the first period of business planning, any asset acquisitions will need to be justified on an exceptional business case -‐ the most obvious would relate to the Trust benefiting from very favourable and sustainable income streams.

The general principle agreed to date by the partners is that the Trust will work with, and through, the existing green space owners and managers to deliver the regional park; by advocating integrated land management policies and practices to set and sustain standards -‐ and achieve coherence. There has been some discussion over the notion that the local authority partners will need to set up and devolve land management responsibilities to a new Park Authority to secure revised Precept legislation; indeed this was discussed as part of the Governance Study. At present there is no reason to believe that this will be required, but the issue is likely to be revisited once again as and when the discussions over the Precept are taken forward.

In due course, the Trust will need to establish an office base that suits an organisation with a community-‐facing role, in an accessible location within the future regional park and reasonably close to the river. This will ideally also be within an ‘independent’, non-‐local authority building. Options including Morden Cottage, Ravensbury Mill, and Merton Abbey Mills have been mentioned. In the shorter term however, there might be benefit in keeping costs to a minimum and making use of available space within one of the London Borough offices.

8.2 Information technology

In the first 12 months, the Trust will be operating with minimal direct overheads and this includes investment in IT. Where possible the Chief Executive and any volunteers will make use of their own or partner IT resources, with this reviewed further during business planning for 2013/2014 and beyond.

In relation to management of the secretarial and administrative service, there will be a need to agree with the provider how the current Groundwork London database will be managed -‐ including formal development of Data Protection protocols in line with the act. There is also a need to set up filing and archiving protocols to aid business continuity, plus ongoing communications and engagement planning.

Investing in a new web site for the Trust is one of the most significant IT related initiatives during 2012/13, to include partner and public facing access that to support the Trust’s aims for openness and transparency. Perhaps of equal importance is the proposed GIS project, as it will furnish the Trust with core management and marketing information to support communications, engagement and fundraising. The medium to longer-‐term management of GIS resources will need to be considered as part of the initial commission.


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9. Strategy, management and delivery:

9.1 Regional Park Strategy The ALGG Wandle Valley Area Framework 8 identified a number of strategic priorities within the Wandle Valley Green Grid area. These are some of the most significant, spatially specific opportunities identified within the future regional park -‐ rooted in real or aspirational projects – and have the potential to deliver the partnership’s vision and objectives.

The Trust will adopt these strategic priorities and seek to include them within the Board’s work programme over the first three years of operation (see Part 2 of the Business Plan, pages 36-‐45). In some cases the actions required to deliver these priorities is clear whereas for others further work is required to define the parameters of a future project (or projects). a) To develop a framework for the creation of a new Regional Park -‐ as a vehicle to improve the management, funding and identity of open space within

the Wandle Valley. b) To improve the ecological and environmental value of the River Wandle through restoration projects, habitat enhancement and species re-‐

introduction, and projects which seek to mitigate flood risk. c) To create a 200 hectare Country Park at Beddington Farmlands through the restoration of land used for gravel extraction and landfill tipping, linking Beddington Park with Mitcham Common. d) To create a District Park through the unification of Poulter Park, Revesby Wood, Middleton Open Space, St Helier Open Space, and Rose Hill Park. e) To create improved cycle and pedestrian connections to the Wandle Valley and Wandle Trail from the surrounding areas -‐ through significant open

spaces such as the proposed District Park, and a suite of projects connecting the River Wandle to Croydon Town Centre. f) To develop an exemplar sustainable neighbourhood at Hackbridge -‐ with low carbon development closely integrated with the River Wandle through

improved cycle and pedestrian connections, and energy generation associated with river restoration projects. g) To develop a mutually beneficial relationship between the open space network and industrial space within the Wandle Valley -‐ from facilitating

access improvements through to nurturing a unique sense of place which can help to enliven and enrich the identity of the Regional Park. h) To capitalise on the area’s abundance of heritage assets including watermills, mill races, Merton Priory, and Merton Abbey Mills, to develop the

Regional Park as a landscape rich in historical character.


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9.2 Performance management framework To deliver the Trust’s ambitious mission statement, the Board will need to manage a step-‐by-‐step improvement programme to ensure the regional park is worthy of inauguration in five years (by 2017) and worthy of marketing as a visitor destination within 10 years (by 2022). Trust needs to work with partners to design a performance management (or impact) framework so that the regional park’s success criteria are clear, business objectives can be set, and progress can be measured towards achieving them. 9.21 Indicators: This performance framework needs to include performance or ‘impact’ indicators covering areas such as:-‐

a. green space quality = area and % of green spaces managed and maintained to Green Flag standards b. biodiversity = area and % of priority habitats in Favourable Condition and achievement of Biodiversity Action Plan targets; c. accessibility = length and % of the Greenways network maintained to recognised highways standards and compliance with DDA/access standards; d. heritage assets = number and % of assets managed to recognised English Heritage standards; e. project delivery = successful delivery against agreed programme; f. finance = variance from budget and achievement of fundraising targets; g. marketing = % awareness of WVRP in the local catchment, % users of the WVRP within catchment, and % user satisfaction with local green spaces; h. engagement = % local people or target groups engaged in the regional park

Please note these are for illustration purposes. For some of the Trust outcome themes it will be more difficult to define indicators 9.22 Setting objectives: Once a ‘basket’ of indicators has been agreed, the Board can set clear and measurable objectives within the future versions of the business plan. For example, an objective for green space quality this might be presented as…“ensure that 40% of the regional park green spaces are maintained to Green Flag standards by 31st March 2015”….with subsequent objectives 60% by 2017, 75% by 2019, 90% by 2021. 9.23 Monitoring: The progress of the Trust and its partners in delivering priority projects will be reported to quarterly Board meetings and using the schedule set out in the work programme in Section Two (pages 36-‐45).


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9.3 Delivery model

The delivery model will be based on the Board; a) directly delivering its own projects, b) commissioning partner organisations and/or contractors to deliver projects using resources that it controls, and c) seeking to influence the outcomes from projects that are delivered by others. In addition, the Board will support the Wandle Forum to deliver a programme of community engagement and consultation. This is illustrated by the diagram below:-‐

As shown in the diagram, it is proposed that the partnership initially has four Working or Delivery Groups covering Landscape and Biodiversity, Heritage and Culture, Transport and Access, and Green Space Management. The need for further groups relating to other business outcomes will be kept under review. The working relationships between these groups and the Wandle Forum – including communications, skills and knowledge transfer -‐ must be considered in the drafting of Terms of Reference for the groups and in reviewing the organisational arrangements of the Forum.


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9.4 Project management There could be significant efficiency and effectiveness gains from the Trust adopting a project management culture and systems into the new organisation, and seeking for this gradually to be embedded within the wider partnership. To start this process, there is scope to introduce a simple ‘project start up’ system (based on a simple mandate proforma), in order that any new work will not be started without more effective planning and consideration of aims, resource needs (staff and finance), interfaces, communications and risks (etc). There is also the option of retrospectively applying this approach to projects where there does not seem to be a clear mandate or brief -‐ or to improve baseline documentation for more complex projects which lack a clear resourcing and/or delivery plan. 9.5 Quality assurance The regional park will be setting out to deliver ‘quality assured’ and nationally recognised standards across a range of operational areas, and will also wish to grow in a way that demonstrates efficient and effective management and governance. This could include Green Flag Awards (including Community Award and Green Heritage), VAQAS for visitor centres, Learning Outside the Classroom (LoTC). In addition, Investors in People might be worth pursuing in due course when the Trust is large enough to warrant this.


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10. Organisational development and learning:

As mentioned in section 1.2, the partners are embarking on the creation of a regional park by applying a collaborative model of governance and operations, very different to the Lee Valley Regional Park where the park authority is responsible for the majority of delivery. This partnership approach therefore places greater importance on knowledge management within and across the wide range of organisations and groups who together will realise the regional park over the next 10 years. This is important to boost capacity and effectiveness overall, and to avoid reinvention of the wheel.

There are great opportunities within the partnership for knowledge and skills sharing. To some extent this is happening already but it is often ad hoc and could be more planned, including making better use of IT resources.

The Trust will explore where there is best practice elsewhere in the third sector in relation to knowledge management (eg. MLA) and consider how best to use this to the benefit of the regional park partnership.

11. Operational policy and compliance:

11.1 Equalities and diversity

The regional park is surrounded by a very diverse range of local communities, not all of whom can gain equal benefit from the green space resource due to physical barriers (eg disability) or perceptual barriers (eg fears over personal security). There is scope to appoint an Equalities Champion within the Trust at Board level, with the focus on embedding ‘equalities impact’ thinking and practice in relation to all decisions taken by the Board – supported by more in depth analysis when initiating major new projects are commissioned or undertaken directly. There is merit in undertaking a high level Equalities Impact Assessment for the whole ‘regional park project’ which would include the work of the Trust and key delivery partners.

11.2 Environment

The Trust will need to develop an Environmental Policy over the first 12 months, in particular to support funding bids.

11.3 Health and safety

The Trust will produce a health and safety policy statement within the first three months, in time for company incorporation. This will provide the foundations for the development of clear procedures and risk assessments covering staff, volunteers and Trustee/Directors, relate to the Risk Register in Section 13 (pages 26-‐30), and inform insurance policies covering third party risks.


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12. Finance:

12.1 Revenue budget: 2012 -‐ 2013

The revenue budget for 2012/2013 is set out in Table 12.1 on page 25. The Trust will be established with very limited resources, initially having to rely more or less 100% on the core contributions from the four London Boroughs plus their additional contributions that equate to the 2% savings on the Lee Valley Regional Park precept – provided for all Boroughs in 2012/2013. To guide how the Trust will seek to make these limited resources add maximum value to the partnership, the following criteria will be used in budget allocations:-‐

-‐ Strategic, pan-‐Wandle projects which benefit all four Boroughs; -‐ Setting standards and supporting integration/consistency; -‐ Adding value to existing projects of strategic importance, such as Living Wandle Heritage Lottery bid; -‐ Providing core business management information and addressing key business risks ; -‐ Supporting communications and engagement priorities; -‐ Seed corn funds, for getting impact projects started and to lever in external funding;

12.2 Budget forecast: 2013 – 2015

The budget forecast for the following two years is illustrated in Table 12.2 on page 25. This is a conservative forecast to illustrate what core funds are available and how they might be deployed. Although the forecast makes no assumptions over external funding, the Trust will be ambitious when setting out to attract additional resources in order to expand the programme, as explained further in 12.5 on page 24.

The Trust will encourage the four London Boroughs to continue to ring fence the equivalent of any ongoing savings from the Lee Valley precept which the Lee Valley Park Authority are proposing to make on a year on year basis, for the benefit of the regional park.

12.3 Capital funding

The Trust will generally work through existing partners who are better placed to deliver a capital programme, however there will be situations where the criteria above (in 12.1) can be applied and there will be a business case for the Trust to lead itself. In this business planning period, there are provisionally likely to be two programme areas on which the Trust might lead, as follows. More detail is provided in 12.5.

-‐ Greenways programme – a TfL core funded programme with a focus on investment in the Wandle Trail in all four Boroughs; -‐ Gateways programme – part of Living Wandle, an opportunity to establish standards and delivery framework to develop the regional park’s visual identity

12.4 Financial management

The Trust will require one of the Boroughs to act as ‘accountable body’, to shelter the Trust from cash-‐flow problems, in particular with capital schemes such as in 12.3 above or other externally funded projects. The Boroughs will decide who provides this service – proposed to be LB Croydon in 2012/13.


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12.5 Fundraising

The Trust will produce a comprehensive fundraising strategy, with the aim that this is adopted in line with the programme to secure charitable status. Charitable fundraising will focus on the major funds that prioritise environmental grants, including the City Bridge Trust and Esmee Fairbairn Foundation. Additional opportunities include the BIG Lottery, Sainsbury’s Family Trusts (eg. Ashden Trust, Monument Trust or Gatsby Charitable Foundation) and Thames Water Charitable Committee. It is essential that future charitable fundraising is coordinated with the NGOs and other third sector organisations within the partnership, with the aim that collaborative bids are developed where feasible, and the organisation best suited to the fund leads any bids.

In the interim, the following funding bids are being progressed. It remains to be determined if the Trust or another delivery partner will be leading on each of the projects featured in the table below.

Funding source Project description Potential funding Heritage Lottery Fund Delivery of at least 10 Gateways to the Regional Park along the River Wandle and other green

spaces in the valley. This is one of the most important and strategic projects within the Living Wandle Landscape Partnerships programme, and provides the opportunity to start developing a consistent design and ‘visual language’ that identifies the location of the Regional Park.

£380,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund, plus potential need for up to £100,000 additional match funding.

Transport for London Improvements to the Greenways network with a focus on recreational cycling and walking, and priority given to upgrading and completing The Wandle Trail. In 2012/13 the project will involve Sutrans leading the development of a strategic Greenways plan for the Regional Park and wider catchment that will prioritise investment needs. The agreed priorities will then be the subject of a capital funding bid to TfL’s Greenways Fund, for delivery in 2013/14. TfL have £1.9m in the Greenways fund for 2012/13 and 2013/14.

Up to £500,000 overall, subject to the outcome of the planning phase in 2012/13 and competing bids across London.

Design for London Initial discussions have focused on DfL providing funding and design/procurement advice to support the development phase of the Living Wandle Gateways project and linking this to the design process for the Greenways project (as above). Additional potential for funding bids to a) develop a Regional Park design guide to drive higher standards, consistency and integration in landscape and urban design, and on-‐site branding; b) developing a ‘masterplan’ for the core area of the Regional Park connecting Mitcham Common, Beddington Farmlands and Beddington Park; and c) developing a Regional Park wide Management Plan, as part of the planned ‘refresh’ of the All London Green Grid Area Framework 8.

To be determined

Natural England Projects to secure the implementation of adopted Green Infrastructure Strategies. Funding can support a) physical delivery of GI on the ground, through partnership working; b) contributions to revenue cost implications of securing BAP and GI through project or programme delivery or capacity building exercises; c) concept statements and master planning exercises; d) contribution to completion of GI strategies and action plans (not consultancy based); or e) innovative approaches involving civil society and localism groups.

This national funding round has recently been announced, with an initial deadline for bids on 4th May. A number of project options are being discussed with partners.


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Tables 12.1 and 12.2 Revenue budget 2012/2013 and Forecast 2013 – 2015 The tables below set out the budget for the Trust in 2012/2013, plus a forecast for the following two years. Although it is anticipated that the budget will be significantly enhanced by external funding over the business planning period, the forecast illustrates the situation where core funding only is available.


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13. Risk register

This risk register identifies the initial risks for the Trust as a new organisation, and as such will need to be kept under regular review -‐ as least as regularly as the business plan itself but ideally to be looked at on a monthly basis in the first operational 12 months.

The risk matrix adopted is comprehensive, designed for an organisation with more significant operational capacity and therefore higher risks than the Trust. However, it should help the Board to manage risk and develop a risk-‐based culture appropriate to the business.

(i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii) (viii) No. Risk Description Risk Category Business

Plan reference Risk owner

Gross Score

Existing risk control(s) NET Score

Action for further risk control

1 The appointment of a part time Chief Executive on a short-‐term contract does not provide the necessary continuity, management and leadership for the Trust and wider partnership in the crucial initial 6-‐12 months of operation.

Governance and reputation

Actions n/a

Trust Chair 18 Interim CEO was appointed via a tendering process, and performance has been managed by LB Sutton during the first 5 months. Proposed CEO contract will have a 6 month break clause to take effect at the end of October. Both the contractor and Trust Board have the right to enact this clause.

10 Work programme to be produced for the period 1st May to 31st October. 6 weekly review meetings between the Chair and CEO to monitor progress and performance against the work programme.

2 The Chair (and Vice Chair) of the Trust do not provide the necessary leadership and management of the Board over the crucial initial 6-‐12 months of operation.


Actions n/a

Chief Executive

13 Board can retain the option to review the Chair and Vice Chair appointments in October 2012, and then annually from April 2013 onwards.

8 Consider coaching and mentoring needs for the appointed Chair and Vice Chair, as appropriate.

3 The Chair and members of the Board fail to manage conflicts of interest, potentially leading to disputes and public relations problems.

Governance, reputation, & compliance

Actions GB2

Company Secretary

19 Regulations for the conduct of meetings of the Charity, Board and Committees are proposed for approval at the July Board meeting, which is due to be the first meeting of the limited company.

13 Board to hold an open discussion to identify possible scenarios leading to conflicts of interest, and for this to be regularly reviewed.

4 The Trust lacks business continuity due to the excessive use of alternate Directors, and high turn over of Board members

Governance Actions GB2

Company Secretary

16 Regulations for the conduct of meetings of the Charity, Board and Committees are proposed for approval at the July Board meeting.

12 Consider further options to control the use of ADs and process for appointments by member bodies.


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No. Risk Description Risk Category Business Plan reference

Risk owner

Gross Score



5 The Board lacks the necessary capacity to fulfill its duties and roles on behalf of the company, having a negative impact on performance and reputation


Actions n/a

Chief Executive

18 Member bodies have carefully selected their nominees for the Trust Board according to their skills, interest and influence.

10 Maintain a culture of openness and trust between Board members in order that concerns can be aired, discussed and resolved.

6 The Board do not adequately represent the needs of the local communities that the regional park is aiming to serve, resulting in a negative impact on the Trust’s reputation


Actions GB7 CS4

Chief Executive

13 The Board includes nine elected representatives/councillors and two nominees from the Wandle Forum. The Trust has committed itself to supporting the growth of the forum as the representative body for local communities.

8 Board to give further consideration to how it can become and remain inclusive & representative, including supporting an Annual Wandle ‘Forum’ to review progress.

7 Unexpected pressure on Borough funding leads to one or more of the council partners withdrawing their core grant, potentially leading to the Trust becoming insolvent

Financial and reputation

Actions GB1 GB10 GB11

Chief Executive

14 Each Borough has made a formal decision that commits the core funding for 5 years. The grants are also small so would make little impact on any savings target. Overheads are to be kept to a minimum, including flexible CEO contract.

11 Progress the fundraising plans and funding bids to reduce reliance on council funding. Achieve charity status as soon as possible to support fundraising plans.

8 The Four Boroughs are unable to ring fence the equivalent of any ongoing savings from the Lee Valley precept, leading to significantly reduced capacity and effectiveness.


Actions GB11

Trust Chair 19 London Borough of Sutton has made a commitment to ring fence £10,000 from 12/13 LVRP savings as additional ongoing funding for the Trust. The other Boroughs are considering their position, currently proposing a ring fence for 2012/13 only. (tbc)

19 Board members to use their influence and seek to secure a policy commitment for the precept savings to be ring fenced by all four Boroughs.

9 There is a significant delay in the Trust achieving charitable status, putting back fundraising plans

Financial Actions GB1

Chief Executive

11 The Articles of Association have been drafted by a very experienced Solicitor, with the objects and documentation following Charity Commission guidelines

6 Incorporate the company as soon as possible, to progress with charity registration.

10 The Trust Board is accused of misusing funding, leading to public relations problems

Financial reputation & compliance

Actions n/a

Treasurer 14 Trust will be set up with the normal controls in place.

11 Ensure the Board has adequate training.


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11 Fundraising plans and bids are generally unsuccessful, leading to the Trust becoming unviable within the five year core funded period

Financial Actions GB10 GB11

Chief Executive

20 Establishing the Trust has been subject to careful planning and development of the partnership over the past two plus years. Support is strong including from the Mayor and Boroughs. The model fits well with Government policy.

18 Confirm charity status and pursue fundraising plans as soon as possible. Keep an active review of unsuccessful bids to ensure learning.

12 Successful fundraising and consequent project delivery leads to delays in drawing down grants and significant cash flow problems.

Financial and compliance

Actions GB11

Treasurer 20 Trust will be set up with the normal financial management controls in place.

18 Confirm one of the Boroughs will act as the Trust’s ‘accountable body’ to manage larger funds and provide cash flow protection.

13 Wandle partners compete for the same funding, leading to unsuccessful bidding and/or loss of reputation.


Actions GB11

Chief Executive

16 The Trust includes most of the leading charity partners as founding members, to enable coordination. Working groups will also coordinate fundraising.

8 Provide ongoing support for Working Groups, with transparency across the partnership.

14 Members of the Board do not act independently, in the interests of the Trust and regional park.

Reputation and compliance

Actions GB2

Company Secretary

19 Regulations for the conduct of meetings of the Charity, Board and Committees are proposed for approval at the July Board meeting.

13 Board to hold an open discussion in July, and for this issue to be regularly reviewed.

15 The Trust fails to support the development of the Wandle Forum, leading to loss of confidence within key partners and the local community generally.

Reputation Actions CS4 GB7

Chief Executive

18 The Board has two nominees from the Wandle Forum, and has made a commitment to the Forum’s development plus the principles of inclusion and transparency.

10 Maintain a culture of openness and trust between Board members in order that concerns can be aired, discussed and resolved

16 Key partners who support the Trust pursue their own corporate interests, leading to inconsistency and decisions that conflict with the wider vision, mission and aims for the regional park.

Reputation Actions Various

Trust Chair 21 Decisions over the membership of the Trust, the legal framework, and the development of the Business Plan, are setting out to specifically manage these risks.

16 Undertake a risk-‐based approach to identifying the key decisions that might have a negative impact on the Trust’s vision, mission and objectives

17 Poor communications and engagement results in low levels of public awareness.

Reputation Actions GB7

Chief Executive

13 The Communications and Engagement Plan aims to mitigate this risk, including setting up of specific Task Group.

8 Continue to make use of the expertise and resources in the Trust.


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No. Risk Description Risk Category Business Plan reference

Risk owner

Gross Score



18 The Working Groups are ineffective in supporting the Trust’s work programme, with an negative impact on delivery and reputation

Reputation Actions GB3 GB7

Chief Executive

13 A process of engagement and review has already started, including proposals to produce new Terms of Reference with and for the four proposed groups. This is also a key element of the C&E Plan.

10 Maintain a culture of openness and trust between partners, in order that concerns can be aired, discussed and resolved.

19 The status of the regional park is unclear, with the public believing the park as a visitor destination is already in place when conditions and green space quality are currently inconsistent -‐ and often inadequate.

Reputation Actions Various

Chief Executive

21 The proposed business mission for the Trust is to establish the regional park ‘on the ground’ over the next ten years. Communicating this message and managing public/partner expectations is a key element of the Communications and Engagement Plan.

16 There are a number of actions within the work programme that seek to further mitigate this risk. Ongoing market research will allow this issue to be kept under review.

20 The London Borough’s pursuit of new legislation to review the Lee Valley Regional Park precept creates confusion over roles and a distraction for the Trust, having an impact on reputation.

Reputation and financial

Actions n/a

Trust Chair 18 The London Boroughs have agreed to lead on the precept issue separate to their roles in support of the Trust.

10 Undertake a risk-‐based approach to identifying any precept related issues that might have a negative impact on the Trust’s objectives, such as charitable funding.

21 The Trust operates in other ways that are outside the legal framework provided by the Companies Act 2006 and Charities Act 2006

Compliance and reputation

Actions GB2 GB6

Company Secretary

14 The Articles of Association for the Trust have been drafted by an experienced Solicitor, who will be retained in an advisory capacity for the first 12 months.

11 Risk to be kept under constant review by the Company Secretary and Chief Executive.

22 The Trust operates outside the relevant health and safety legislation, risking legal action and loss of reputation.

Compliance and reputation

Actions GB4

Chief Executive

11 The Trust will produce a health and safety policy statement within the first 3 months and prior to company incorporation, followed by procedures, including risk assessments as required by business expansion.

6 Risk to be kept under constant review by the Chief Executive and Chair.


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13.1 The Risk Assessment Matrix

CATASTROPHIC (5)

14 20 22 24 25

SEVERE (4)

11 18 19 21 23

MODERATE (3)

6 10 13 16 17

MINOR (2)

3 5 8 12 15

IMPA

CT

LOW (1)

1 2 4 7 9

IMPROBABLE UNLIKELY POSSIBLE LIKELY VERY LIKELY

LIKELIHOOD

Appendices:

Appendix 1: Non-‐local authority Trust Member statements of support

Appendix 2: Translating the wider vision

Appendix 2.1: Translating the wider partnership vision Appendix 2.2: Business mission, business outcomes and Trust objects

Appendix 3: Trust objects


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Appendix 1: Non-‐local authority Trust Member statements of support

Environment Agency: The Agency supports the objectives Wandle Valley Regional Park (WVRP) for the delivery of green infrastructure and supporting enhancement initiatives on the ground. The WVRP will aid the delivery of policy within the Thames Catchment Flood Management Plan and provide a mechanism to improve ecological status for Water Frameworks Directive as well as linking directly to several of the Environment Agency corporate strategy priorities. The specific benefits for the Agency is the expansion of the existing river restoration programme delivering flood risk management and biodiversity benefits. We will co-‐operate with the project in both the development of the spatial vision and development of the implementation plan.

Mitcham Common Conservators: Mitcham Common is a 182 hectare (460 acres) site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation in South London bounded by the boroughs of Merton, Croydon and Sutton.It is managed to increase biodiversity and its work is recognized by Natural England in its award of the Higher Level Environmental Stewardship grant. The Mitcham Common Conservators are the Statutory Body set up by act of parliament in 1891 to manage and protect the Common. The Board is comprised of 13 members nominated by the London Boroughs of Croydon, Merton and Sutton (4 each), and the City of London Corporation. The Conservators support the aims of the Regional Park and the Common will form a large part of it. Web site www.mitchamcommon.org

National Trust: The National Trust is a strong supporter of the Wandle Valley Regional Park Trust, and the creation of the Regional Park. The Trust has a long-‐standing interest in the Wandle Valley, as both a landowner and partner organisation. The Trust began to acquire property in the Wandle Valley in 1907, and Morden Park Hall was bequeathed in 1941. The creation of the Regional Park is in line with the Trust’s aims and objectives in London, particularly with regards to “getting more people enjoying the outdoors more often and feeling closer to nature”, which goes to the heart of the National Trust’s founding purpose.

Natural England: Natural England fully support the Wandle Valley Regional Park Trust in its mission to provide leadership, coordination, innovation and resources for the Wandle Valley Regional Park. This network of high quality green spaces stretching along the route of the Wandle from outer London to the Thames will form an exemplar of local partnership working on landscape scale conservation in an urban environment, increasing biodiversity, enhancing landscape character and enabling the many people who live and work along the Wandle to connect with nature.

South London Business: South London Business as the only business support organisation covering the 12 South London Boroughs including all the Wandle Valley Boroughs supports the creation of the Trust and the development of the Wandle Valley Regional Park as it can and should contribute to the economic development of the area and stimulate businesses growth in the hospitality, leisure and green industries.

Wandle Forum: The Wandle Forum represents the many local community groups along the Wandle Valley. It was also instrumental in setting in motion the process that has led to the creation of the WVRP Trust. We support the aims of the Wandle Valley Regional Park Trust in bringing the benefits of this underutilized but extensive, landscape asset to a wider section of the local community and beyond. The consequent long term restoration of river and open space will benefit, the health and lifestyle of local people and the biodiversity, local economy and green initiatives that are part of the WVRPs wider business mission which we fully endorse.

Wandle Trust: The Wandle Trust is an environmental charity dedicated to enhancing the River Wandle and its catchment area, which encompasses the area of the Wandle Valley Regional Park. We support the development of the Wandle Valley Regional Park and its mission and we look forward to developing a strong partnership with the Park’s Trust to help deliver and sustain a healthy and resilient River Wandle.


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Appendix 2.1: Translating the wider partnership vision: This table connects the adopted Vision for the regional park and the thematic vision statements, from the Regional Park Vision for the Future (2008) and the objectives/priorities in ALGG Wandle Valley Area Framework 8 (2010/11).

Our shared vision is for an innovative, sustainable and high quality Regional Park in the Wandle Valley that is easily accessible, with a rich and thriving biodiversity, offering recreational, landscape, heritage, cultural and resource management benefits in which local people and businesses can take pride and ownership

Wan

dle Valley Regiona

l Park

Vision for the Future (2

008)

Governance

A Wandle Valley Regional Park that has effective and inclusive governance structures, enabling a strong partnership to develop creative and innovative approaches to the Park’s long-‐term resourcing and management.


A Wandle Valley Regional Park that celebrates its distinctive character, the diversity of its local communities, engaging them at all stages of its development and providing them with an open space resource that improves their quality of life.

Climate Change A Wandle Valley Regional Park that acts as a best practice model for �utilising the potential of an open space network in adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change, and that encourages its users to adopt “climate change-‐proof” behaviours.

Natural Environment A Wandle Valley Regional Park rich in biodiversity with a healthy and thriving River providing a living landscape that is accessible to all.

Regeneration and Economy A Wandle Valley Regional Park with a distinct identity that is able to attract and retain competitive businesses and a skilled workforce.

Travel and Connectivity A Wandle Valley Regional Park with integrated public transport links, facilitating a thriving business environment and encouraging people to choose car-‐free travel alternatives such as walking or cycling.

Heritage and Culture The rich and unique heritage of the Wandle Valley Regional Park �ontributing to a brand that boosts all aspects of development and tourism, facilitates business growth and encourages a shared community identity.

Recreation A Wandle Valley Regional Park offering a vibrant mix of leisure activities that attract all members of the community.

All Lond

on Green

Grid

Wan

dle Valley Area Fram

ework 8 ob

jectives

Regional Park The creation of the regional park for the Wandle Valley is central to the successful delivery of the Green Grid Objectives -‐ acting as a catalyst for improvement and change…… including improved management and maintenance of open spaces, delivery of projects to transform the quality of its landscapes and their accessibility -‐ helping to make the Wandle Valley into a resource and destination at a regional scale.

Access to Open Space To improve the quantity and quality of open space within the Wandle Valley and to enable people to access it more easily.

Managing Flood Risk and Urban Heat Island To utilise the open space network to help minimise flood risk and reduce the impact of the ‘heat island effect’ through;

Access to Nature To improve visual and physical access to nature for visitors and local residents through;

Productive Landscapes To build upon the existing presence and previous heritage of productive landscapes within the Wandle Valley

Making Connections To improve connections into and between open space within the area, helping to make the Wandle Valley into an integrated network of green space which is easy and enjoyable to access and to move around;

Enhanced Visitor Offer and Local Distinctiveness To build upon the unique identity and heritage of the Wandle Valley with the particular mix of natural landscape and industrial history which makes up much of its character

Healthy Communities To ensure that the green space network within the area supports the development of healthy communities around it through


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Appendix 2.2 Business mission, business outcomes and Trust objects The table below sets out the Trust’s business mission – this is the ‘road map’ to deliver the partnership’s agreed longer term vision.

The Trust’s business outcomes are also set out, based on the thematic vision statements in the 2008 ‘vision for the future’ document but updated (in red) in the light of progress and new political agendas. This ‘outcomes framework’ creates the basis for project delivery both by the Trust and partner organisations.

The table also summarises how the business outcomes relate to the Trust’s charitable objects. A number of outcomes relate to more than one of the objects. The full version of the Trust’s objects, within the company’s Articles of Association, is included as Appendix 3 (pages 34-‐35).

Wandle Valley Regional Park Trust Business Mission

The Trust will provide leadership, coordination, innovation and resources -‐ working towards the ultimate aim of benefiting from the repatriation of the Lee Valley Regional Park precept to the London Boroughs -‐ to enable the longer-‐term vision of a high quality, multi

functional and attractive regional park to be achieved.

Wan

dle Valley

Regiona

l Park Trust

busine

ss outcomes

Governance and business strategy

A Wandle Valley Regional Park Trust that provides effective and inclusive governance, enabling a strong partnership to develop creative and innovative approaches to the Park’s long-‐term resourcing and management.


A Regional Park that celebrates its distinctive character, the diversity of local communities, engaging residents at all stages of the park’s development and providing an open space resource that improves their quality of life.


Natural Environment

A Regional Park rich in biodiversity with a healthy and thriving River providing a living landscape that is accessible to all.

Regeneration and Economy

A Regional Park with a distinct identity that encourages growth and regeneration, attracting and retaining competitive businesses and a skilled workforce

Travel and Connectivity

A Regional Park with integrated public transport links and extensive Greenways network, facilitating a thriving business environment and encouraging people to choose car-‐free travel alternatives such as walking or cycling.

Heritage and Culture

A regional park with a rich and unique heritage, �contributing to a brand that helps define the ‘park offer’ -‐ boosting all aspects of development and tourism, facilitating business growth and encouraging a shared community identity.

Health & Active Recreation

A Regional Park offering a vibrant mix of leisure activities that attract all members of the community and contribute to the Wandle Valley NHS – the local ‘natural health service’.

Wan

dle Valley

Regiona

l Park Trust

Busine

ss objects

Object 8: Promote for public benefit urban or rural regeneration in areas of social and economic deprivation (nb. This is the ’catch all’ object)

Object 9: Develop the capacity and skills of socially and economically disadvantaged communities Object 11: Promote social inclusion Plus Object 2.

Object 7: Promote sustainable development Object 2: Advance the education of the public in the natural and built environment, history and ecology Plus Object 1

Object 1: Promote for public benefit the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment Object 3: Promote biological diversity Plus Object 2

Object 6: Provide business advice in order to provide training and employment opportunities for unemployed residents Object 7: Promote sustainable development

Object 5: Provide facilities for recreation or other leisure time occupation Object 7: Promote sustainable development

Objective 4: Promote the preservation of buildings or sites of historic or architectural importance Plus Objects 2 and 8

Object 5: Provide facilities for recreation or other leisure time occupation Plus Objects 9 and 11


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Appendix 3: Wandle Valley Regional Park Trust objects

The charity’s objects are set out in Article 4 of the draft Articles of Association for the Trust, and specifically restricted to the following:

To promote such charitable purposes for the benefit of the public and relating to the Wandle Valley as the trustees/directors see fit from time to time by all or any of the following means:

Object 1: To promote for the benefit of the public the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment within the Wandle Valley. Object 2: To advance the education of the public in the natural and built environment, history and ecology of the Wandle Valley. Object 3: To promote biological diversity in the Wandle Valley. Object 4: To promote the preservation of buildings or sites of historic or architectural importance in the Wandle Valley. Object 5: To provide facilities for recreation or other leisure time occupation in the Wandle Valley for the public at large or those by reason of their youth, age, infirmity, disablement, financial hardship or social or economic circumstances, have need of such facilities in the interests of social welfare or improving the conditions of life for the public or such persons. Object 6: To provide financial and/or technical assistance or business advice or consultancy in order to provide training and employment opportunities for unemployed people resident in the Wandle Valley in case of financial or other charitable need through help (i) in setting up their own business, or (ii) to existing business. Object 7: To promote sustainable development of the Wandle Valley for the benefit of the public by:

(a) The preservation, conservation and protection of the environment and the prudent use of natural resources; (b) The relief of poverty and improvement of the conditions of life in socially and economically disadvantaged communities;

Object 8: The promotion of sustainable means of achieving economic growth and regeneration; To advance the education of the public in subjects related to sustainable development and the protection, enhancement and rehabilitation of the environment and to promote the study and research in such subjects provided the useful results of such study are disseminated to the public at large. Object 9: To develop the capacity and skills of the members of the social and economically disadvantaged community of the Wandle Valley in such a way that they are better able to identify, and help meet, their needs and to participate more fully in society.


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Object 10: To promote of the benefit of the public of urban or rural regeneration in areas of social and economic deprivation in the Wandle Valley by all or any of the following means:

(a) The advancement of education, training or retraining, particularly among unemployed people, and providing unemployed people with work experience;

(b) The preservation or enhancement or restoration of buildings or sites of historic or architectural or nature conservation or environmental importance;

(c) The maintenance, improvement or provision of public amenities; (d) The protection or conservation of the environment; (e) Such other means as may from time to time be determined subject to the prior written consent of the Charity Commission for England and

Wales.

Object 11: To promote social inclusion for the public benefit by preventing people resident in the Wandle Valley from becoming socially excluded, relieving the needs of those people who are socially excluded and assisting them to integrate into society.

* * * * * * * * * *

For the purpose of this article 4 ‘socially excluded’ means being excluded from society, or parts of society, as a result of one or more of the following factors: unemployment; financial hardship; youth or old age; ill health (physical or mental); substance abuse or dependency including alcohol and drugs; discrimination on the grounds of sex, race, disability, ethnic origin, religion, belief, creed, sexual orientation or gender re-‐assignment; poor educational or skills attainment; relationship and/or family breakdown; poor housing (that is housing that does not meet basic habitable standards); crime (either as a victim or as an offender rehabilitating into society). For the purposes of this article 4 “sustainable development” means “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. For the purposes of this article 4 “Wandle Valley” means the area in the London Boroughs of Croydon, Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth which lies within one point six (1.6) kilometres of the boundary of the Wandle Valley Regional Park. For the purposes of this article 4 “Wandle Valley Regional Park” means the area shown as such in the London Plan 2011 published by the Greater London Authority.


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Part Two: Annual Work Programme 2012/2013 This is the annual work programme for the Trust, presented based on the eight themes and business outcomes featured in Section 5.2 (page 14)

Business outcomes:

The Trust will operate within the following outcomes framework:-‐

Governance and business strategy A Wandle Valley Regional Park Trust that provides effective and inclusive governance, enabling a strong partnership to develop creative and innovative approaches to the Park’s long-‐term resourcing and management.

Communities and Open Space A Regional Park that celebrates its distinctive character, the diversity of local communities, engaging residents at all stages of the park’s development and providing an open space resource that improves their quality of life.


Natural Environment A Regional Park rich in biodiversity with a healthy and thriving River providing a living landscape that is accessible to all.

Regeneration and Economy A Regional Park with a distinct identity that encourages growth and regeneration, attracting and retaining competitive businesses and a skilled workforce

Travel and Connectivity A Regional Park with integrated public transport links and extensive Greenways network, facilitating a thriving business environment and encouraging people to choose car-‐free travel alternatives such as walking or cycling.

Heritage and Culture A regional park with a rich and unique heritage, �contributing to a brand that helps define the ‘park offer’ -‐ boosting all aspects of development and tourism, facilitating business growth and encouraging a shared community identity.

Health & Active Recreation A Regional Park offering a vibrant mix of leisure activities that attract all members of the community and contribute to the Wandle Valley NHS – the local ‘natural health service’.

The work programme comprises an action plan for each of the outcomes. There is a main focus on 2012/2013 financial year, but with reference to where actions are likely to continue into 2013/14 and 2015/16 Under each theme, actions are divided into two categories:-‐

a) Directed (or controlled) projects (ie those to be delivered using resources controlled by the Trust)

b) Influenced projects (ie those projects led by partner organisations that are strategically important for the Trust and the regional park) A number of projects relate to more than one outcome, in which case they are included in the action plan where there is the strongest fit.

Please note that a significant number of actions are still the subject of discussion and development with the respective partner organisations and Working Groups where appropriate, leading to the frequent use of tbc in the schedules. As such, like the Business Plan as a whole, this is a working document that will be subject to ongoing review and updating during the formative first 12 months of the Trust’s operations.


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wvrp business plan (2012 - 2015)

Documents