What would you do?

I've been the mamager of the Thames Barrier Park for the last five and a half years. When I started it was in a real state, nothing had been looked after at all - even the lawns had thistles growing out of them.
The park is an international award winning park (RIBA Award 2001, Millenium Marque Award), costing £12.5m to create. It's a park that is loved by not only the local communities, but by many other people who travel some distance to visit it regularly.
I've given talks to a loads of different interest groups (CABE, CABE Space, Writtle College, Capel Manor, Univeristy of East London, Various Landscape Architect consultants and businesses, a Univerisy from France, a group who came over from Belgium to see the park and Kew, and a group from Sweden), I have also showed round various councils and am off to Dublin to talk about meadow management in a urban park because someone from Dublin City Council was on Holiday and loved the park so much that they wanted to take the principles that we use on site and use them in the parks of Dublin.
You can't do a job like mine without getting very very attached to it, so when I heard that my client has decided to dumb down the maintenance so that they can save some money, you can imagine how I feel.
I do not do this job for the money (just as well), I do it because I want to give more back to this world then I take. I do something that improves the lives of over the 120,000 people who visit the park each year. The park is more than just a place that you can take a dog to have a crap! It's a place where people can come and forget all their stresses and troubles, a place where families can come and enjoy a day out together.
It's also a place that teams with wildlife, and the biodiversity of the park is improving...
... It won't for much longer.


Why do we treat our open spaces with such disregard?
Why should I carry on busting my balls, as in a couple of months time the park's specification will be cut, and the maintenance budget as well.
In 5 years I have never found a single hypo....

[Biker Biggles]

Thats very poor.Who is your "client" and can they be embarassed into paying up by a few leaks to the press?

Google 'Thames Barrier Park' for more info......

probably a £50,000 study for a £20,000 saving

Originally Posted by gettin2dizzy

probably a £50,000 study for a £20,000 saving

Ive recently studied at uni the concept of budgets and purpose behind spends.

Maybe you should make the company aware of the follwing.

20% of there savings come from 80% of there costs. Although they think shedding your budget is an effective way to claw back pennies they will be wrong.

Savings arent taking from one area. They are company generic. Like switching of the lights at night in head office and not letting susan from Hr have that fancy fountain pen. Ask for your companies savings forecast figures and what there balance sheets are and post em up. Ill work a way out that will save them more in other departments and you should be able to keep your budget.

dont let the idiots win! with most business's you will find that they compare themselves against other companies and look at cost worth. People at this level fail to take in the real trade payables and recievables and devalue themsleves in this. Then think they need to cut corners. All they need is some sound business advice and maybe a push in the right direction.

Sorry for the gunth...! hope you get what u want! good luck

I've been fighting this battle for the last 5 years - I'm getting very very tired.
It's not a company that owns the park, but a governmantal orgaisation (not a council though). It does not matter what you say to them, they do not care about what people think about the park, or how they view it - just as long as they can reduce their cost!
When I started there was 8,000 visitors in that year, we are now up to about 120,000. That in itself has increase my maintenance costs - think of the wear and tear to the lawns and paths.
Urban parks are crucial to people living in urban areas, and when West London has the luxury of the Royal Parks, why is it alright to run down the only really decent and safe park in East London?

P.S. Turnover is vanity - Cash is King

i feel a protest coming on here!

You could put notices up to get the local people involved, I'm sure they would support you. I just visited Central Park and it is so vital to New Yorkers, parks in large cities are very important.

That whole area round there is a real hole and that park and the new developments are really like an oasis and although I have never actually visited the park I have seen it from the DLR and it seemingly appears from nowehere and is a real shock to see it there. Just past the scrap yards etc.

Are the local residents not quite well off these days? Could a partnership not be sought for the additional funding required.

Nice work on what you've done btw.