Agenda item

Rachelle Shepherd-DuBey asked the Executive Member for Environment and Leisure the following question:

 

Question

How will you maintain social distancing with probable increased patronage if we re-open car parks at country parks?

 

Minutes:

 

Question

How will you maintain social distancing with probable increased patronage if we reopen car parks at country parks?

 

Answer

As you know the car parks have been open now for a good number of days and you have asked specifically about the social distancing measures.

 

The Council actually took a full risk assessment in advance of reopening the car parks at the country parks and these have focussed mainly on the social distancing to protect the safety of our residents and our staff.  Measures to secure this include: only a partial opening of all car parks at our main sites to keep visitor numbers to a manageable level; a combination of social distancing marshals patrolling these parks; give way signage at pinch points; keep left posters on bridges; and one way routes on narrow paths and boardwalks.  Where social distancing cannot be maintained facilities such as the park toilets will remain closed.

 

We feel confident that these measures will be sufficient to maintain social distancing but we have to rely on our residents to ensure that they adhere to the guidelines when they visit the country parks to enable the car parks to remain open.  I must say and admit that our residents behave very responsibly to all this response and this will be kept under constant review to ensure that safety of staff and residents is maintained at all times and contingencies are in place to work with the Police, Highways and our parking partner NSL as and when required.

 

Can I take this opportunity to thank all our Officers and our staff for ensuring the safety of our residents.

 

Supplementary Question

If you have not been to Dinton lately you will realise that people are not doing social distancing properly.  They do not seem to be doing that and I have not seen anybody actually telling people to split up.  There are lots of people having picnics together and unless they have some very interesting family groups they seem to be teenagers walking together, hand in hand, things like this.  I do not they are actually married to each other or living with each other.  If they are it is a little bit of a strange situation. 

 

So what are we actually doing about this?

 

Supplementary Answer

I visited the park myself and I also keep in constant touch with the staff and the management there.  They have reported no misbehaving of our residents and I am confident and really pleased that everybody is behaving themselves.  Like you say if you see couples holding hands we do not know if they are married or not or whether they are living together.

 

Additional Question

At 16 I doubt they are married besides which I walk in Dinton Pastures every day with my dog and I have seen a lot of people not doing that so it would be nice to have more people actually telling people.  Saying can you separate a little bit please like that.

 

Additional Answer

Our staff have been very, very, good at that and if they see anything that is untoward they will take action and we have additional marshals on site on busy days and social distancing is being practised and respected as far as I am concerned.  I do take note of what you say Rachelle and will raise it with the management at Dinton Pastures to make sure that we do respect all this.