PLY54 - Saltram Countryside Park Strategic Greenspace

Saltram Countryside Park will provide a regionally significant recreational resource on the eastern edge of Plymouth in a manner that is sensitive to, and enhances, the area’s exceptional biodiversity, landscape, historic assets and productive farmland. The development of this proposal will be sensitive to the unique historic value of the Saltram Estate, it will protect this resource and conserve and promote the wider setting.  The Countryside Park will achieve this by:

1. Enhancing and protecting the historic character and national importance of Saltram House, Gardens and Parkland and other sensitive features within the Estate through the development of new infrastructure to manage increased visitor numbers.  This will include:
   1. The creation of a second visitor entrance to the National Trust  Saltram property within the South East area of the estate, near Stag Lodge.
   2. Addressing inadequate visitor car parking by developing a new, purpose-designed visitor car park and developing high quality sustainable transport links to the park.
   3. Providing new visitor arrival facilities and enhanced interpretation of the designed landscape to encourage exploration of the historic parkland and wider landscape.
2. Enhanced connectivity to and through the Countyside Park.  This will be delivered through a series of sensitively designed footpaths, cycleways and bridleway routes and circuits throughout the Park area providing better connections to the existing and new communities.  Improved access to the park through sustainable means will also be encouraged.
3. Significant enhancement to the wildlife value of the site and its key role as a green corridor linking with the network of greenspace that run through Plymouth and out into the wider countryside.
4. The safeguarding of land to meet the current and future burial needs of Plymouth.  New burial, memorial and associated facilities will be designed to fit sensitively into the Countryside Park's landscape.
5. Fully integrating the restored Chelson Meadow into the Countryside Park, allowing landscape and biodiversity enhancements that will complement the park and the adjacent Registered Park and Garden, and in the longer term integrate public access routes.
6. Identifying opportunities to support the Countryside Park with complementary commercial recreation activities where appropriate to the character of the area, such as cycle hire, horse riding or similar facilities. These will provide both recreational and economic benefits, where the individual impact is compatible with the countryside park activities.