Minutes of an extraordinary meeting of Bracebridge Heath Parish Council held at The Heath: Village Hall and Library on 9th November at 6:00pm

PRESENT

• Councillors P Adey, C Barr, C Broad, N Boughey, C Callan, S Manders, V Marden, K Trought
• Clerk to Council, Mrs S Knowles was in attendance
• No members of the public were in attendance

COUNCIL SESSION 

CODE OF CONDUCT REMINDERS

• Nolan Principles - Members were reminded of the Nolan Principles which underpin the Council’s Code of Conduct - Selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty & leadership.
• Register of interests - The Chairman reminded members that they should submit to the Monitoring Officer at North Kesteven District Council any changes to the content of their Register of Member Interest forms. Interests should be declared in accordance with the Code of Conduct.

26161       TO RECEIVE APOLOGIES AND ACCEPT VALID REASONS FOR ABSENCE

It was RESOLVED: That apologies for absence be accepted from Cllr Emes

26162.      DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

a.TO RECEIVE MEMBERS’ DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ADOPTED CODE OF CONDUCT

Nil

b.TO RECEIVE AND CONSIDER MEMBERS’ REQUESTS FOR DISPENSATIONS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ADOPTED CODE OF CONDUCT AND STANDING ORDERS

Nil

26163       TO CONFIRM THE MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING – 3rd NOVEMBER 2026

It was RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 3rd November 2026 be approved and signed as a true record by the chairman.

26164.       TO CONSIDER THE INITIAL DESIGN PRINCIPLES AND ZONING PLAN FOR THE RECREATION GROUND MASTERPLAN

It was RESOLVED: That the drafted response subject to changes relating to the inclusion of biodiversity net gain, woodland edge planting and accessible routes to link the South East Quadrant behind the tennis courts.

General observations

The engagement findings accurately reflect many of the issues and opportunities that the Parish Council has identified over a number of years, including:

• The importance of retaining the site's open character
• The need for improved accessibility and path networks
• Better provision for older children and teenagers
• Protection and enhancement of biodiversity and habitat areas
• Greater use of the former bowls green area

The Council is particularly encouraged that residents repeatedly expressed support for improvement while also emphasising the importance of avoiding overdevelopment of the recreation ground.

Concern regarding perceived overdevelopment

Councillors note that the proposed activity zone plan creates an initial impression that a substantial proportion of the site is being allocated to specific uses. However, the Council recognises that:

• The coloured activity zones are conceptual and indicative
• They are intended to demonstrate potential uses rather than fixed footprints
• The final design may feel considerably more open and less developed than the plan suggests

Nevertheless, the Council would welcome further explanation during the next stage of consultation regarding:

• The likely scale and size of each activity area
• The percentage or proportion of the recreation ground that will remain open grassed space
• How visual openness and flexibility of use will be retained
• How the design objectives and indicative zoning can help to maintain a significant amount of multi-functional open space for community events etc. This might be achieved for example by removing the woodland edge planting to the west of the pavilion car park and leaving this more open. It could support community events in this location – for example the street food socials that take place once a month during the summer

Dogs and other recreational uses

The engagement findings correctly identify dog walking as one of the recreation ground's most valued activities, supporting wellbeing, daily exercise and informal social interaction.  The Council considers it important that future proposals fully recognise the significance of dog walking within the overall recreation offer. However, the inclusion of a dog agility area in the former bowls club space has already been explored in some detail as part of an options appraisal for that site. One of the biggest factors in choosing a destination play area for this site rather than a dog focused use was due to the terms of the parish council’s lease which prohibits the recreation ground being used of private commercial gain. In addition to this, a commercial venture on this site (lease stipulations aside) would mean that the car park at the pavilion would need to be significantly increased to accommodate increased numbers accessing the facility.

Members recognise that needs and desires for dog focused activity areas do need to be balanced alongside the other recreational uses. As such, we have identified another possible solution to help balance this conflict.

There is already a wide band of woodland on the eastern and southern perimeter of the recreation ground which could accommodate an accessible path for dog walking. This would provide a separate space specifically for dog walking away from football pitches. It would not prohibit the use of the rest of the site for dog walking but would provide an additional space which would not have any other recreational use such as play, football or other ball games.

A perimeter route could:

• Reduce conflict between different users
• Encourage circular walking routes
• Make better use of underutilised edges of the site
• Provide opportunities for biodiversity and informal exercise which encourages the interaction with the natural environment.

The Council would welcome further investigation of this possibility during concept masterplan development. See AI generated image to support this.

 Provision for older children and young people

The Council strongly supports the principle of creating more ambitious facilities for older children and young people. The engagement work demonstrates a clear demand for opportunities that extend beyond traditional play equipment and provide challenge, social interaction and active recreation.#

The Council wishes to see the formers bowls club space explored as a ‘destination play area’ which would be capable of attracting families from across the village and neighbouring communities.

The Council would therefore encourage consideration of:

Adventure play featuresInclusive play equipmentClimbing structuresNatural play elementsWheeled sports opportunities where appropriateFeatures specifically designed for 8-14 year olds, who are often underserved by traditional playgrounds.

This should complement rather than duplicate the existing toddler and younger children's facilities.

Existing play facilities for younger children

The council supports the idea of creating a larger play area which is still fenced but feels less enclosed. The idea of incorporating planting within the space to create more natural boundaries is also supported.

Whilst the two areas would be separate, it would be useful to consider if they could be subtly linked through a trim trail, monkey bars or ‘play focused path’ – for example hopscotch or similar.

Quiet corner

The addition of a quiet corner has been well received and it provides a chance to offer more interesting planting and seating arrangements – possibly covered seating for all weather use.

Nature and biodiversity

The Council welcomes the emphasis on:

• Habitat enhancement
• Seasonal planting
• Improved biodiversityT
• he proposed quieter area incorporating meadow grass, perennial planting, seating, shelter and trees appears consistent with both community feedback and the Council's biodiversity objectives.

However, councillors would wish to ensure:

• Long-term maintenance requirements are understood
• Areas remain safe and accessible
• Habitat creation does not unnecessarily reduce opportunities for informal recreation, particularly on the northern boundary of the site where there is existing use for football. A hedgerow or similar in this location would offer increased biodiversity and a more natural boundary than the existing chain link fence but this shouldn’t come at a cost to usable space for the junior football teams
• Members would like clarification whether woodland edge planting on the eastern and southern boundaries next to the football pitches are in addition to the woodland perimeter or whether the plan indicates the existing treeline. As above, members have concerns that additional planting on these perimeters will reduce the usable space for sporting activities.  
• Members discussed the opportunities for biodiversity net gain (BNG) and whether it is possible that enhancements to the site will enable SEQ developers to utilise the recreation ground enhancements to capture off-site BNG.

Paths and accessibility

The Council strongly supports the proposal for an improved network of accessible routes.Poor path conditions were identified repeatedly through the engagement process and remain one of the recreation ground's most significant practical shortcomings.

Future designs should prioritise:

• Year-round accessibility
• Suitable surfaces and accessibility for wheelchairs and mobility scooters
• Connections between all major facilities 

Entrances to the site

The council is in agreement that the existing entrances to the site could be improved with the inclusion of accessible pathways and appropriate signage. One aspect that members have drawn upon in the creation of new access points to serve future areas of the South East Quadrant is to ensure that there is a repeatable design for each access point. This will help to foster the feeling of inclusion for new residents in the South East Quadrant developments and encourage use of a genuinely shared use facility and space.

Conclusion

The Parish Council broadly supports the direction of travel outlined within the engagement findings and emerging design principles. The proposals respond positively to many of the issues identified by residents and park users.

However, before progressing to a draft concept masterplan, councillors would encourage further consideration of:

• Ensuring the site does not become overdeveloped and retains its open landscape character.
• Retaining substantial flexible open space - as a minimum to enable the space to be used for community events. This could include removal of the proposed woodland edge planting on the northern boundary next to the football pitches.
• Clarifying the scale and intensity of proposed activity zones.
• Protecting and enhancing dog walking opportunities, including exploration of a perimeter dog walking route.Delivering a genuinely exciting destination play offer for older children and young people on the former bowls green site.
• Confirming long-term maintenance and management implications.
• Ensuring opportunities for collaboration and buy-in from local groups and organisations are fully explored as part of the development of the masterplan – for example primary school children getting involved in the planting.
• Ensuring future connections with the proposed SEQ developments are incorporated into the plan – for example an accessible path/cycleway should be included between the Rochester Close entrance (northwest corner)  to the southwest corner beside the tennis courts.  

The Council looks forward to reviewing the emerging concept masterplan following the next phase of community engagement on 29 November and continuing to work collaboratively to develop a recreation ground that balances recreation, biodiversity, wellbeing and community aspirations.

26165.      TO CONSIDER ITEMS FOR INCLUSION ON THE AGENDA FOR THE NEXT MEETING

Any requests from members of council for agenda items should be discussed and submitted with the clerk 2 weeks prior to the meeting date.

There being no further business, the meeting closed at 18:45

Signed___________________________Chairman                                                                                                                                                              01 December 2026