The group, which this year picked up a Community Green Flag Award and Pennant Award from South West In Bloom, said their proposal would help towards a rising staff bill at Dartmouth Town Council, and remove the need for the post of head groundsman currently under review.
Dartmouth Green Partnerships plan to fund management costs with grants, similar to those obtained recently for the building of a community greenhouse.
At this month’s full Dartmouth Town Council meeting Stevie Rogers, chairman of Dartmouth Green Partnerships, presented to councillors an outline of the organisation’s proposal to run Royal Avenue Gardens. She also asked to discuss plans in more detail with the council in a committee.
She said: “We’d like to request the town council postpone any decisions concerning filling the upcoming head groundsman vacancy until our proposals have been made public and discussed and negotiated in committee. We’re putting forward a proposal that Royal Avenue Gardens be delegated to our management.
“This proposal will instigate innovative ways of managing public assets, is an unprecedented opportunity to help reduce the overall costs to the tax paying residents in the town, whilst at the same time improving the town’s green spaces.”
Stevie said the group was making the request because, in their view, Royal Avenue Gardens needs “updating and renovating in line with nationally suggested guidelines, from both Government and environmental and horticultural organisations”.
She added: “Having successfully implemented these changes in our own work, to both a Gold Award and Green Flag standard, we’ve shown our ability to do this.
“It’s our belief these gardens need to be managed to a more sustainable and eco-friendly level. These criteria should include choices of plant types, usage and disposal, management regimes and the use of machinery, habitat creation and protection, public involvement and education and importantly, both public safety and costs to the taxpayers.
“Dartmouth Green Partnerships has identified current areas managed by Dartmouth Town Council which could be reduced, both in responsibility and management regimes. The implementation of these potential changes would remove the necessity for any more than a two-man grounds maintenance team employed by the town council. This would at the same time considerably reduce costs to the taxpayers.”
Currently Dartmouth Town Council employs a grounds maintenance team of one head groundsman and two gardeners.
Stevie said: “Everyone is aware of rising costs. Many townsfolk have commented to us about the rising staffing bill which is now publicised in the Dartmouth Town Council accounts. Through our proposal we’re offering to help the town council drastically reduce the overall costs to the tax paying residents in the town, whilst at the same time, improving the town’s green spaces management, on many levels.”
Dartmouth Green Partnerships said it would cover any bills through “several substantial funding streams” that are available to charities like themselves, which they can apply for on behalf of the town. The proposal states the group has a track record of success in fundraising, having raised more than £70,000 towards its new greenhouse and site in the last few years. The proposal also states the group would produce short term and long-term management plans for the gardens; enter the gardens into national award schemes; and involve many local groups, businesses and individuals in their work.
Following Stevie’s presentation Cllr Cathy Campos questioned the age of the Dartmouth Green Partnerships volunteers, in relation to the work involved.
She added: “What is the long-term future of this? When you say management of the gardens do you mean the group would take over the entire management of the gardens – including everything from mowing the lawn, cleaning up after people being sick, and clearing up empty bottles etc.”
Stevie replied that the details can be negotiated and that “there are some very substantial grants available to groups to work in the gardens”.
Cllr Martin McGowan-Scanlon said: “Potentially this is a great idea, but the reality is it’s got to be a detailed proposal, detailing steps and how quickly you could move.”
He also raised the issue that, if the proposal was accepted, the council may have to tender it to other interested organisations.
Stevie replied: “We’ve already made a tentative approach to a large funder that would considerably change how the gardens are run. We’re looking at being more inclusive and letting the town feel they own Royal Avenue Gardens, which would make people more appreciative of it.”
A temporary group of town councillors was set up at the meeting to purposefully look into the details of the Dartmouth Green Partnerships proposal and report back to the next full council meeting.
Dartmouth Green Partnerships is a charity run by volunteers which creates and looks after many floral displays and green spaces in Dartmouth and also assists the council’s gardeners. The group works with Dartmouth Town Council and South Hams District Council.