England |
Westonbirt Arboretum New Parking and Welcome Building (2010)
Name of policy, function or service
New parking and Welcome Building.
Purpose and aim(s) of the policy, function or service
- To relocate existing car parking in order to remove vehicles;
- Provide improved all year round hard standing car parking facilities;
- Creating a new entrance building to the Arboretum;
- Create an central welcoming point to the site to provide improved orientation.
Who will benefit mainly from this policy, function or service?
All visitor groups and staff.
Staff by providing a permanent habitable building for the ticket kiosk staff as well as providing a focus entrance point for visitors.
Visitors by providing easier access to facilities and information on arrival for visitors.
New interpretation on arrival will benefit all visitors, by providing a better understanding of the heritage across the site.
Information and Data (evidence) used
- Association of Local Visitor Attraction (ALVA) survey work is conducted in spring, summer and autumn. The survey informs us that amongst our current visitors tells us that there is a lack of clear signposting and information on arrival, and that the range of activities available on site is not always clear to visitors on arrival.
- Survey work (Association of Local Visitor Attraction (ALVA) surveys (2007-09), TNS Quality of Experience Survey (2003), ACORN and Mosaic mapping as well as in-house family surveys and public feedback and evaluation from events undertaken by Westonbirt Arboretum) tells us that our current interpretation is missed or not attended to by a significant proportion of visitors and that visitors would like greater access to information.
- Additional consultation is taking place on an ongoing basis with a local user led access group, Cirencester Access Group, to proactively work to ensure that we meet as diverse access requirements as possible. This relationship will continue in a monitoring capacity once the new build is complete to continue to evaluate its accessibility and functionality.
- We will comply with Building Regulations and the DDA requirements for the capital build elements.
- The Conservation Management Plan June 2009 recommended that car parking be removed from the middle of the listed Downs to improve visitor understanding of the heritage of the site.
Summary of Impact
- The evidence from the Cirencester Access Group tells us that the design is optimising (where cost effective) access for all.
- The opportunity to provide new interpretation at a central point that all visitors pass through means that the interpretation offered to visitors can reach more people, and that we can (where appropriate) target interpretation at specific groups of visitors, for example through induction loop, through audio. The use of a language line maybe implemented, this will be discussed in further detail in the Interpretation Strategy for Westonbirt.
- The installation of an information desk at the point of arrival means that those visitors whose needs are not immediately met by static interpretative provision can receive additional flexible and personal help and support.
- The consultation evidence we are gathering during the design process and beyond aims to identify any negative impacts and where cost effective negate those impacts.
Monitoring/Evaluation
- A monitoring and evaluation plan has not yet been devised for the project, this will be developed over the next year.
- We have no information about how our current arrival experience impacts on users with a specific sexual orientation or religion.
Further Information
Sophie Nash,
Project Support Officer
Tel: 01666 691 252