Parks for People Project

Central Bedfordshire Council and Houghton Regis Town Council were awarded a grant of £2.2 million to transform the Houghton Hall Park as part of the 'Renaissance and Renewal Project' from the Heritage and Big Lottery Funds ‘Parks for People' grant scheme.

This transformation was completed in October 2017 when the new visitor centre was open to the public. This project has protected the park and its heritage while delivering multiple community benefits, making Houghton Regis a better place to live, work and visit.

This funding was used to fulfil multiple outcomes to benefit the local community, including:

• Construction of a new visitor centre with a café and visitor toilets
• Re-creation of the historic formal and kitchen gardens that previously served Houghton Hall with a dedicated Community Gardener
• Introduction of children’s play equipment, including accessible play for all
• A diverse calendar of events and activities coordinated by Houghton Regis Town Council
• Landscape restoration to recreate historic views across the park to Houghton Hall
• Introduction of new surfaced paths forming a circular loop through the site
• New visitor welcome signage, waymarking, website and leaflets
• Increased visitor car parking availability

The park is also supported by a team of incredible volunteers who tirelessly work to maintain high standards throughout the site and ensure that it is a delightful, shared space for all.

The park's attributes were formally recognised in 2019 when the site received a Green Flag award, which has been retained ever since. This scheme acknowledges well-managed parks and green spaces, measuring against benchmarked standards for managing recreational outdoor spaces in the UK and beyond. The park has also been awarded a Cheering Volunteering award for Volunteer Team of the Year, as well as a CPRE Living Countryside Award.

Governance

Formal governance for the park management was established to proceed with the large-scale works associated with the Parks for People project. The park is managed under the framework of a Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) between Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) and Houghton Regis Town Council (HRTC). HRTC has been delegated power as the site's operating manager, including the land formally retained under the land ownership of CBC. At the park, there is a small team of full-time Houghton Regis Town Council officers who run the site's day-to-day operations.

A new Joint Venture Agreement between the two land owners was drawn up with a Strategic Objective “to jointly develop and manage the Estate as an important heritage site which is commercially sustainable and supportive of the Parties’ own aims and objectives.”

A Project Management Board was established, comprised of representatives of the two organisations. The Management Board is responsible for identifying priorities for action, overseeing the financial management of the Joint Venture and ensuring the overall park is managed in accordance with grant conditions imposed by Parks for People. The Board can be nominated as a decision-making authority for strategic considerations for the park where appropriate. The JVA recommends three nominated members from each authority to be on the board.

A ‘Management Advisory Group’ was also established, comprising representatives from each landowner and representatives from other interested parties/stakeholder groups. The Management Advisory Group acts as an operational advisory body, making recommendations to the Management Board, but does not act as a decision-making authority.

For any queries or further information, please use the Contact page on this website.