Surrey Countryside Estate Partnership Business Plan 2018/19
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Surrey Countryside Estate Partnership Business Plan 2018/19
Executive Summary
This Business Plan sets out plans agreed by the Partnership, Surrey County Council (SCC) and Surrey Wildlife
Trust (SWT) for the management of the Countryside Estate. The 10,000 acres has been managed by the
Partnership since 2002. The Estate is hugely important to the wellbeing of Surrey residents and visitors as
well as having an extremely high nature conservation value.
In 2013 the Partnership agreed to work towards the Estate becoming self-financing by 2021 and huge
progress has been made in changing the profile of income to run the Estate since then, demonstrating how
adaptable the Estate can be to different approaches to its management. This Business Plan sets out how
the Partnership will continue to work towards this self-supporting vision in 2018/19 by focussing on key
income-generating activity. The projects set out in this plan will be supported by staff in the partnership
through progression and investment in income generating projects. Each project will be developed
individually within the partnership and arrangements for risk, investment and longer term additional
income will be determined following the business case and before implementation.
Partnership working to maximise the skills available within the two organisations will be crucial in delivering
the next stage of income generation as we work together to:
1. Consult with the public on our Strategy for the Countryside Estate to determine how we prioritise
future activities on the Estate
2. Evaluate and make substantial financial commitments and investments in sustainable income
generating projects, and
3. Unlock current barriers to progress.
As funding from SCC gradually reduces to nil by 2021, the pressure for replacement income generated from
the Estate is increasing and is crucial in determining the level of funds available for land management on
the Estate and the savings to SCC. Many of the easier projects to generate income have been implemented
and are contributing revenue. This year the Partnership will be working on larger, more ambitious activities
and investments as well as expanding current and other projects.
Sustainability is inherent within the government’s 25 year Environment Plan alongside using our land
respectfully and protecting resources. By working towards a financially self-sustaining Estate now, we begin
to bridge the gap between conserving the environment today and ensuring its long term sustainable
management; before we pass it on to the next generation. It remains an opportune time for the Estate to
be establishing an infrastructure of income generating activities and revenue; and the Partnership remains
committed to this joint aspiration in building the Estate’s future.
1. Introduction
This Business Plan sets out a delivery programme for the Partnership in 2018/19 on the land which makes
up Surrey County Council’s Countryside Estate (the Estate). The Partnership between Surrey County
Council (SCC) and Surrey Wildlife Trust (SWT) was formally established in 2002 when 10,000 acres of
countryside owned, or managed under access agreement by SCC, was leased to SWT for 50 years. Next year
a longer term Business Plan for a three year period will be drafted to forecast the change in income up to
2021/22 and beyond. Progress will be updated annually in each new plan.
The two organisations work in partnership to manage and maintain the Estate via a formal governing and
reporting structure. Management of the Estate is led by SWT as leaseholders of the land and is supported
by SCC.
13,500 acres of the total are managed for access only under access agreements with private landowners,
namely the Wotton Estate, Puttenham Common on the Hampton Estate and Newlands Corner on the
Albury Estate, St Martha’s Hill and Silent Pool.
The Partnership’s challenges have historically been to manage the countryside in a manner which is
sympathetic to and conserves its heritage and wildlife importance, while recognising its popularity and high
visitor pressure. The Partnership has made huge progress in this area with over 99% of the Estate’s SSSI
sites now deemed to be in favourable or favourable recovering condition by Natural England. Maintaining
this standard and improving the visitor’s experience are key priorities for this year and still form the main
part of the work programme.
Modern challenges and budgetary pressures have focused the Partnership’s plans on the longer term
financial sustainability of the Estate. With an ever decreasing resource available from traditional sources to
fund conservation, public access and wellbeing activities within both organisations, the Partnership has
looked to appropriate sustainable sources to maintain its work programme. Developing income generating
activity now forms the third objective of the Business Plan and is crucial to facilitating the longer term
sustainability of the Estate, putting the environment first and ensuring we pass it on to the next generation,
protected and enhanced.
Purpose
This Business Plan sets out the priorities for 2018/19 and which actions will be carried out to deliver the
vision and objectives set out below.
A more detailed work programme outside of the business plan is created and managed by the Delivery
Body. It sets out how each action will be delivered, who is responsible, the time frame for delivery, the
resources required and any barriers to delivery already identified. Milestones and key performance
indicators are included for each action to measure progress and inform decisions.
This enables the Partnership to work effectively in a joint capacity and will be used by the Delivery Body to
monitor progress, prioritise the resolution of any barriers to delivery and provide strategic support.
The Estate
Surrey’s countryside is a very diverse and well used part of the county. Its uniqueness is derived from its
reliance and interconnection with its local urban areas, with much of the county being located in the
Metropolitan Green Belt of London. Home to a population of 1.1m, Surrey is the third-most populous
county in the South East.
The Estate provides a significant area of land for open-air access and enjoyment by residents of Surrey and
visitors. Estimates indicate that significant visits are made to the Estate each year, including many repeat
visitors, making the Estate one of the most popular countryside sites in Surrey and the South East.
A large proportion of the Estate is of high international and national nature conservation value, and as such
is subject to specific statutory requirements to conserve and enhance the biodiversity of the land. 75% of
the Estate is designated as a Special Area for Conservation (SAC), Special Protection Area (SPA), Site of
Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), National Nature Reserve (NNR), Site of Nature Conservation Importance
(SNCI) or other protected area designation. SWT actively manages the Estate to meet the targets for the
statutory requirements. The whole Estate is accessible on foot, with 58% designated open access land
under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.
Surrey is the most wooded county in England with 23% coverage compared to a national average of 10%
(Forestry Commission, 2017). It also contains England’s principal concentration of lowland heath, on sandy
soils in the west of the county. In the last 200 years Surrey has seen a decline of 85% of its heathland. Our
heathland was once a ‘royal’ heath used extensively for hunting in the 16th century and had important
historical use i.e. grazing, gathering turf, bracken and heather that created the mosaic of high quality open
2land. However, it remains crucial to rare and endangered wildlife and plantlife which is reflected in the
many sites designated for nature conservation. The Thames Basin Heaths Special Protected Area is of global
importance to birds with a number of key sites: Thursley National Nature Reserve (NNR), Ash, Pirbright and
Chobham Special Areas of Conservation and Chobham Common NNR, all home to breeding populations of
Dartford Warblers, Woodlarks and Nightjars. Wisley Common is as important for birds, as well as being a
strategically important site for dragonflies and damselflies.
The Mole Gap to Reigate Escarpment Special Area of Conservation is an area of chalk downland which
supports the internationally protected Great Crested Newt, Dormouse and several rare bats, including
Bechstein’s Bat. There are also large but fragmented areas of nationally significant calcareous grassland,
which support an important assemblage of orchid species. At the western end is Norbury Park, close to the
National Trust’s Box Hill. Both have Box scrub which is unique in the UK and stands of Beech and Yew
dominated woodland, which are of national significance.
Despite being England’s most wooded county, Surrey countryside is made up of a high proportion of
common and access land as well as important agricultural land and forestry. Surrey also provides much in
the way of rural leisure facilities for its residents and has an extensive network of footpaths.
1. Vision
The partnership aims to jointly protect and restore Surrey’s landscape and provide access. These principles
form the backbone of the Partnership Agreement and this Business Plan’s activities.
The Vision for the Estate is:
“To improve biodiversity and maintain access for recreation, health and wellbeing for current and
future generations.”
During 2018/19 the Partnership will be engaging with our stakeholders to put together a twenty-five year
Strategy for the Countryside Estate which may refine this vision for 2019 onwards. The Strategy will steer
future annual business planning by the Partnership and set priorities for the Estate. It will be launched by
2019, the year of Action for the Environment.
Objectives:
Maintaining a high quality natural environment and enhancing the visitor experience form the first two key
objectives in the business plan.
A third and key area of focus for the Partnership over the next five years is to establish a sustainable
financial model for maintaining the sites in their favourable conservation state and providing an enhanced
visitor experience. The Partnership has faced serious financial constraints which has led to internal
restructuring in both organisations, but also meant a key focus has needed to be on generating income
from the Estate to enable the management of the Estate to continue to be carried out. The financial
support provided by SCC to the Estate’s running costs is now in continuous decline and the Partnership is
working towards the Estate being self-sufficient financially by 2021.
Actions within this Business Plan will contribute towards this, as well as areas for business development,
contingency and processes to ensure this financial aspiration remains on track throughout the year.
For 2018/19 the Partnership’s Objectives are:
1. To manage the Countryside Estate and provide locations which
a. Are fit for purpose for the public to enjoy Surrey’s countryside and activities that
promote health and wellbeing
b. Inspire and educate people of all ages to learn about and enjoy the countryside
32. To manage the Estate to connect open spaces, provide large areas for wildlife to thrive and
maintain its high quality landscape character
3. To deliver a combination of targeted income generation projects and efficiency savings which
enable the Estate to break even at the end of the year
Achievements
Over the last 15 years, the Partnership has worked successfully to manage Surrey’s countryside.
Achievements of particular note in relation to the above objectives are set out below.
Objective 1:
Volunteering input has grown year on year. In 2016/17 the number of volunteer days increased by
14% and equated to a monetary value of over £260,000 in man power.
The Partnership engages with its users and neighbours on a number of levels. SWT runs four formal
liaison groups and carries out an annual survey of visitors to the Estate’s sites.
Objective 2:
An extensive programme of conservation work carried out by SWT has meant the Estate is in a
good and improving condition to support the wildlife. The proportion of sites graded as being in
‘favourable/ favourable-recovering condition’ by Natural England has increased dramatically from
67% to 99%.
The Partnership uses joint strategies to facilitate and guide working practices such as the Joint
Sustainable Woodland Policy (2015) and Woodland Strategy (2016).
All sites have a Management Plan in place. These are updated on a rolling basis and form the basis
for work carried out on each site.
Objective 3:
Since 2002 the Partnership has continually made savings, and in the past seven years the direct
contribution from SCC has reduced from £1.2M to the £450k in 2018/19. This does not account for
inflation and represents a significant achievement.
The partnership organisations have both undergone staff restructuring in 2016/17 to create more
efficient and effective ways of managing the estate.
The Partnership is working together to implement car parking charges in 16 of the 30 car parks on
the Estate by Summer 2018.
Car parking charges will be implemented at Newlands Corner by Summer 2018
£80,000 was successfully sourced from grant funding in 2016/17 for improved visitor facilities.
Income from trading activities has risen from £41,000 (2013/14) to £238,000 (2017/18)
The income generated from the built Property portfolio has increased from £397,000 (2013/14) to
£549,000 (2017/18), an increase of 38%.
90% of property on all sites is let at market rent and the revenue from property is constant.
Norbury Park Wood Products has received investment in 2016/17 to enable it to operate as a
standalone business unit within the Estate and potentially producing a regular income.
2. Governance and Reporting
4Management of the Estate is governed by a structure which supports officers’ operational work and
provides scrutiny at a strategic level.
1) A small Operational Team made up of relevant officers from each organisation meets monthly to
review work programme progress; co-ordinate work across partnership organisations; review and
monitor risks and make progress on resolving barriers to progress.
2) A Delivery Body meets quarterly: The officer group of key operational and managerial SCC and
SWT personnel is responsible for delivery of the Business Plan, monitoring progress and bringing
projects forward where necessary to ensure the objectives are met.
3) A Partnership Committee meets twice a year: A wider body involving both partners to ensure
investments are based on sound plans and provide a steer on strategic issues. This group involves
senior officers from SWT and SCC covering Countryside, Finance, Property and Legal. Its aim is to
provide strategic input to the work programme and ensure business cases are well-prepared before
seeking approval from both SCC’s and SWT’s Investment panels.
4) An Officer Scrutiny Group: Led by Head of Place Development at SCC and includes Officer
representatives to scrutinise the robustness of business cases.
5) A Business Plan Board: comprising the Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, the
Cabinet Member for Property and Business Services and two Trustees; Chairman and a Trustee who
has a background in the finance and business sector.
Internal Reviews to take place in 2018/19
2018 will see the completion of the first year of the new delivery structure in SWT (Central
Work Programme – CWP) and allow an assessment of its impact and any adjustments to be
made.
The KPIs and SDS guide and determine the main outcomes expected from the Partnership.
These were last set in 2014/15 and have now largely been achieved. SWT and SCC will jointly
determine a revised set of KPIs and they will be updated by June 2018/19.
Partnership audit on governance with proposals for improvements to partnership working
The Annual Business planning cycle will be revised to enable a 3 year forecast for planning
purposes.
3. Income and Business Development
The income portfolio for the Estate has changed dramatically over the last four years and will continue to
do so in 2018/19. Whilst total spend on the Estate has marginally increased, the contribution from SCC has
reduced from 47% in 2013/14 to 20% in 2018/9. The increase in property revenue has increased from 20%
to 24% and trading income has increased from 2% in 2013/14 to 38% in 2018/19. The Partnership’s efforts
over this period has shown how resilient the Estate can be when its assets are used to best effect.
A summary of gross income to the estate in 2017/18 and that anticipated in 2018/19 (split into targets for
each area of income) is given below.
2017/18 2018/19
Income
1. Income
Rental Income £548,904 £576,007
Norbury Park Wood Products: Timber
Trading £300,980 £323,071
5Countryside Trading Activities: Filming,
Events and Weddings, Improving
Visitor Facilities, Woodland
Management and Woodfuel. £238,377 £177,495
Vehicle Charging £0 £378,666
2. Grants
Grants (incl. Agri-environment grants) £315,154 £333,694
Project Grants £27,500 £60,000
3. SCC Contribution
SCC £575,000 £450,000
TOTAL £2,005,915 £2,298,933
Trends and Priorities for 2018/19
Property Rental income has grown through proactive management and continuing to ensure market rents
are achieved across the property portfolio. Under existing investment levels, the proposed income from
property continues to be a backbone of the budget with nearly £600,000 a year.
Car Parking charges are the main new source of income this year with fees expecting to generate
approximately £378,000 in the first 12 months at 16 of the 30 car parking sites. This includes the following
areas: Chobham Common, Rodborough Common, Norbury Park, Whitmoor Common and Ockham
Common. Various models have been considered and a card and mobile payment method will be
introduced. Implementation will take place in 2018/19. Alongside implementation, detailed plans will be
drawn up for improvements to car parks and or visitor information provision. This is a key part of the work
programme in 2018/19 and essential to demonstrating our commitment to improving the visitor
experience for the residents of Surrey. It has been facilitated by an investment loan from SCC.
Timber, as a raw material, is the third highest income for the Estate. As seen in the following activities:
Woodland Management activity was accelerated in 2017/18 by SWT to compensate for delays in other
areas of income development. The Partnership agreed a Sustainable Woodland Policy, a Woodland
Strategy with the Forestry Commission. The first agreed woodland harvesting plans were implemented in
winter 2016 and have continued in 2017. Additional sites are now being actively managed, the income
forecast based on expected harvest plans across multiple sites and calculated using the average annual
income for standing timber. This is a profitable area of the Estate with income expected to be £47,000 and
operating costs predicted to be £15,000.
An initiative to sell Woodfuel was launched in 2017 and is expected to grow in 2018/19 to £52,000.
Investment in the business was made more attractive when an application to the Enterprise M3 LEP was
successful. Whilst capital investment will continue to be paid back in 2018/19, sales are anticipated to
grow, enabling the business to continue towards making a small profit in 2019/20.
In recent years Norbury Park Wood Products has delivered outputs in line with the Partnership’s business
planning. The enterprise has improved efficiency, broadened the product range and increased the gross
margin through investments to production and equipment. The business broke even last year and is
forecast to make a marginal surplus again in 2018/19 of £2,000. With sales equating to £323,000, the cost
of sales is £89,000, staff costs £190,000 and other costs are £42,000. A new Business Plan will be prepared
in 2018 to reflect the need to generate more net income.
Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG): SANGs form part of the Thames Basin Heaths Special
Protection Area (TBH SPA) Avoidance Strategy. They are a provision to mitigate the impact on the TBH of
housing developments. In perpetuity funding is provided by developers and often involves a mixture of
6capital improvement costs alongside an ongoing revenue contribution. The Estate has a number of sites,
including Little Heath and Bisley which have been selected as suitable for SANG provision and this will help
provide increased visitor facilities in some key areas. The figures will be formalised with SCC during 2018/19
financial year.
Agri-environmental grants generate approximately £334,000 in income, of which £123k comes from the
Basic Payment Scheme (BPS). New Countryside Stewardship (CS) will become available on various
protected sites in the next few years. In 2017 Ockham and Norbury Park were moved to the Countryside
Stewardship Scheme. Income from this source will increase from £318,000 to £334,000 in 2018/19.
In the coming years CS is expected to provide a higher income than the existing scheme although there will
be a temporary fall in income in 2019/20 as there is an expected transitional period between the two
schemes. There is a core risk associated with the consequences of Brexit. In particular income that comes
from BPS. Currently the Government is consulting on capping the level of income that land managers can
receive from BPS. Such capping would seriously affect the level of income from this source.
Project grants produced work covering £80,000 in 2016/17. Over £27,000 was sourced in 2017/18 and
£60,000 will be sourced in 2018/19.
Income from other activities such as weddings, Christmas tree sales, events, visitor facilities and filming are
expected to continue to generate an additional £72,000 in turnover in 2018/19.
See Annex 1 for a detailed forecast of income and expenditure.
A summary of the net Income from each project into the budget is given below:
Projected Net Profit by Project 2017/18 2018/19
Vehicle Charging £0 £113,275
Woodland Management £86,613 £32,028
Wood Fuel (£28,971) (£18,025)
Property £102,647 £126,201
Mobile Catering, Filming, Programme of
£68,217 £72,142
Events and Environmental Education
Norbury Park Wood Products £711 £1,630
TOTAL £229,217 £327,254
Development projects included in this year’s Business Plan are split into three different types of projects.
The first are primary projects which, if carried out successfully this year will meet the income targets set
out in the income table above.
The second type are secondary projects which also form part of the work programme for 2018/19. Income
from these projects is not yet included in the income targets, but can be used to supplement the budget or
fill funding gaps should primary projects be hindered by barriers to progress.
A third type of project is one which is being pursued, but may be dependent upon a third party coming
forward to support delivery. These opportunities remain at the forefront of partnership planning and will
also be prioritised when they occur to boost the Estate’s income or fill gaps.
Income will be monitored on a quarterly basis by the Delivery Body; and secondary projects brought
forward to fill funding gaps where required.
7Primary projects for 2018/19 are set out below:
Income Generation on the Countryside Estate – Primary Projects
Project Current Status Work to be carried out in
2018/19
Vehicle Charging at Newlands Corner Full Business Case, Implementation and
commencing monitoring, Formalise the
implementation following agreement with the Albury
completion of negotiations Estate; Drafting and
with the Albury Estate implementation of a plan
for improvements to
facilities using funds raised.
Vehicle Charging at other sites Outline Business case Implementation and
approved by Cabinet, due monitoring; Drafting and
to implement June/July Implementation of a plan
2018 for improvements to car
parks and information
boards using funds raised.
Increasing rental income through Business Case top level Development of detailed
improvements to property portfolio costings obtained. plans and costings. Review
of finance options and
consideration by SCC/SWT
within the context of all SCC
property. Implementation
2019/20.
Sustainable Woodland Management Outline Business Case Implementation and
Winter 2016, continued in monitoring.
winter 2017/8
Implementation has
started, brought forward in
2017/18
Filming Implemented. Funding Ongoing promotional
sourced to develop website activities and
and showcase potential implementation.
filming locations on the
estate. Launch in 2017
Weddings Implementation from Ongoing promotional
August 2016. activities and
implementation. 5 booked
for 2018/9
Mobile Catering Implemented. Partners Expand to additional sites
identified and
implemented March 2017
8Events Implemented. Area of Refining contract
growth in 2016/17. Hosted arrangements with event
by third parties. Pricing organisers; ongoing
structure reviewed. Events implementation and is
include Prudential Ride expected to include
London, Guildford Half Outdoor Cinema for
Marathon, 'Little Welly' 2018/19.
event, National Girl Guide
Jamboree and National
Archery event.
Norbury Park Wood Products Implemented. Marketing and Promotion to
(NPWP) expand the marketplace and
profitability. Review of
business plan in 2018/19
Secondary Projects which will be brought forward to fill funding gaps are set out below:
Income Generation on the Countryside Estate – Secondary Projects
Project Current Status Work to be carried out in
2018/19
Tourist/ Leisure Facility (camping, Management plan drafted To form part of the Strategy
café and adventure activities) for conservation and access for the Estate in 2018/9.
work. Spatial Plan and Business
case developed in 2018/19
to include income
generating opportunities
and grant funding.
Camping/ Glamping experience Sites identified and Detailed business case.
undertaking preparatory
work.
Ockham Common Visitor Facility Outline Business case. Develop to outline business
Improvements. case with extended
consultation.
SANG Provision Sites identified. Outline Business Plan and
agreed MOU between SCC
and SWT.
9Income Generation on the Countryside Estate – Projects that rely on Third Party Operators
Coming forward
Project Current Status Work may be brought
forward in 2018/19
Private Hire Venue – possibly at Explored and buildings Business Case produced.
Norbury Farm identified as part of the
property proposal.
Fitness Providers Explored as opportunities Recruit providers with local
have arisen. licences and begin Business
Case.
Retail Static Explored opportunities Incorporate into the Spatial
with one provider. Plan for Norbury and begin
Business Case.
Farm Park Location included in Review all locations and
property proposal. begin Business Case for
investment.
Holiday Camps Explored as opportunities Recruit providers with local
have arisen. licences and begin Business
Case.
Grant Funding is also a source of income to the Estate. The following areas will be explored in 2018/9 to
secure the income targets set out above.
Potential Grant Funding on the Countryside Estate:
Project Current Status Work to be carried out in 2018/19
Grant Funding such as Lottery Funds secured for visitor Review opportunities for similar
Funding, Landfill funds, Charitable access and educational applications on all sites in
Trust etc. provision; to improve the conjunction with drafting of car
visitor experience in park improvement plans, where
2016/17. any Estate funds could be used as
match funding.
Agri-Environment Grants Movement to Countryside Implementation of transition to CS.
Stewardship grants - Agree Chobham Common in
Norbury Park and Wisley 2018/19. Monitor and review
have been agreed with effects on grant funding received
Natural England.
Grants for Rural Enterprise Grants have been secured Grant applications to be reviewed
for various projects from in each business case for new
the LEPs towards income.
enterprise development.
4. Expenditure and Operational Work Programme
10Expenditure
Expenditure 2017/8 2018/9
Cost of Sales £106,779 £115,469
Staff £911,689 £977,887
Motor Vehicles £71,784 £82,840
Land Management and Associated costs £320,953 £377,203
Equipment and Depreciation £46,231 £82,086
Property Management £301,170 £291,299
Vehicle Charging £0 £139,213
Other costs £244,887 £232,936
TOTAL £2,003,492 £2,298,933
There are predicted increases to the cost of sales, staffing, motor vehicles, equipment and land
management, all are related to the operational costs of delivering the vehicle charging and the new
woodfuel enterprise. Vehicle charging includes associated rates and the payment costs to the Albury
Estate.
Other costs include communications, IT, insurance, professional fees, marketing costs for trading activities,
overhead recovery and travel costs for volunteers (equates to 10% of gross income).
5. Resourcing and Dedicated Staff
SWT undertake the management of the Estate. The internal structure of dedicated officers to the Business
Plan and associated KPIs are set out in Annex 3. Please note that the roles are dedicated accordingly. Staff
are a mixture of full-time and part-time. In addition SWT contributes a significant element of central
support to the Partnership equivalent to 3 FTE.
Key Roles and Responsibilities
SWT is now implementing a Centralised Work Programme (CWP) following a staff restructuring in 2017.
The CWP requires a smaller, more mobile and therefore flexible workforce. Rather than have rangers
dedicated to particular areas of the Estate, all services are managed centrally and grouped by tasks rather
than geographical area. This means staff are specialist in their area and provide their services to the whole
Estate. Much of the maintenance work is carried out by volunteers or is contracted out to local and
specialist contractors.
SWT Staff that work on the Estate are split into the following roles:
Land Agent:
The Land Agent will be responsible for implementing, overseeing a portfolio of residential tenanted
dwellings, farms and associated buildings, workshops and businesses.
Visitor and Commercial Development Manager:
11The Visitor and Commercial Development Manager will develop and implement commercial initiatives and
form a key part of developing a long-term strategy towards sustainable land management and
improvements to the visitor facilities, retail products from sites/ activities, developing outdoor recreation
and leisure facilities and services.
Estate Manager:
The core role of the Estate Manager is to manage, motivate and focus the Estate Team so that as a group
they deliver the objectives of the Trust whilst delivering efficient use of SWT resources.
Liaison Officers:
The core role of the Liaison Officer is to provide the communication link between the Trust and our
Partners, Stakeholders, members of the public, neighbours and all those with whom we have contact in the
course of our work following ecological management plans and meeting our statutory and contractual
obligations.
Practical Task Leader:
The core role of the three Practical Task Leaders is to engage with and lead the Trust’s volunteers in order
to manage required works across the Estate in line with approved management plans and in order to meet
our statutory and contractual obligations.
Surveyors:
The core role of the two Countryside Surveyors is to regularly monitor our sites to observe a site specific set
of ecological and management features and feedback records so that the Trust can ensure it is complying
with management plans and meeting our statutory and contractual obligations. Works will then be
identified and planned in consultation with the Estate Manager. The Countryside Surveyor will aid in the
delivery of these works via organising contractors or passing the works to the volunteer leaders.
Administrator:
The Administrator handles all incoming calls and general enquiries, full administrative and secretarial
support and prepares and manages systems for logging information so that effective decisions can be
made.
SCC contributes funding annually as part of the Agreement for Services, although this will be reduced to
zero over the next three years, following an agreement made in 2014. SCC also provides a considerable
amount of staff time to deliver or support actions within this Business Plan. Additional funds are considered
on a project by project basis and decisions made in alignment with SCC priorities. In 2018/19 SCC will be
contributing £450,000 (or less depending on income generated) to core funding to deliver this Business
Plan. The Countryside Team at SCC have the equivalent of 2 FTE working on the Estate’s Business Plan and
SCC Property Section input time in supporting the property activities on the Estate. SCC Communications
Team also support projects and FOI Inquiries.
12Focus for 2018/19:
The last year has demonstrated that there is a shortage of capacity and additional skills to accelerate all of
the income generating projects identified in the plan. This will be addressed in 2018/19 by bringing in
those additional skills once funding has been identified.
During the transition from a place based structure to a central work programme the volunteering
programme experienced a dip in output during 2017/18. This is now supported by the Practical Task
Leaders now in place.
Liaison with the local community was previously carried out by rangers and place-based officers. With a
smaller team of skilled officers dedicated to this task, this area of work will support the consultation which
will be needed with local residents and groups on the Norbury Park Management Plan, Ockham Common
visitor improvements and existing commercial activity as well as maintaining an open and transparent
dialogue with visitors and local residents.
The main impact of moving to a more efficient model of operation is the change-over in management style
from being proactive on site and being able to attend to issues immediately, to having to be more
reactionary to comments, complaints and issues. Whilst measures were put in place in 2017/18 to monitor
complaints and issues more accurately these will be supported in 2018/19 by the following:
- Encouraging visitors and residents to report particular issues.
- Ensuring all boards explain the things we need to know about and how they can be reported.
6. Efficiencies and Cost Savings
SWT made £80,000 net cost savings within the budget in 2017/18 through the efficiency changes made to
their operating structure. This follows a previous restructuring in 2016/17 aimed at reducing the operating
costs.
7. Feedback and Consultation
Feedback from users of the Estate and local residents is essential to our understanding of how effectively
the Estate is being managed and how we are interacting with our neighbours. This is even more crucial in
2018/19 to help us monitor the changes in management structure on delivery and assessing the impact of
car parking charges
A Visitor survey is carried out annually on two sites per annum to provide the Partnership with feedback on
the profile and satisfaction rates of our visitors.
Liaison officers are dedicated to managing interaction with the key stakeholders and delivering structured
Local Liaison groups on a regular basis.
The Partnership also maintains a monthly log of complaints and manages all Freedom of Information
requests collaboratively.
Feedback is reviewed quarterly and annually through the Delivery body and key issues are escalated to the
Partnership Body.
8. Risks and Contingency Planning This could include the Challenges as well.
13A risk register is maintained by the Operations Team to monitor financial, political and operational risks.
This is reviewed regularly by the Delivery body and appropriate measures agreed. The Partnership Body is
regularly updated about key risks and major developments.
The key risk for both partners in 2018/19 is a failure to generate the income forecast. This is particularly
important for both organisations since income needs to grow year on year as SCC’s partnership
contributions decrease. Any set back will have a knock on effect on future years. To mitigate this risk, a
contingency plan has been drafted to identify secondary projects which could be brought forward if delays
are incurred on primary priority projects, although do not represent a project of equal financial income.
Since we are dealing with larger projects this year, there are lead times for all projects and whilst
channelling resources into secondary projects, may bring forward the income scheduled at a later date, it
may not necessarily be within the timeframe needed. As a result, the Delivery Body will monitor income
very closely this year and make decisions on whether projects need to be brought forward on a quarterly
basis and taking lead times and resources available into account.
The Partnership maintains a risks and issues log to jointly maintain a register of issues and concerns to be
addressed. FOI requests are usually managed jointly. An increase in income generating activities has
generated a heightened level of correspondence which has diverted resources from practical work on the
ground.
The table below sets out a summary of the main risks for delivery of the Business Plan in 2018/9. There is a
separate detailed risk register (individual business cases have specific risk assessments, which are not
included here).
Nature of Risk Mitigation
Political / Reputational: Generating income Key projects include plans to consult with
from the Countryside Estate is unpopular with stakeholders and manage communication with
some residents who believe it should be free to the wider public. New project plans take into
access and funded by Govt. Some opportunities account consultation needs and provide on-
may be delayed or stopped due to public site interpretation.
opposition.
Brexit and other External factors: as previously Brexit creates a significant risk concerning the
highlighted there are many factors outside the agri-environmental schemes which brings over
control of either party e.g. Brexit, which is likely £330,000 (Av.) into the Estate.
to have a significant impact on the Business Plan
over the next five years. In the short-term it appears that sites that
have an HLS Grant and that end before we
leave the EU can be funded by Countryside
Stewardship. SWT to monitor this situation but
there is increasing concern about Basic
Payment Scheme eligibility which contributed
£123,000 of income towards the Estate. The
Government have started a consultation
concerning capping the contribution.
Developing new income streams that are not
reliant on EU funding will be a priority over the
next few years.
Planning/Legislation: In places Planning Consent Project plans include allowances for the time
and potentially Commons Consent will be taken to ensure all consents that are required
required for some initiatives – the time this can be obtained in time. Reporting processes
takes can be unpredictable. will ensure that delays are brought to the
attention of project boards so that remedial
14action can be taken.
Clarification is being sought on what does and
does not require commons consent.
Project plans will identify all the permission
required and allow time to get them in place.
Financial: Whilst the assumptions underlying Business cases are signed off by project boards
the business cases are well researched and who will take external advice where
based on external advice – applying them in appropriate. Quarterly reporting processes
new situations can throw up impacts that have ensure that financial impacts are brought to
not been predicted. the attention of the Delivery Body at an early
stage and can be mitigated using the
contingency plan and Secondary priority
projects.
Investment: Gaining investment approval needs SCC and SWT will work together to build
to be efficient in order not to create delays in robust business cases to support any required
project implementation. This is particularly investment.
important for the new cornerstone projects of
Camping/ Glamping, Property, Woodfuel and
future plans for wider Vehicle Charging.
Resources: Both organisations have limited The Delivery Body will endeavour to bridge the
resources – delivering these plans will be very resource gap for business development.
stretching and require careful planning and
effective co-operation.
9. KPI Reporting
Service delivery is monitored through Key Performance Indicators, reviewed quarterly by the Delivery Body
and monitored by the Partnership Body. These are set out in Annex 2 and will have mostly been achieved
by the end of 2017/18.
As set out under the Governance structure section above, the Delivery body will update and agree new KPIs
by September in 2018/19.
15Annex 1: Income and Expenditure
SCC CE PARTNERSHIP BUSINESS PLAN
2018: INCOME AND EXPENDITURE Forecast Budget Projection
Notes FY17/18 FY18/19 FY19/20
INCOME £ £ £
Vehicle Charging 1 0 378,666 556,000
Countryside Trading and Other Income 2 265,961 237,495 297,785
Property Income 3 548,904 576,007 664,749
NPWP Sales 4 300,980 323,071 350,605
Agir-environmental Grants 5 315,154 333,694 313,534
TOTAL INCOME - EXCL. SCC AGREEMENT 1,430,999 1,848,933 2,182,674
SCC Agreement 6 574,917 450,000 305,800
TOTAL INCOME - INCL. SCC AGREEMENT 2,000,915 2,298,933 2,488,474
COST OF SALES
Cost of Sales 106,779 115,469 129,553
TOTAL COST OF SALES 107,985 115,469 129,553
STAFF COSTS
Staff Salaries & NI 7 787,916 860,827 900,372
Pensions Contribution 8 86,798 77,028 78,226
Other Staff Costs 36,976 40,033 45,942
TOTAL STAFF COSTS 911,689 977,887 1,024,540
EXPENDITURE
Motor vehicles 9 71,784 82,840 89,111
Land Management and assoc. costs 10 320,953 377,203 392,657
Equipment & Depreciation 11 46,231 82,086 101,503
Property Management 12 301,170 291,299 302,218
Vehicle Charging 13 0 139,213 202,691
Other Costs 14 244,887 232,936 246,200
TOTAL EXPENDITURE (NON STAFF) 983,023 1,205,577 1,334,381
TOTAL EXPENDITURE (STAFF & NON-
STAFF) 2,003,492 2,298,933 2,488,474
SURPLUS/(DEFICIT) 0 0 0
16The table above includes the budget Income and Expenditure for the Partnership for the Financial Years
2017-18 to 2019/20.
1) Vehicle Charging: Includes the income derived from introducing vehicle charging at Newlands
Corner and across the Estate.
2) Trading and Other Income: Includes income from licences and other activities such as filming,
weddings, environmental education and Christmas tree sales. Increased income comes from
expanding commercial income on activities such as Woodland Management, Woodfuel, Camping/
Glamping and Fundraising.
3) Property Income: Includes the rents earned from SCC owned property, including masts and Ryka’s
transferred to SWT under the Partnership agreement.
4) NPWP Sales: Includes sales of oak garden furniture and other green oak products. Revenue will be
grown through increasing kiln dried wood and product sales and more effective marketing and
sales approaches.
5) Agri-environmental grants schemes: These comprise the Higher Level Stewardship/Countryside
Stewardship Grants and Basic Payment Scheme which fund commitments under long-term agri-
environmental grants. The Trust will be aiming to move HLS schemes over to Countryside
Stewardship.
6) SCC Income: SCC’s contribution has reduced from £959,000 in FY2013-14 by £534,000 in FY2018-
19. The proposed contributions for the years to 2019/20 are shown. The level of contribution
shown in the MTFP of SCC is 2019/20 £250,000.
7) Staff Salaries and NI: Savings reflect the restructuring of the Countryside Management team to
provide a stronger focus on income generating activities, the Key Performance Indicators and other
land-related obligations.
8) Pension Costs: Include those staff on SWT contracts plus those transferred under TUPE from SCC at
the inception of the agreement.
9) Other staff costs: Includes training of staff and volunteer rangers, uniform, health & safety and
other staff benefits.
10) Land Management and associated costs: This covers the bulk of the activity on the land required to
deliver statutory commitments funded by agri-environmental schemes and other requirements of
the Service Delivery Specification (SDS) including tree safety works and the maintenance and
improvement of car parks and roads and tracks in accordance with the Routine Maintenance Plan.
11) Equipment: Includes the cost of tools and other equipment, and the depreciation, maintenance and
repair of larger equipment used to deliver the land management works and wood product
manufacturing at Norbury Park Wood Products.
12) Property Management: Includes the expenditure required to maintain and improve the property
portfolio in accordance with the Routine Maintenance Plan and the Asset Management Plan plus
rent, rates and utility costs of SCC owned buildings on the Estate used in the delivery of the SDS.
13) Vehicle Charging: Includes the costs of operating vehicle charging across the Estate.
14) Other Costs: Includes the other costs of managing the Estate. These being communication, IT,
insurance, professional fees, marketing costs of trading activities (incl. wood fuel, NPWP), overhead
recovery of SWT management and resources in supporting the Estate and financing costs of vehicle
charging, travel costs for the volunteers who contribute 3,672 unpaid working days on the Estate
each year. These costs equates to 10% of income.
17Annex 2: KPI Reporting for 2014-17
SCC KPI MONITORING Yr 1 Yr 2 Yr 3 Yr 4
Ref. KPI 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18
1 FINANCIAL
1.1 Y1: SCC contribution is £859,000 (reduction of £100,000 Achieved
from baseline year 2013-14 at £959,000)
1.2 Y2: SCC contribution is £759,000 Achieved
1.3 Y3: SCC contribution is £675,000 Achieved
1.4 Y4: SCC contribution is £575,000 On
Target
2 PROTECTION OF LAND
2.1 To deliver progress towards the Governments Biodiversity
2020 target concerning:
2.1.a 90% of priority habitats in favourable or recovering n/a - 0
condition (% of area)
2.1.b At least 50% SSSIs in favourable condition (% of area) 30.24% 30.46% 30.47% 31.27%
2.1.c At least 95% SSSIs in favourable or recovering condition (% 99.61% 99.83% 99.84% 99.84%
of area)
2.2 To ensure that all of the SNCIs are in positive conservation 100% 100% 100% 100%
management i.e. agreed Management Plan, in accordance
with The Natural Environment and Rural Communities
(NERC) Act (2006).
2.3 To ensure that any priority encroachments onto SCC land 8/8 11/12 12/12 TBC
are actioned, as per the Encroachments Procedure, in
order to protect the integrity of the land holdings over the
period of the leases.
2.4 100% of sites will have jointly agreed work programmes 100% 100% 84.30% 100
and jointly agreed management plans with Natural
England approval where relevant e.g. designated sites.
Number of MPs to be reviewed n/a 0 1 0
3 SUSTAINABLE WOODLAND MANAGEMENT
Yr 1 Sustainable Woodland Management Policy to be agreed Achieved
by December 2014.
Yr 1 100% SCC CE Woodlands to have a Woodland Assessment 100%
Yr 2 50% of woodlands have jointly agreed management plans 50.00%
Yr 2 Woodland Strategy to be developed by December 2015
Yr 3 75% of woodlands have jointly agreed management plans 88%
Yr 4 100% of woodlands have jointly agreed management 100%
plans
Yr 5 Monitoring the Woodland plans based on the objectives
and deliverables in the management plans. A KPI will be
developed to reflect this during the period
4 PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
4.1 Maintain the number of volunteer days and seek to
increase them, data already collected 4,352 3,189 3,672 TBC
4.2 SWT will measure improvement in Visitor Satisfaction on 5
key sites (Chobham Common, Newlands Corner,
Worplesdon Group of Commons, Wisley and Ockham
Common and Norbury Park). Annual KPI targets as follows:
Yr 1 Establish data by jointly agreeing procedures and survey Achieved
questionnaire
18Yr 1 To jointly agree a number of ‘Welcome Audits’ to be Not
undertaken in 2015 to establish the baseline achieved
Yr 2 Undertake visitor surveys at Norbury Park and Achieved
Worplesdon Group of Commons
Yr 2- Jointly undertake the ‘Welcome Audit’s’, agree actions 7/7 8/8 8/8
5 and timescale for works
Yr 3 Undertake visitor surveys at Chobham Common and
Rodborough Common
Yr 4 Undertake visitor surveys at Wisley and Ockham Common
and Chobham Common.
Yr 5 Undertake any further surveys as jointly agreed at the
SWT/SCC Officers Meeting in 2019
4.3 To monitor the number of people engaged in “informal”
educational events e.g. walks and talks
Yr 1 Establish baseline data of people engaged in “informal” Not
educational events e.g. walks and talks. Agree a target for achieved
future years
Yrs Monitor and report against target for the number of 215
2-5 people engaged in “informal” educational events
organised and led by SWT on the SCC Countryside Estate.
Yrs Monitor and report against target for the number of n/a n/a 11
2-5 “informal” educational events organised and led by SWT
on the SCC Countryside Estate.
Year Establish baseline data of number of events/activities 46
3 organised and led by third parties on the SCC Countryside
Estate
Year Establish baseline data of people engaged in 31,842
3 events/activities organised and led by third parties on the
SCC Countryside Estate
Yrs Monitor and report against target for the number of 50
4-5 events/activities organised and led by third parties on the
SCC Countryside Estate
Yrs Monitor and report against target for the number of 36,200
4-5 participants engaged in events/activities organised and led
by third parties on the SCC Countryside Estate
5 PROPERTY
5.1 All rentals will aim to be within the current market rent 90% 90% 90% 90%
banding for a property of comparable size and location
but some variation will inevitably occur due to lease
restrictions, timings and property condition. Overall,
market rents across the portfolio should be at 90% as an
average for the year.
5.2 The delivery of the AMP will be measured against the Stock n/a n/a Review
property condition survey (Stock Survey) completed as survey in Complete
part of the Property Business Plan and every 5 years 2015
thereafter
5.3 To keep rent arrears at less than 4% per annum, measured 0% (+1%) 0.0% 3.5%Annex 3: Staff Structure:
COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Director
Business & Commercial
Development
Administrator/Grants
Project Officer
Woodland Officer Land Agent Commercial Development Enterprise Manager
Manager (P/T)
Logs for All Officer (P/T)
Commercial Development
Officer (P/T)
20NORBURY PARK WOOD PRODUCTS
Manager
Administrator Administrator
(p/t) (p/t)
Sawyer CNC/NPWP Team NPWP Team Workshop Supervisor
21COUNTRYSIDE MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT (DELIVERY)
Director of Land
Management
Data Management Officer Estate Manager Operations Manager
Administrator Liaison Officer (x3) Surveyor (x2)
Practical Task Leader (x2)
2223
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