Country Parks Accreditation: Your questions answered
Please see below for the answers to some common questions.
How does the Scheme align with other greenspace standards and in particular the Green Flag Award?
The relationship between the Country Parks Accreditation Scheme and other schemes such as the Green Flag Award is entirely complementary – for example the Green Flag Award tells you a Country Park is managed to a high quality, it doesn’t confirm that the key facilities and services expected of a Country Park are all available, which the Accreditation Scheme does.
An analogy would be to consider a hotel, which should be able to demonstrate it offers the essential facilities and services you expect of a hotel (as Accreditation does for Country Parks) and then can be awarded stars to demonstrate these facilities/services are being delivered to high quality (which the Green Flag Award does for greenspaces).
Should managers of country parks and related sites apply for both Accreditation and the Green Flag Award?
Yes, we’d encourage them to do so.
Does a site have to be marketed as a Country Park to be put forward for Accredited status?
No - the Scheme is envisaged as being helpful to any site manager wishing to show existing and potential visitors that their site offers the same services and facilities they can expect of a country park, even if it has another primary function.
How long does Accredited Status last?
Three years from the date the sites Accredited status is confirmed by the Schemes Administrators.
Essential criteria 2A3 seeks evidence of working towards Equality Standards - does this mean the site should be working on a policy, or the managing body?
Evidence (in form of meeting minutes or a written statement) that the managing body has committed to developing an equality policy for all the work of the managing body (including managing the site concerned) is sufficient to satisfy this criteria. Site managers should be aware of and consulted on the policy’s development, and considering its application in their site.
