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20-481: Woodgate Valley Country Park is a country park within the Bartley Green and Quinton districts of Birmingham . It is the third largest Birmingham Country Park after Sutton Park and Lickey Hills Country Park . The park is maintained as a wildlife habitat but also has farm animals. The Country Park was set up in 1984, having previously been rural land with smallholdings and larger farms. The farms were in

40-403: A car park, toilets, maybe a cafe or kiosk, paths and trails, and some information for visitors. Some have much more, with museums, visitor centres, educational facilities, historic buildings, farms, boating, fishing, and other attractions. Many larger country parks organise entertainment for visitors, and are venues for firework displays, shows and fairs and other large, outdoor events. There

60-480: A country park is to provide a place that has a natural, rural atmosphere for visitors who do not necessarily want to go out into the wider countryside. Visitors can enjoy a public open space with an informal atmosphere, as opposed to a formal park as might be found in an urban area. For this reason country parks are usually found close to or on the edge of built-up areas, and rarely in the wider countryside. A country park usually has some more formal facilities, such as

80-544: A wild food walk. The Visitor Centre has a café and information displays, and a play area for children and picnic area are just outside. National Express West Midlands bus route no. 23 stops near the main entrance on Clapgate Lane. Country park In the United Kingdom, the term country park has a specific meaning. There are around 250 designated country parks in England and Wales attracting some 57 million visitors

100-569: A year, and another 40 or so in Scotland. Most country parks were designated in the 1970s, under the Countryside Act 1968 , with the support of the former Countryside Commission . In more recent times there has been no specific financial support for country parks directly and fewer have been designated. Most parks are managed by local authorities, although other organisations and private individuals can also run them. The 1968 Countryside Act empowered

120-454: Is not necessarily any public right of access to country parks, and visitors are usually subject to byelaws when they enter the park. Some charge for car parking, some are free. These parks vary tremendously from one to another, and really have only their purpose in common: to provide easy access to the countryside for those living in the towns and suburbs . They do not necessarily have any great nature conservation interest, although often this

140-456: Is the case. In Hong Kong a large part of the territory's countryside is officially designated as country parks. Most of these are reservoir watersheds, serving the dual purpose of providing recreational facilities and contributing to Hong Kong's water supply. Countryside Act 1968 The Countryside Act 1968 (c. 41) is an act of Parliament in the United Kingdom which enlarged

160-700: The National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 and made other amendments to the 1949 Act. It conferred upon water undertakers and the Forestry Commission powers to provide for public access and enjoyment in and around reservoirs and forests, and amended aspects of the Forestry Act 1967 , including provision for compensation in respect of the making of tree preservation orders . The Act gave powers and duties to highway authorities in respect of

180-599: The Act The Countryside in 1970 conferences held in 1963 and 1965 led to the publication in 1966 of a Government white paper called Leisure in the Countryside which proposed inter alia , the creation of country parks near to centres of population so as to ease pressures on wilder areas. The next year the publication of the report of the Gosling Committee recommended a suite of proposals concerning access to

200-654: The Council put forward a proposal to develop 150 acres of the 600-acre Woodgate Valley farmland for 2,000 homes. By 1976, on the northern side of the valley the Simmonds Drive/Highfield Lane housing development had been built and on the southern side had arisen the South Woodgate estate of mixed council and private housing. All the Birmingham Corporation farms disappeared, though Hole Farm is remembered in

220-574: The Countryside Commission to recognize country parks. Although the Act established country parks and gave guidance on the core facilities and services they should provide it did not empower the designation of sites as country parks, as it was left to local authorities to decide whether to endorse a site calling itself a country park. In England, country parks can be accredited by Natural England , and some also have Green Flag status. The purpose of

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240-619: The city. A parkrun has been held in the Country Park since August 2021, with 100-200 runners typically participating every Saturday morning. Woodgate Valley Urban Farm exists as a self-supporting private charitable company. The adjacent Hole Farm Trekking Centre is run by the City Council and caters for horse riding across a range of ages and abilities. Rangers based in the Visitor Centre provide recreational and educational activities such as

260-469: The conservation and recreation functions of the existing National Parks Commission and re-named it the Countryside Commission . It provided for the establishment of country parks and gave local authorities certain powers in respect of the management of common land and of the provision of camping and picnicking sites and provided for grants to such bodies for their establishment. It provided for

280-518: The damp meadows. In 2008 muntjac deer were sighted by local residents. Woodgate Valley Country Park stretches for about 1.3 miles (2.1 km) along the line of the Bourne Brook, from Woodgate on the city's western boundary to the B4121 road between Quinton and California . Visitors go for a leisurely walk, observe wildlife, walk the dog or ride horses and get away from the noise, traffic and buildings of

300-413: The employment of countryside wardens and for the making of byelaws in connection with such facilities. The Act conferred powers on certain authorities to exercise control over boating on waterbodies within national parks and over the conversion of moorland and heathland to agriculture. It put in place provisions regarding ‘ areas of special scientific value ’ and access to ‘open country’ as defined in

320-474: The name of a horse riding and trekking centre. The park comprises some 450 acres (180 ha) and is on land previously threatened by urban development. The disused Lapal Tunnel of the Dudley No 2 canal passes just south of Hole Farm, north of the visitor centre and on through the South Woodgate housing estate. The tunnel opened in 1798 and was closed to traffic in 1926. Spoil heaps provide visible reminders of

340-457: The ownership of Birmingham Corporation by 1953 but public access was not allowed in order to protect crops and livestock. Paul Cadbury mooted the idea of opening up the valley by providing marked trails for walkers, tracks for horseriding and stabling for horses, picnic sites and car parking. He also proposed damming a section of the Bourn Brook for fishing and allowing children freedom to paddle in

360-522: The shallows. The city council's Parks Committee viewed the proposal favourably but said there was a problem financing the necessary fencing. In response chocolate firm Cadbury's , of which Paul Cadbury was vice-chairman and managing director offered to donate £3,500 towards the cost. In July 1956, the Public Works Committee unanimously decided not to build on the Woodgate Valley. A decade later

380-413: The signing of public paths and in respect of the maintenance of stiles and gates on paths. It introduced provisions regarding the ploughing and reinstatement of public paths during agricultural operations and also provided for bicycles to use public bridleways. Further provision was made as regards traffic regulation orders in parts of the countryside. Certain other miscellaneous provisions were made by

400-486: The tunnel's construction. The park is maintained with varied wild life habitats. There are hedgerows , meadows and woodland , plus Bourn Brook. More than 80 species of bird, including marsh harrier , long-eared owl and kingfisher ; and 250 species of plants including common bluebells , foxgloves and honeysuckle , have been recorded, as have butterflies and various species of dragonflies including red admiral and small tortoiseshell . Many plants grow in

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