Common Ground https://ashleygodfrey.co.uk/ A journal on how UK councils plan parks, play areas and open space: PPG17 assessments, playing pitch strategies, consultation and heritage mapping. en-gb How a PPG17 open space assessment workedhttps://ashleygodfrey.co.uk/parks.htmhttps://ashleygodfrey.co.uk/parks.htmTue, 15 Sep 2026 09:00:00 GMTReviewing plans, auditing every site, scoring quality and value, then consulting residents: the anatomy of an open space study. Surveys and audits of local provisionhttps://ashleygodfrey.co.uk/surveys.htmhttps://ashleygodfrey.co.uk/surveys.htmTue, 15 Sep 2026 09:00:00 GMTDoorstep surveys, site audits and postal questionnaires: the field methods behind credible open space evidence. Mapping open space and catchmentshttps://ashleygodfrey.co.uk/mapping.htmhttps://ashleygodfrey.co.uk/mapping.htmTue, 15 Sep 2026 09:00:00 GMTEvery site on a map, every home in a catchment: how GIS turned open space audits into planning evidence. From PPG17 to the NPPFhttps://ashleygodfrey.co.uk/open-space/ppg17-to-nppf/https://ashleygodfrey.co.uk/open-space/ppg17-to-nppf/Tue, 15 Sep 2026 09:00:00 GMTWhat changed when national planning policy was rewritten in 2012, and what an open space study still has to prove. How children's play provision is assessedhttps://ashleygodfrey.co.uk/childrensplay.htmhttps://ashleygodfrey.co.uk/childrensplay.htmTue, 15 Sep 2026 09:00:00 GMTPlay England indicators, Fields in Trust benchmarks and play strategies: what good local play provision looked like. How a playing pitch strategy is builthttps://ashleygodfrey.co.uk/playing_pitch_strategies.htmlhttps://ashleygodfrey.co.uk/playing_pitch_strategies.htmlTue, 15 Sep 2026 09:00:00 GMTAuditing every pitch, asking every club, modelling demand: what a playing pitch strategy proves and how it is used. Performance management in practicehttps://ashleygodfrey.co.uk/performance.htmhttps://ashleygodfrey.co.uk/performance.htmTue, 15 Sep 2026 09:00:00 GMTIndicators, targets and inspection: how councils measured whether park and play services actually improved. The Fields in Trust benchmarkshttps://ashleygodfrey.co.uk/play-sport/fields-in-trust-standards/https://ashleygodfrey.co.uk/play-sport/fields-in-trust-standards/Tue, 15 Sep 2026 09:00:00 GMTSix acres per thousand people, play space typologies and local standards: where the famous benchmarks came from. Land use planning, from policy to applicationhttps://ashleygodfrey.co.uk/land_use_planning.htmlhttps://ashleygodfrey.co.uk/land_use_planning.htmlTue, 15 Sep 2026 09:00:00 GMTPlanning policy context, application management and development briefs: the planning side of open space work. Community consultation, done properlyhttps://ashleygodfrey.co.uk/community.htmhttps://ashleygodfrey.co.uk/community.htmTue, 15 Sep 2026 09:00:00 GMTStructured consultation, exhibition materials and response discipline: how councils gathered views they could defend. Feasibility and business planninghttps://ashleygodfrey.co.uk/feasibility.htmhttps://ashleygodfrey.co.uk/feasibility.htmTue, 15 Sep 2026 09:00:00 GMTDemand evidence, costings and options appraisal: how a leisure or open space project was tested before money moved. Heritage mapping in open space planninghttps://ashleygodfrey.co.uk/heritage.htmlhttps://ashleygodfrey.co.uk/heritage.htmlTue, 15 Sep 2026 09:00:00 GMTHistoric layers of parks and recreation grounds: how heritage was recorded and weighed in open space decisions.