Access Action Plans for Redcatch Park and Redcatch Community Garden
After a lot of listening, walking the site, note taking and reality checking, the new Access Plans for Redcatch Park and Redcatch Community Garden have now been published.
Both plans set out clear, practical actions to make these much loved green spaces more accessible for Disabled people and carers, based on lived experience rather than guesswork.
These plans have been invited and supported by Friends of Redcatch Park and Redcatch Community Garden and will now work closely with them and Bristol City Council to bring them to life.
Why these plans matter
Access is not about ticking a box. It is about whether people can arrive, move around, stay, take part and leave with dignity and confidence.
We have worked with 13 local Disabled people and carers, in partnership with Bristol Disability Equality Forum and Carers Support Centre, with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, to make sure that the people most affected decided what needs to change.
What is in the Redcatch Park Access Plan
The park plan focuses on the big picture. It looks at entrances, paths, toilets, play, seating and information across the whole park.
High priority actions include:
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Making entrances and gates usable for everyone
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Improving paths so they are flat, wide and usable all year round
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Ensuring the accessible toilet is always open and planning for a Changing Places toilet
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Adding inclusive play equipment and more Disabled parking bays
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Creating a quiet sensory area away from dogs and busy routes
There is also a strong focus on nature, community activity and health, including accessible walking routes, inclusive outdoor gym equipment and supported play sessions. This plan will directly feed into the Friends of Redcatch Park vision for the site.
What is in the Redcatch Community Garden Access Plan
The community garden plan goes into detail on how people actually experience the space day to day. It looks at paths, toilets, play, seating, events, information and sensory overload.
High priority actions include:
- Reducing sensory overload at the entrance, café area and during busy events
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Providing a genuinely accessible toilet
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Improving inclusive play for Disabled children
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Disability awareness training for staff and volunteers
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Making events clearer, calmer and more welcoming
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Creating clear, accessible paths that connect key areas
The plan also sets out medium and lower priority actions, from accessible planters and scooter charging points to calm and quiet days and clearer signage.
The Community Garden are already taking action on the recommendations.
One site, two plans, shared ambition
The park and the community garden sit within the same space, and the plans are designed to work together. Improvements to paths, toilets, parking and signage in the park directly affect how accessible the Community Garden can be.
Both plans rank actions by cost and time, which makes them realistic tools rather than wish lists. Some changes can happen quickly with modest funding. Others will take longer and need investment, partnership and patience.
What happens next
Publishing the plans is not the finish line. It is the starting point. The actions will now be used by local groups, partners and the council to prioritise funding, shape projects and track progress over time.
The learning from this work is also feeding into a wider toolkit so other communities can use the same approach to improve access in their own parks. Because reinventing the wheel every time is exhausting for everyone.
If you use Redcatch Park or the Community Garden, these plans are for you. If you care about inclusive green spaces more broadly, they are worth a read. They are practical, honest and grounded in lived experience. Which is exactly how access planning should be.
