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Independent assurance for public open space safety

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Independent scrutiny for publicly accessible open spaces 

Public open spaces that include water features, play, leisure or informal recreation present foreseeable safety risks. Organisations responsible for the design, approval, adoption or management of these environments hold a clear legal duty of care to identify and manage those risks in a proportionate and documented manner. 

Our Public Open Space Plans and Site Review service provides independent, specialist assurance that safety risks have been appropriately considered, addressed and recorded - at both design stage and operational stage. 

Your legal and governance responsibilities 

If you are responsible for public open space, whether as a developer, landowner, council, managing agent or estate operator, you are expected to: 

  • Protect visitors under Occupiers’ Liability legislation 
  • Meet duties under health and safety law 
  • Manage foreseeable water, play and leisure risks 
  • Demonstrate reasonable and proportionate control measures 
  • Provide a clear audit trail of decision‑making.

In the event of an incident, scrutiny will focus on one question: Were risks foreseeable, and were reasonable steps taken to manage them? 

What is a Public Open Space Plans and Site Review? 

Our service offers structured, independent review of safety considerations relating to: 

  • Water features (ponds, wetlands, attenuation, rills, fountains) 
  • Play and leisure features 
  • Landscape design and levels 
  • Access, movement and user behaviour 
  • Interfaces between private, communal and public space.

Each review is tailored to the operational use, risk profile and ownership structure of your site. 

What you receive: 

Compliance-ready written report

Clear documentation suitable for planning, adoption, audit, insurers and governance review.

Risk-based assessment

Identification of forseeable hazards with proportionate, defensible recmommendations.

Action-focused recommendations

Practical measures prioritised by risk and complexity - avoiding over or under control

Independent due diligence

Objective evidence that saety has been professionally reviewed

Who is this service for?

This service is routinely commissioned by:

Housebuilders and developers

To support planning approval, discharge conditions and ensure safe design.   

Local authorities

As landowners, planning authorities or adopting bodies. 

Town and parish councils

Responsible for parks, ponds, play areas and community spaces.   

Managing and estate agents

Managing operational risk on publicly accessible sites. 

Housing association

Providing long‑term stewardship of mixed‑use estates.   

Consultants and designers

Seeking independent verification of safety assumptions. 

When a review is required 

A Public Open Space Plans and/or Site Review is particularly important when: 

  • Submitting or discharging planning conditions 
  • Designing or approving new public open space 
  • Preparing for asset adoption or handover 
  • Managing space with water or play features 
  • Following changes in use, access or population 
  • Existing safety documentation is outdated or absent. 

Why an independent review matters 

Internal assessments and generic approaches may not withstand scrutiny following a serious incident. An independent review: 

  • Provides objective, defensible advice 
  • Demonstrates proactive risk management 
  • Supports transparent governance and accountability 
  • Reduces exposure to enforcement, claims and reputational harm. 

Importantly, the focus is on reasonable and proportionate control - not risk elimination. 

Protect people, protect organisations 

Public open spaces are intended to support wellbeing, interaction and quality of place.Ensuring those spaces are demonstrably safe is both a moral responsibility and a legal obligation. 

A Public Open Space Plans and Site Review helps ensure you can evidence that: 

  • Risks were foreseeable 
  • Controls were considered 
  • Decisions were reasonable 
  • Responsibilities were properly discharged. 

Request a Public Open Space Plans or Site Review today - Contact us to discuss your scheme, site or portfolio and arrange an independent compliance review. 

Service options 

  • Full-day Plans Review or Site Review 
    For larger, more complex or higher‑risk spaces 
  • Half-day Plans Review or Site Review 
    For smaller or lower‑complexity sites 

Portfolio and multi‑site programmes are available for developers, councils and managing agents.

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Public Open Space Plans Review

Submit your details to request a professional review of your public open space plans. Our experts will assess compliance, safety, and usability, providing clear guidance to support your project’s success.

Request your site review