Statistics
The Parks Service of the Velocity Interoperability Network publishes statistics on the use of its parks and reserves: visits by site, permit applications by type, volunteer numbers and hours, and the capacity of its sites and teams. This first release covers the transition period from 10 August to 5 September 2026, during which the sites, their staff and their records were transferred to the Service, and records the position at establishment on 6 September 2026.
Visits are counted by automatic counters at car parks and principal entrances, supplemented by manual counts at the reserves without counters and at Fennimore Quarry, where every visitor is on a guided tour. A visit is one person entering a site once; a person who visits two sites in a day is counted twice. Counters were installed progressively through the transition period, and figures for its first half are provisional and will be revised in later releases.
The position at establishment. The figures below record the Service at the point of establishment.
- 12
- Parks and reserves entered in the register at establishment
- 3,094
- Hectares in the Service's care
- 486,350
- Visits recorded across all sites, 10 August to 5 September 2026
- 27
- Rangers on duty in three area teams
Visits by site. The two urban parks account for just over half of all visits. Visits rose by eleven per cent between the first and second halves of the period, which reflects both the completion of counter installation and the settled weather of late August.
| Park or reserve | 10 to 23 August | 24 August to 5 September | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Exchange Gardens | 71,400 | 78,200 | 149,600 |
| Southbank Riverside Park | 48,900 | 52,300 | 101,200 |
| Ashcombe Forest | 24,800 | 27,100 | 51,900 |
| Northgate Common | 22,100 | 24,600 | 46,700 |
| Eastfield Meadows | 18,700 | 21,900 | 40,600 |
| Westbrook Woods | 15,300 | 17,800 | 33,100 |
| Longwater Wetland Reserve | 9,600 | 11,200 | 20,800 |
| Highfold Ridge | 6,200 | 7,400 | 13,600 |
| Saltings Shore Reserve | 5,100 | 6,000 | 11,100 |
| Meridian Marsh | 4,100 | 4,700 | 8,800 |
| Kestrel Heath | 3,900 | 4,300 | 8,200 |
| Fennimore Quarry | 340 | 410 | 750 |
| All sites | 230,440 | 255,910 | 486,350 |
Permits and volunteers. Permit applications were handled under interim arrangements during the transition and are included here so that the series is continuous with the Service's own reporting. Volunteers transferred from the arrangements of member organisations and were registered by the Service in readiness for establishment.
- 64
- Permit applications received in the transition period
- 58
- Permits granted; six refused or withdrawn
- 186
- Volunteers registered at establishment
- 2,340
- Volunteer hours recorded, 10 August to 5 September 2026
| Permit | Received | Granted | Refused or withdrawn |
|---|---|---|---|
| Event permit | 21 | 18 | 3 |
| Filming permit | 9 | 8 | 1 |
| Aerial permit | 7 | 5 | 2 |
| Activity permit | 12 | 12 | 0 |
| Research licence | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| Access permit | 9 | 9 | 0 |
| All permits | 64 | 58 | 6 |
Of the six applications not granted, three were withdrawn by the applicant after the ranger proposed another date, two aerial permits were refused because they fell within the breeding season at Longwater and Kestrel Heath, and one event permit was refused for want of a risk assessment.
Capacity at establishment. The table below records the sites, area, rangers and facilities of each area team.
| Area team | Sites | Hectares | Rangers | Car park spaces | Waymarked routes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central | 4 | 242 | 9 | 180 | 16.5 km |
| Northern | 5 | 2,048 | 11 | 445 | 63 km |
| Coastal | 3 | 804 | 7 | 185 | 20 km |
| All teams | 12 | 3,094 | 27 | 810 | 99.5 km |
The Service will publish statistics quarterly. The next release, covering the quarter ending 30 September 2026, will be published in October 2026 and announced in the Newsroom. For the sites these figures report on, see Parks and Reserves; for the permits, see Events and Permits; for the milestones of the reporting cycle, see History. Questions about these figures may be sent to contact@parks.gov.vin.