What Ely Thinks
Visitors to Roswell know the area is popular with lots of different people, but
to get an accurate idea of how many people go there and what they think about the
proposed marina, LCPRE asked scientists from Cambridge and Anglia Ruskin Universities
to design a survey.
A 20-person team monitored the site continuously from dawn to dusk on four days
at the end of May and beginning of June, counting all visitors, and asking adults
to complete a simple questionnaire. Importantly, the survey took place before LCPRE’s
public meeting raised the profile of the Roswell area.
Despite cold and wet weather on two of the days, the researchers recorded a total
of 1574 visits by people walking, sailing, fishing and birdwatching. This was more
than four times the number of visits to RSPB’s Fowlmere Reserve over the same days.
The team then used two different techniques to estimate year-round visit numbers,
taking careful account of seasonal and weather effects. Together, these gave a best
estimate of around 90,000 visits per year to Roswell. This is more than double the
number of visits recorded at Wicken Fen each year, and almost as many as at the
RSPB’s top reserve in the whole of the UK – Minsmere, in Suffolk. Intriguingly,
it is also roughly the same number of visits as Ely Cathedral gets in a year.
The questionnaire findings were even more striking. 458 respondents answered the
surveyors’ questions. 70% of these lived in Ely, and 23% elsewhere in East Cambridgeshire.
Over half got to Roswell without using a car. Over half (56%) gave walking as a
reason for coming, with enjoying nature (42%), dog-walking (36%), sailing (13%)
and fishing (9%) the other main reasons.
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The survey asked two main questions about people’s feelings towards the proposed
developments at Roswell. In response to the question How do you feel about the plans
for moorings?, over half of the sample (56%) disagreed strongly, almost a quarter
(23%) disagreed, and only one person in twenty agreed.
People disagreeing outnumbered those agreeing 13:1, and for those with strong opinions
the ratio was 56:1! Importantly, these results were consistent across all user groups.
For instance, those disagreeing with moorings outnumbered those in agreement by
17:1 among walkers, 53:1 among sailors, and 37:1 among anglers.
When asked If these developments go ahead, how would they affect your enjoyment
of the area?, only 2% of people said it would increase their enjoyment, while 80%
said it would decrease (23%) or greatly decrease (57%) it. People who felt they
would get less enjoyment outnumbered those expecting more enjoyment by 40:1, rising
to 130:1 among those with strong opinions.
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Again these findings held across all users, with people believing they would enjoy
the site less outnumbering those anticipating greater enjoyment 50:1 among walkers
and 26:1 among sailors. Absolutely no anglers or naturalists thought the proposed
developments would increase their enjoyment of the area.
This survey has two important messages. First, Roswell Pits are very clearly an
extremely important amenity for the people of Ely and beyond. The area gives a great
deal of pleasure, very often, to a great many people. Second, regardless of why
they visit the area, those who already use the site are very strongly opposed to
its conversion to commercial moorings. Only one person in twenty agrees with these
plans, four-fifths disagree, and 80% of visitors believe they will enjoy their visit
less if the development goes ahead.
In combination with the 300:3 vote against the moorings at the 12 June
public meeting,
it is abundantly clear what the people of Ely want (and what they do not want) at
Roswell. |
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