Evaluation of new paths in Delapre Park
Get the latest evaluation updates following the development of new pathways in Delapre Park.
Last updated April 7, 2025
About the project
In October 2024, West Northamptonshire Council opened new paths in Delapre Park in the hope of making the park more accessible for residents. This will be followed by additional seating (installed by West Northamptonshire Council) and new ‘wayfinding’ signage (overseen by Delapré Abbey Preservation Trust).
About the evaluation
Declan and Jack, from the University of Northampton and Nottingham Trent University, are evaluating the impact of the new pathways, with most of the data collection having taken placing during March 2025. This page will include updates and results from the evaluation as they are gathered, before a final report is produced after June 2025.
This report will be published on the Active Quarter website and via local press, groups, and forums. What will be done in the evaluation has been reviewed and approved by the University of Northampton’s Faculty Ethics Committee (approval code: FREC2425008). If you have any complaints about your participation in the evaluation, please contact Andrew Hewitt, Ethics Committee Chair (andrew.hewitt@northampton.ac.uk).
Evaluation methods
Click or tap the headings below to learn more about the different kinds of evaluation activities that have taken place, and the data that was gathered.
Online public survey
We publicised an online survey throughout March 2025. This survey asked about your visits to Delapre Park in the past few years, your awareness of the new paths, your feedback on the new paths, feedback on the proposed seating locations and wayfinding signs, and details about yourself.
Verbal feedback events
During March 2025, we contacted local community groups who use Delapre Park. Those community groups were invited to meet with Declan or Jack to collectively give feedback about the new paths, proposed seating locations and wayfinding designs. We also offered drop-in feedback events for members of the public.
We audio recorded these conversations to accurately collect feedback, but will remove any identifiable information in our analysis and reports. You can read full information about these events and how we store and use data here: Appendix 5.B – Verbal Feedback Events Further Information.
Surveys and monitoring pathway use (in-person)
During March 2025, we conducted in-person observations in Delapré Park, Hunsbury Hill, and St. Crispin’s Park to count how many people use the park, what activities they do, and their assumed characteristics (age, gender, ethnicity).
In Delapre Park, we additionally asked members of the public to take part in a short survey about the purpose of their trip, feedback on the new footpaths, any changes in visits to the park, and some details about themselves. With permission, we audio recorded conversations to accurately collect feedback, but we will remove any identifiable information in our analysis and reports. Taking part in the surveys was voluntary and participants could decline to participate at any point during the survey.
Monitoring pathway use (automated)
We used anonymised smartphone GPS data that members of the public have consented to share through various smartphone apps. The data will be used to monitor the historic number of visitors and footfall in Delapre Park and other parks in Northampton. There is no way for the research team to identify individual people or live locations. This data is provided by Place Informatics and Strava Metro.
Social media and local press monitoring
We collated press releases about the new footpaths from local press outlets’ websites and social media profiles. We also monitored the Facebook and X profiles of Delapre Park and Abbey, and West Northamptonshire Council for posts and comments about the new paths. For any closed social media groups, we contacted the group’s Admin for approval.
We will analyse any public responses that are posted in the comments section of these press releases and social media posts. We will not publish any comments or the identity of public responders in our reports. To ensure anonymity we will only state whether a comment was coded as ‘positive’, ‘negative’, or ‘neutral.’ This will help to summarise the media narrative about the new paths throughout the time period of the scheme’s announcement and delivery.
Managing your data
What will happen to the information provided?
All the information collected for this study will be anonymised and stored securely on a password-protected computer. We have not ask for any names or full addresses, so no data stored will be linked to you. Data will be stored on a password-protected computer for 10-years after project completion. At that point, irrelevant data will be destroyed in accordance with the University of Northampton’s data retention policy (A02.04.06).
Anonymised supporting quotes used to identify the main themes from the surveys and verbal feedback events will be archived onto our University repository, Pure, and will be publicly available at pure.northampton.ac.uk.
Personal contact information that was collected to help with the delivery of the evaluation will be destroyed by the research team after the completion of the project + 6-years, in accordance with the University of Northampton’s data retention policy (A02.05.02).
Further details about the University’s data retention policies can be found on this page of their website.
What will happen to the results of the study?
The results from this study will be shared in the following ways:
- Reports for West Northamptonshire Council and Active Travel England
- Press releases and videos to summarise the findings for the public
- Presentations and case studies for interested forums, networks, and groups
- Academic journal publications and conference proceedings.
We will use Northampton’s Active Quarter website (www.activequarter-nn.co.uk) to provide evaluation updates and findings.
How will data be processed?
This study has been reviewed by an ethics committee to check that personal data will be kept secure and used only in the way we told participants it would be. Consent was sought for processing data in this way. The ethics committee has also checked that data collection is “in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes… proportionate to the aim pursued” as required by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (2016, Article 9).
Under the GDPR all researchers must have a legal basis for processing any personal data about you. During the study we asked for information about participant’s names and contact information to help arrange verbal feedback events. The University of Northampton confirms that processing of your personal data will be handled in a lawful manner as required by GDPR article 89(1) and the Data Protection Act 2018 sections 19(1)(b) and (c). We therefore confirm that the processing of your data in this project is in the public interest, has due regard for your rights and freedoms as a participant (‘data subject’) and will be stored and processed in a secure manner. The University of Northampton is the Data Controller for this project. If you have any concerns about the collection, use and storage of data in this project please contact the University of Northampton’s Data Protection Officer: DPO@northampton.ac.uk.
Evaluation updates
Evaluation updates will be added to this page as they become available. Use the tabs below to find out more about each area of research. The final report will be published below after completion in June 2025. Click or tap the headings below to learn more.
Data collection completed (April 2025)
Thank you to everyone who gave feedback over the month of March:
- 194 people completed online surveys
- 124 people completed ‘intercept’ surveys in Delapre Park
- 42 people from local community groups participated in focus groups
We also completed a 16-hour observation of two paths in Delapre Park, observing 1,064 using these paths.
We are now beginning to analyse and summarise this data to create a report for West Northamptonshire Council and Active Travel England by June 2025.
Findings will be presented on this webpage. We’ll also send a copy of the report to the community groups who took part in the evaluation and any other groups who may be able to learn from the findings of the evaluation.
Complete the survey (March 2025)
Share your views and take part in this evaluation by completing this short online survey. You can also share your views in person. Declan and Jack, the evaluators, will be at Coach House, Delapre Abbey on Wednesday 26th March (15:30 – 17:30) and Sunday 30th March (09:30 – 11:30) with free hot and cold drinks provided!
Callout for volunteers (January 2025)
We want a few volunteers to test our online survey before it goes live to make sure it works and asks the right questions. We are testing the survey during February 2025. Volunteering will take about an hour. Testing can be done online or in-person. Please contact Declan (declan.ryan@northampton.ac.uk) if you can help!
Early online feedback (November 2024)
The researchers are currently monitoring social media and local press to gather any early feedback about the new paths. They have already learnt that some people have raised concerns about the gravel material not being accessible for all park visitors – and that there is a desire for more seating and more signage. West Northamptonshire Council are aware of this feedback and are in the process of monitoring how the gravel is performing over time and exploring whether further works are required.
Research event (October 2024)
On 21st October 2024, the University held an event at Delapré Park so residents could suggest topics that should be included in the evaluation.
First, researchers shared a ‘Logic Model’ with residents. This illustrates a theory of how the new paths should lead to more visitors, more physical activity, and improved well-being. Residents added additional ideas onto the Logic Model, including any unintended consequences. You can view the Logic Model here, which includes updates made after the event.
Residents were also asked to share the names of groups that they thought would be impacted most by the new paths. The researchers plan to reach out to these groups for interviews and focus groups at the start of 2025. If you know of a group that may be particularly impacted by these new paths, then please get in contact with Declan, who is leading the evaluation (declan.ryan@northampton.ac.uk).
Finally, researchers asked residents where they would like to see seating along the route. This feedback, along with Government recommendations for seating, was then sent to West Northamptonshire Council to help them plan the installation. And, to support Delapré Abbey Preservation Trust, researchers also recommended that residents are invited to help design the new wayfinding signs by attending public workshops. When the new signs are installed, the remaining temporary 3km walking route signs will be completely removed.
Evaluation findings
The final report will be published below after completion in June 2025.