Is there anything better than a picnic on a gloomy Thursday afternoon? Probably. Anyway, picnics are still pretty good and usually the setting can make up for the warm sandwiches and squashed cakes.

Plymouth is a wonderful and scenic city and 40 per cent of it is green space. We have 1,440 hectares in all, including 10 local nature reserves and 40 wildflower meadows.

But it might be surprising to know that, according to data collected last year, London is the only UK city with less green space per resident than Plymouth.

I thought this was odd and tried to find a map of our green spaces. This one from Plymouth City Council was the first to pop up after a quick Google search. It has three categories of green space: strategic, local and neighbourhood.

Buzzing for my picnic

Central Park is considered a strategic green space. The Hoe is local green space. Examples of neighbourhood green spaces include North Cross roundabout, Derry's Cross roundabout and the lawn inside of The Millfields. However, there were no definitions for those terms. Could we use those spaces in the same way?

I've seen plenty of people sunbathing and snacking on those roundabouts, surely the same rules apply for all highlighted in that shade of green? Armed with a Winnie-the-Pooh lunchbox and a poor selfie game, I ditched the office to have my lunch in the safest place in the city, the gated community in Stonehouse, The Millfields.

The supervised entrance of The Millfields.

It was a short walk from the office and I followed alongside the huge stone wall surrounding the estate, looking for alternative entrance in case the situation turned sour. Just beyond the gates I saw a sign commanding 'all visitors must report to security' or words similar.

I told the gents in hi-viz that I was hoping to enjoy my lunch on the estate's green, and was promptly yet politely told that I would not be allowed to do so. Fearing I'd have to return to the office and do some real work, I started to explain the council map and that the green space was designated.

They took me into the security office and again I explained the situation. A third guy, also really polite, stressed the land is privately owned. They often get people trying to walk their dogs on these historic grounds and have to rebuff them. Much like they did to me. No dice.

They didn't let me in so I had to sit on a stupid wall across the road.

Hungry and heartbroken, I sat across from the entrance to enjoy my four-day-old sandwich, over-ripe banana and an orange that was impossible to peel. While doing so, and admiring the beauty of the outside, I became curious about its history. Here's some background I ripped from a previous article we did.

The Millfields estate in Stonehouse, created in the 18th century as a military hospital and one-time POW camp, has slowly been re-developed in recent years and has become well-known for its isolated luxury properties and work spaces.

Originally housing French POWs, the Millfields became a military hospital in 1760, at its peak housing 1,200 patients in 60 wards, in 10-ward blocks arranged around a courtyard with a central block containing a chapel, staff housing – and the dispensary.

The hospital was used by the Royal Navy for 235 years, providing care for wounded servicemen from the Battle of Trafalgar to the Falklands War.

Upset that I was turned away. Gutted my banana was too ripe.

My curiosity grew from the reading and I became frustrated that we are unable to view such a relic. That nasty banana pushed me over the edge and it all got too much.

I went back to the office, hoping to hear from the council regarding what a neighbourhood green space is and how it can be used. This was the reply I received. A Plymouth City Council spokesman said: "The way that green spaces are designated in the Joint Local Plan does not define how the public can use that green space. They are categorised for planning purposes only. 

“Details on how green spaces are categorised in the JLP can be found here: https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/sites/default/files/RevisedPlymouthGreenspacePolicyDevelopmentProcess.pdf

Unfortunately the map I looked at does not show more green space we can use. Instead, the Joint Local Plan is essentially a planning document of where things can and can’t be built in the city and is not to be confused this with access to green spaces in the city.

Of course there are plenty of other areas to have a picnic or enjoy green space, but it's a shame that one like this with its architecture and significance cannot be used.