Hi!
At my workplace, we are lucky to have a woodland area and a huge amount of open space. There are around 1,500 people that work in the site, but up to 10,000 people that work for the business in the country (plus any contractors and visitors to the site) can have access to it.
Around the edge of the site, and through the wooded area, a “Woodland Walk” trail was created. There is a sign at the start, and this shows you what the trail markers you need to l follow will look like. I thought this would be a good nomination under the exercise criteria, and possibly even explore! It was rejected by the community for private or residential property or farm (it is neither of these). I deliberately hadn’t mentioned the business, as any other things have nominated on the site (not the business itself, specific things such as artwork, community space/internal cafe etc) have been rejected as generic business (and a few times for both business and private residence). So I originally wrote the nom as just about walk.
I appealed to Niantic, and explained that it was a business, how many people have access, etc. they came back and rejected saying it’s just an ordinary sign. But surely if a trail marker is ok, the sign showing where the trail starts should be ok too?
Here are the photos from it - please can you help me ideas on how to improve it, or actually if you think it’s dead in the water, please advise that too! Thank you!
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Thats a truely terrible rejection, particularly the appeal. I am cross on your behalf! The appeals team clearly did not check this nomination properly.
This is a great thing to nominate because it does indeed promote exercise and exploring.
My only suggestion for improvements (which it does not need - its a perfectly good nomination) is you can centre the main image on the woodland walk sign rather than both, and take the supporting image from a little closer so they can read it without having to zoom in (counteract some laziness maybe). You could also use “follow the leaf signs” as your description?
There is a difference between private property (ie a business area where staff have access but not everyone) and single family private residential property (ie someones house). The former is not a rejection reason, the latter is. This is clearly not someone’s house… so should not have been rejected for that reason.
You can mention that it is at the business campus, maybe in supporting info? But like you say, reviewers like to overuse generic business too when it is not a generic business.
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Thank you! I was so certain this one would get accepted, which is why I appealed thinking I just needed to explain that it was a private residence! I just thought it would be nice for employees that play the games that use this to have POI’s in their games that might encourage them to go for a wander - AND it’s right by the boundary so local residents could walk down the road and reach them from the outside too! Double win.
It’s so frustrating, but I will take your advice on the photos - thank you.
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I would have been certain too… although I’ve learnt that nothing is certain, because stuff like this unfortunately happens a lot.
I would try it again, honestly as many times as you need in order to get it accepted. Some items take multiple submissions to become accepted even when they are good nominations.
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It seems like a good nomination at a glance. I will say I can’t find any website for it (usually walking trails would be listed on a local website or the LDWA website), but that in and of itself shouldn’t disqualify the nomination - it might help as supplementary information for reviewers though if there is a website that has it mentioned (or even a local news article).
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With trails, even national ones with websites, its very hit and miss, sadly.
But a good thing to include if it exists.
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The object cannot be located. The Pin is near a gate that has a ‘private property’ board and it looks like a driveway to a single family home. There does not seem to be any trail at the location from the information available. It’s not as slam dunk as it looks in the images.
@hankwolfman there won’t be a published trail because it is purely for associates of the business and their guests. It’s not open to the public - but the way I read the criteria it doesn’t have to be accessible to everyone anyway!
Thank you @NianticAaron for the Niantic view on this. How would you recommend I show that it’s a business? A business property can still be private property, and it does have the “Lodge” on site which would look like a home - we use it for meeting rooms! So I can see it from that perspective. But I made it clear in my appeal it’s a business etc, and the appeal team said they were rejecting it as a generic sign - but surely it’s a trail marker?
I am thinking, based on replies so far, I should try again but include the following:
- Improve the photos
- Add “follow the leaves” to the description
- In the supplemental info, try to show evidence that it is a business, not a family home (not sure how many family homes would have a named trail but hey ho!) but also highlight it’s the trail being nominated not the business
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But none of these things are the reason given in the appeal result, are they?
If you had given these reasons in the rejection for the appeal, the submitter would have already known what to improve next time to show this is a valid nomination. But instead, they were told something incorrect, which is very confusing.
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@frealafgb exactly! If that info were in the rejection I would have completely understood (although been frustrated as I made it really clear that it was business premises and who has access so hard to go beyond that to show it is a business) and would have had something to work on. But the reason they gave, if I had gone purely off that, I would likely have had it rejected again because of the issue around whether it’s a residence or not!
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Definitely. The reasons are really important.
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I would try and give the sign a clean so that the leaf can be seen more easily.
is there anything on the business website - facility/ benefits for employees perhaps.
Can you give the coordinates
Thanks - I will try to remember to take a cloth with me next time I’m in the office! I very much doubt it’s mentioned anywhere except possibly internal websites - Mars is an extremely private business that doesn’t sing and dance about all the great things it does, as frustrating as that is! I will check though, as maybe when it won the Great Place to Work awards, it might have been mentioned in that!
How do I find the coordinates? I’m not back on site until next week now, so will be hard to get it exact on Google maps - but I can try to find it by zooming in etc. Unless there’s a way to find it from my original nomination?
Is this in Leicestershire?
It is! Here’s some screenshots and a link that might help.
On the larger map image, the red line shows the site boundary - there is the main entrance, car park, national office - then at the opposite end a series of buildings that make up the pet centre. Finally, the stand alone, large building near the boundary is called “The Lodge” and is all meeting rooms.
On the opposite side on streetview there is a footpath sign
It is likely if the woodland walk is on other side that it’s all part of the right of way.
It needs a bit of digging in the records
It’s not. That’s a public footpath. The route I showed is private, only accessible on the business property - it was originally put in place to walk the dogs that live at the Pet Centre, but opened up for all associates to walk if they wish.
I deliberately took my supporting photo a little further back so you could see the path leading up to it and the tree line on the left.
There’s 100% definitely no public right of way, as that would represent a huge security risk for the pets on site.
That footpath sign could be submitted.
I think on the old map it’s a route across to Saxby. So a good write up would stand a good chance.
The entrance to the business is at this point because this old route to the building which formed a crossroads.
It’s part of the story about your woodland path
I like this. You do need to demonstrate more about location and focus on who can access.
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