Sheaf Valley Park Sheffield UK Best Practice the
Sheaf Valley Park Sheffield UK Best Practice the Sheaf Valley Park Way
Project about connectivity and quality of open space for the immediate eastern communities of Sheffield Centre Victoria Quays SHEAF VALLEY PARK Clay Wood Norfolk Park
n n Sheaf Valley is phase 1 - investing in abused and unsafe central open space Improving direct connections to the city centre and transport hubs n Improving safety through lighting n Upgrading management quality n Creating the first facilities for the site – events area n Quality and distinctive materials n n Phase 1 City Arboretum – sustaining green infrastructure Reinforcing Park Hill regeneration
The difficulty of promoting longterm stewardship in tandem with place-making n n n Innate advantage to place-making is that it has high visual impact and is often transformational Difficult to predict how a project will be received in the community; benefits are hard to quantify, making buying in very difficult to attract at the start Sheaf valley’s success is, in part, because of its context rather than reliance on a plan
A case for stewardship at Sheaf Valley n n n Stewardship - its more than just mowing grass. It can be a creative process in its own right – many fundamental improvements could be achieved through well considered place -keeping Be creative – allow the site to be organic and flexible. Longterm aftercare can provide other benefits beyond the actual work employment, community involvement, making the most of volunteers Aftercare is more than land maintenance it is about site use and the importance it plays in raising the profile of a site’s value
What could be done better? n n Create one discrete team, rather than disparate teams spread across organisations and geographical area which find it difficult to communicate and pull together a coherent design and afterlife, and encourages a management based on investment and finance Coordination of design and all aspects of management whether that be land maintenance or site use management Be truthful and show the results of not maintaining - waste of resources, reputation, mistrust, social deprivation Building understanding of the work behind, and benefits of, place keeping in the community to create more political pressure for change in support of longterm, sustainable aftercare
What could be done better? n Funding concentrates less on capital and more on the benefits of creative place-keeping costs, allowing resourcing of dedicated staff to promote community buy in, proper establishment, local presence, and future investment n Multi-functionality of place makes a stronger case for management resourcing and opens more opportunities for diversifying those resources, for example in the case of Sheaf Valley access improvements, events venue and viewing and relaxing area
Passing the MP 4 Baton n Use events to make the site iconic and high value Remember that longterm stewardship isn’t just about physical maintenance Build up an understanding among local politicians that sustainable longterm investment is a vote-winner too
www. mp 4 -interreg. eu
- Slides: 10