December 2008 - Halcrow

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A green and pleasant land Blooming opportunities atch any film set in Britain – from Four Weddings and a Funeral W to Braveheart – and chances are it will feature the great swathes of open countryside for which the British Isles have always been famous. From the genteel London parks and lush green hedgerows of southern England, to the savage beauty of the Scottish highlands, the undulating Welsh hills and the romance of the rugged Irish countryside. However, the latter half of the twentieth century saw many of the UK’s green spaces eroded by urban development. Play areas and parks have been gradually nibbled away or left to rot and wildlife habitats threatened, to the alarm of local communities. The endless waiting lists for the few allotments remaining of thousands created during World War II’s ‘dig for victory’ campaign testify to the value placed by today’s urbanites on every pied á terre, no matter how modest. After years of neglect, declining standards, local government reorganisations and funding cuts, the last decade has seen Britain fighting back to improve its green spaces. <strong>Halcrow</strong>’s landscape architecture team, with Paul Rabbitts at the helm, has been at the forefront of the recent change. The principal landscape architect, based in the Tees Valley office, is an experienced judge with Green Flag, the organisation helping to raise park standards across the UK. As part of the ongoing renaissance, the UK government recently revised its planning policy guidance on the provision of open space, sport and recreation. Having previously advised local authorities to provide a ratio of six acres of open space per 1,000 people, it now advocates a local needs assessment. This evaluates quality, quantity, community value and accessibility to determine the provision of open space. Paul’s team has led the detailed assessment of over 2,500 open spaces across the UK, including Luton, and areas in North Hertfordshire, Rugby, Middlesbrough and more recently, the Scottish Borders. Every type of open space has been assessed, including parks and gardens, play areas, sports pitches, allotments, youth facilities, athletics tracks, semi-natural and natural green spaces, green corridors, churchyards and cemeteries. The recent focus on the value of play to a child’s development has brought over Drumlanrig Square, Hawick, Scottish Borders £155 million from the Big Lottery Fund over the last four years. In addition, over £250 million has been invested by the government through its Play Builders programme. What children get up to after school is now big business, it seems. Paul’s team was responsible for the funding applications and play strategies for Blyth Valley, Allerdale, in West Cumbria, Middlesbrough and Carlisle, releasing £1.2 million from the Big Lottery Fund for play improvements. Not a lot Following a wartime peak of 1.4 million UK allotments allocated in 1943, there was a sharp decline with only a paltry 297,000 plots available by 1996. Concerns about genetic modification, chemical pollution and contamination of food, sharpened by desire for fresh, natural produce, has seen empty plots filled and yearslong waiting lists appear for sites that were previously left untended for decades. 16 Vox | issue one
Green flags flying high The number of parks that have achieved the standard necessary to gain coveted Green Flag status has leapt from less than a dozen in 1996 to 743 in <strong>2008</strong>. Green Flag is the key national performance indicator for parks, administered by the Civic Trust. Parks are entered annually and judged on their sustainability, cleanliness, accessibility and community involvement, as well as management and maintenance. Park life The UK’s Heritage Lottery Fund began to fund urban parks in 1996 with an initial investment of £50 million. That expenditure has since multiplied by ten, much of which has been invested nationwide in restoration and development projects, including the UK’s first municipal park at Birkenhead. Some of Britain’s most popular and historic parks have benefitted, including Saltwell Park in Gateshead, Lister Park in Bradford, Mowbray Gardens in Sunderland and the People’s Park in Halifax. The green renaissance The move towards preserving and improving the nation’s green spaces came after a number of high-profile studies – including the 1995 report Park Life: Urban Parks and Social Renewal, by Comedia and Demos. Wilton Lodge Park, Hawick, Scottish Borders This brought into public focus the benefits that parks and open spaces, allotments, play areas and natural green spaces bring to the welfare, health and quality of life of local communities, as well as to the economy. Registered charity Green Space was soon established, together with the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) – the UK government’s adviser on architecture, urban design and public space. Together, they have championed the cause of good quality green space in Great Britain.
Page 1 and 2: issue one: december 2008 A safe pas
Page 3 and 4: Featuring... That’ll be the Daewo
Page 5 and 6: he Busan to Geoje fixed link projec
Page 7 and 8: pink In the pink alcrow’s health
Page 9 and 10: Towering success Halcrow had cause
Page 11 and 12: P1 Water works The scale of work at
Page 13 and 14: Hydro powers India’s progress Ind
Page 15: Putting Swindon on the map Halcrow
Page 19 and 20: Major bypass operation N9 opens on
Page 21 and 22: STOP PRESS Halcrow wins UK Excellen
Page 23 and 24: attention on the areas of potential
Page 25 and 26: Sick and tyred quarry revived Halcr
Page 27 and 28: Full of (renewable) energy ive empl
Page 29 and 30: New milestones for Scottish transpo
Page 31 and 32: Cementing reputations As president
Page 33 and 34: “survey And our “ says… The r
Page 35 and 36: PEOPLE POWER At Halcrow’s heart a
Page 37 and 38: Two heads are better than one any a
Page 39 and 40: Act now! does it again Gaining EXPO
Page 41 and 42: L to r: Cathy Stubbs, Alison Mort,
Page 43 and 44: in 1979 Halcrow’s work in the Mid
Page 45 and 46: There was some serious monkeying ar
Page 47 and 48: Soapbox scribe In order to give the
Page 49 and 50: eople hobble down the mud tracks P
Page 51 and 52: Katherine makes a Pitt stop Katheri
Page 53 and 54: The longest day Humble marathons pa
Page 55 and 56: 9 10 11 12 13 14 9) Julia Krohn fro
Page 57 and 58: 8) Kelvin Foo from Halcrow’s Kual
Page 59 and 60: Who do you admire the most? If you

December 2008 - Halcrow

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