start-with-the-park

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92 Start with the park CASE STUDY Sandwell, West Midlands 1.6 hectares Construction period 1991 Find cost-effective solutions Background One of the key challenges for many low-demand areas is how to manage large numbers of fragmented, contaminated and potentially dangerous sites. There are often insufficient funds to convert them into formal parks or to provide intense continuing maintenance. Many of these areas could be greatly improved by planting trees and woodland using cost-effective techniques. The National Urban Forestry Unit (NUFU) has been developing appropriate ways of rapidly reclaiming this kind of derelict land. Holyhead Copse is one practical example. It is a 1.6-hectare site in Sandwell, West Midlands, surrounded by low-demand housing and industry. The site had been infilled with a mixture of inert materials following open cast coal extraction. The surface had been compacted and sealed in some areas with concrete. There had been some colonisation by rough grass and low-growing vegetation and there was also some fly-tipping. Outcomes In the space of five years the site had been transformed from an indistinct area of rough open grassland and rubble into a visually attractive area of young woodland. Canopy closure was achieved over most of the area within four years. More than 95 per cent of the trees survived and vandalism rates were very low. The copse cost £2,500 per hectare to create in 1991 (a fraction of the cost of more formal landscapes) and requires very little maintenance each year by the local council. The site has been increasingly well used by local residents for dog walking, children’s play and other informal activities and it also provides a wide range of habitats for wildlife. Planning and design The site was ripped by machine in order to facilitate tree root penetration and, after consultation with local residents, it was planted with more than 4,000 saplings. Pioneer species such as alder and birch were the main tree species used. These grew quickly and made a rapid impact. Smaller groups of oak saplings were also included and existing desire line paths were retained through the planting.
Thinking about design 93 Design Black Country Urban Forestry Unit, now the National Urban Forestry Unit (NUFU) Partners Black Country Urban Forestry Unit, now the National Urban Forestry Unit (NUFU), the Forestry Commission, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council Lessons learnt • Where derelict land has little chance of being developed, woodland can provide a visually attractive and cost-effective long-term alternative. The resulting informal green space can begin to make a positive impact within a very short time and it is easy and inexpensive to maintain • Urban forestry offers considerable biodiversity benefits. The Woodland Wildlife survey found that the Black Country Urban Forest (of which Holyhead is a part) ‘supports an extraordinary range of plants and animals’. References www.nufu.org.uk www.communityforest.co.uk National Urban Forestry Unit (2001) Woodland wildlife: The biodiversity of the Black Country Urban Forest, Wolverhampton, National Urban Forestry Unit National Urban Forestry Unit (1998) Urban forestry in practice case study 1: Cost-effective woodland planting on derelict land, Wolverhampton, National Urban Forestry Unit
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Page 99 and 100: Appendix 97 Glossary A full range o
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Page 103 and 104: Appendix 101 derelict land, revital
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