The Friends of Blackhill and Consett Park commissioned Southern Green to review the park, the adjacent Blue Heaps as well as the interface with the Project Genesis site in order to develop a range of enhancements.
As Southern Green had been Lead Consultant and Landscape Architects for the restoration, completed in 2000, we were delighted to be asked to revisit the now popular and well-maintained park and assist the Friends Group in submitting funding applications and in particular the application to the Area Action Partnership.
The potential enhancements fall into three main themes:
- Improving biodiversity with community involvement
- Improving access and historical links, with the former steel works, now Project Genesis site
- Improving access into and across the park
The report would be used primarily to support an application to the Area Action Partnership for one element of works (improving biodiversity with community involvement). The other proposals are included in the report to illustrate the overall vision and the wider proposals and would be used as the basis of further funding applications.
We received some lovely feedback regarding the park’s potential enhancement report from Durham County Council and the Friends of Blackhill and Consett Park:
“Thank you for all the work undertaken to date on behalf of The Friends of the Park in compiling the very stimulating and interesting set of proposals. It has been a pleasure to work with you again after nearly 20 years, and I have been highly impressed by the very thorough project proposal document which you and colleagues at Southern Green Partners have produced in such a short timeframe, in order to enable the Friends of the Park to meet the application deadline. Thank you for your enthusiastic support!”
Martin Weston, Community Arts team (North), Durham County Council, Regeneration Economy & Growth, Culture Sport & Tourism
“Just a quick line to say thank you, to you and your team Simon for coming to our rescue at such short notice and pulling together a proposal which reflected our aims and priorities so well. I know regardless of the outcome of our current bid for funds the work your team has produced will act as a great guide for our future endeavours.”
Kevin Earley, Secretary the Friends of Blackhill and Consett Park
