How a park of the 21st century has its roots firmly in the parks and garden influences, landscape designs and garden show of earlier times

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1 How a park of the 21st century has its roots firmly in the parks and garden influences, landscape designs and garden show of earlier times Michael Rowan Director of Mile End Park

2 Introduction The UK in general and England in particular has had an enduring love affair with parks and gardens The English style has swept Europe and many other parts of the globe Garden shows began in 1833 and still continue today Many of the lessons learned from these earlier times were used in the creation of Mile End Park; a park for the 21 st Century

3 English Contribution to Parks and Garden The English Garden Style Classical Landscapes 18th and 19th Century - Landscapes told a story - often of the aristocratic owner of the estate (his wealth his knowledge or simply his good taste) 19th Century the style was adopted by a new class of wealthy industrialists Later in the 19th Century Public parks often funded by private developers followed this style aiming to increase the value of their surrounding properties Public Parks followed this trend aiming to improve public health

4 The Chelsea Flower Show Flower show 1833 Chiswick Flower Show 1862 Kensington Chelsea Flower Show 1912 Was a place for growers to compete demonstrating their prowess Like the fashion shows it highlights trends but at prices beyond many peoples income It also shows some outrageous designs to gain publicity It is very popular but expensive and so attracts the wealthy, stylish and committed Gardens are grown for a year off site, built in 7 to 10 days and are viewed by the public over a 5 day period

5 Chelsea Flower Show

6 The Hampton Court Flower Show Established 1993 Developed out of the limitations of the site housing the Chelsea Show It takes place on the edge of London and has more room to expand It attracts professionals, enthusiasts and amateurs alike It is a sale room for horticulture -from plants and materials to garden designers and construction companies and suppliers

7 Hampton Court Flower Show

8 Garden Festivals Grew out of a response to a sharp decline in the economy Promoted by the Government of the day Situated in cities that were deemed to be the most economically deprived transforming derelict sites into tourist attractions The shows ran from spring to late summer/early autumn over a 5 year period Marketed as a general tourist attractions Were seen by the government as a spring board to regenerate areas No forward plan to ensure sustainability Once the audience had seen a show, their appetite was at best directed to the next venue After 5 years the garden show ended and the first show sites were already in decline

9 Liverpool Garden Festival

10 Background Mile End Park was constructed in its current form from several small pieces of land. It has developed from an idea born from the devastation of WWII In1944 a Government minister felt that there was an opportunity to break up overly densely populated areas with much needed green space which he called green fingers radiating from the River Thames.

11 Background Following the end of the war there was little opportunity to build such parks but the policy was duly enshrined in law. Revisited in the 1970s and 80s by the Greater London Council (GLC) Plans were drawn up to create a long narrow park segmented by activity. Pieces of land were compulsory purchased in order to create the new space. Plans were again halted when the Greater London Council was abolished

12 Planning An opportunity arose in 1994 with the Millennium Commission Original plans were updated and an outline proposal was submitted to the Millennium Commission A partnership was formed to design and build what was described as a Park for the 21st Century

16 Research Research was carried out with experts being brought in, including some who worked on Central Park, New York Planning for real exercise was formed and held in a local school Participants were asked to write what they disliked about the current green space and what they would like to see in the new park

17 Context Mile End Park is situated in the borough of Tower Hamlets on the east side of London in the UK The most culturally diverse demographic Against the trend with its increasing young demographic 80% of residents have no private garden

18 People living in Tower Hamlets Likely to die earlier than the national average Life expectancy at birth is shorter by 3 years for men and 2 years for woman. The proportion of low birth weight babies is 25% higher than the national average Children have almost twice as many rotten teeth than anywhere else in England.

19 For people living in Tower Hamlets The prevalence of sexually transmitted diseased is higher (HIV prevalence is four times higher than the national average.) The suicide rates are higher than the national average The rate of diabetes is higher than the national average The death rate from heart disease is 75% higher than the national average The death rate from lung cancer is 66% higher than the national average

20 Census for England and Wales 2001 Women % Under 16-21% Over 60s - 10% BME (Black, Minority Ethnic) - 49% Disabled - 31% Lesbian and Gay - 10%

21 Child Poverty 60% of children living in poverty Tower Hamlets has the highest levels of child poverty of any borough in London The Campaign to End Child Poverty says 79% of children in Tower Hamlets are in families classed as "struggling" - 42,850 children

22 Park Development ,000,000 to build the park although the final total would prove to be nearer 40,000,000. The main period of construction took place in this period. Three pavilions each costing in the region of 1,000,000 Water bodies introduced A spinal path travels through the length of the park to disguise the narrow width of the park.

23 Park under construction

24 Park Development The Green Bridge continued the park over a busy road Shop/ Restaurant units were built into the framework of the bridge that could be rented out to provide an income for the park (equivalent to 30% of the revenue budget) The park was divided into segments some of which were naturally delineated by road and railway networks. Each segment was defined by activity

25 By the end of 2003 the project had been completed to the limit of the available capital funding Approximately 70% of the vision had been achieved Sense of community engagement was lacking

26 Pavilions Three pavilions devoted to Ecology, Art and Play Each Pavilion is set underground so as to maximise insulation The glass wall is triple glazed and the space between each pane of glass is filled with Argon gas. Thin pipes 50metres long are buried in the soil covering the Pavilion. In summer hot air is drawn into the pipes dissipating its heat into the earth and pumping cooled air into the building. In late autumn and early winter the process is reversed and cool air is drawn through the pipes and the warm earth transfers heat to the air as it passes through the pipes and is pumped into the building.

27 Art Pavilion

28 Segmentation The park is segmented by activity with each area clearly delineated both by design and content so that the first time visitor should have no difficulty in identifying the main purpose of the area The areas are defined as: The Activity Park which includes an outdoor gym for free use by the community The Ecology Park which has a Pavilion, three water bodies and an outdoor classroom The Art Park which has a Pavilion that is used as an art Gallery

29 Segmentation The Terrace Garden has step free access to an ornamental garden with fountains and cascades The Adventure Park has more challenging play equipment and many places for young people to gather The Sport Park has 2 Astro turf pitches, 10 x 3G five a side football pitches, an athletics track and stadium, a leisure centre with 2 swimming pools The Play Park which has a Pavilion devoted to Children s Play and which is designed to allow children the freedom to explore and to play independently of adults.

30 Activity Arena

31 Ecology Park

32 Art Park

33 Art Pavilion

34 Terrace Garden

35 Adventure Park

36 Skate Park

37 Children s Play Park

38 Buffer Zones In between these areas are a series of buffer zones where there is no obvious purpose, these are more conducive to informal recreation One such buffer zone is a row of railway arches which had been used to store car tyres, strip car engines, drug dealing and prostitution The park took over the renting of the arches from the railway company and taking over the management of the arches, ensuring a mix of community use and appropriate park related businesses.

39 Arches

40 Park Forums Three forums dedicated to three of the main elements of the park namely Art Ecology and Play. Local experts and enthusiasts in each subject were invited to join a forum where they could debate the direction of the park Each member of the Forums had to live, work or study within the area of Tower Hamlets and as a result of this policy they both knew the issues facing the park and were well connected with the local community Forums identified priorities and communicated these to the wider community.

41 The Rangers The single most important thing that was done was to bring in a team of park rangers who immediately became ambassadors for the park The rangers not only provided feelings of security but they also became the public interface The rangers were trained in basic horticulture, ecology and play and were soon organising park activities

42 Mile End Park Rangers

43 Financial sustainability The remaining 25% of the capital works were undertaken often on a phased basis From the outset the park was intended to run as a business, making as many elements of the park as possible profitable The shops and restaurants contribute 30% of the total revenue budget Operations based in the park must pay rent regardless of if it is a private venture e.g. the Go Karts, or a public service e.g. the Urban Adventure Base Operators who wish to use the park for only a few days are charged according to the event. If the event is freely accessible to the local community the space is offered freely to the organisers as it is seen as a way of encouraging community engagement and cohesion

44 Environmental Sustainability Electric go karts reduce noise and atmospheric pollution Plans to erect a solar canopy which will not only provide enough energy to power the go karts but will also feed surplus energy back into the grid A bore hole supplies water to the three water bodies and the automatic irrigation system. This provides low nutrient water to the lakes

45 Electric Go Karts

46 Ethos of the park The ethos of the park has evolved from the original vision for the park and the demographics of the area The park endeavours to make partnerships with as many local communities as possible with the intention of encouraging social cohesion and a sense of ownership by using the park to facilitate activities from and for, those communities it seeks to serve

47 Regeneration of area The area around the park had stubbornly resisted opportunities for redevelopment in times of economic growth until the park had been completed in 2002/3 when there was steady development up until the recent recession of Newly built apartments were marketed at prices not reflected elsewhere in the area and every case there were several references to the award winning park in the advertisement. The expanded University that occupies a site on the opposite bank of the canal has several images depicting the park as part of its publicity.

48 Regeneration of area The influx of more affluent homeowners to the area has resulted in the gradual change in the types of shops that operate in the area in response to the new market The shops and restaurants under the Green Bridge were undoubtedly the catalyst for this as it was proved that such businesses could be successful in the area House prices were rising against the national and London trend, although this will in part be due to the effect of the 2012 Olympics

49 Community engagement There continues to be heavy investment in involving members of the community. Three forums, Art, Play and Ecology shape the direction of the park The Park works with key activist in the local community In 2007 the park launched GreenSTAT as a way of monitoring satisfaction levels A series of partnerships have resulted in a number of joint events and exhibitions bringing new communities to the park Corporate volunteers over 900 in 2009

50 Events In 2009 events took place in the park each month and often several times a month attracting a wider demographic into the park, and breaking down any perceived barriers to entering the park The events also give the park a constituency of self selected people who enjoyed the park and who would be willing to act as ambassadors for the park within their own communities

51 Halloween

52 Winter Festival

53 Land Draw

54 By the Sea

55 Graffiti Art

56 Cross Cutting Agendas Health agenda Play agenda Inclusive play agenda Equalities agenda

57 Major Initiatives in the United Kingdom GREEN SPACE a registered charity working to improve parks and green spaces by raising awareness, involving communities and creating skilled professionals GREEN LINK is a group of parks professionals representing the major parks organisation which aims to influence national policy on park GREEN FLAG national standard for parks and green spaces in England and Wales GREEN SKILLS a method of addressing the perceived shortfall of entrants into parks at all levels and the pressure that this places on the industry GreenSTAT is a visitor survey system, which records users views of their local parks and green spaces

58 Conclusion A good park cannot simply be designed on paper although an aesthetic one can A good park needs to have a strong clear vision which is developed into an ethos and then the active engagement of the local community will give the park its heart When each of these facets are in place a good park becomes a great park

59 Mile End Park 20 th Century Plan 21 st Century Vision

Notting Hill Housing & The Development Team

Notting Hill Housing & The Development Team Welcome to Notting Hill Housing s first consultation event about the sites. Notting Hill is one of the most innovative housing associations in the UK and one