Showcase Design of Open Space: Stevenage ‘sunken’ roundabout
Through this project Stevenage Borough Council took a forward-thinking and creative approach to transforming a transitory space within a business area into urban pocket park. Built in 1946, at a time of great idealism and optimism, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, was the first designated New Town in Britain. The town’s planners took an innovative approach to its design, creating the country's first ever pedestrianised town centre, with an extensive network of cycle ways and roundabouts to keep people and traffic moving. ‘Sunken’ roundabouts are one of the features of the design of Stevenage, occurring where several cycle ways converge within a sunken area below the road roundabout above. The Green Heart Partnership brought together Stevenage Borough Council's Regeneration team, Herts Highways, and artist and landscape architect Trudy Entwistle, to design a usable, green and visually striking public space within a 'sunken' roundabout in the heart of a large business park, where useable outdoor space for employees is limited. Following the completion of a Feasibility Study in June 2006, EEDA approved funding of £240K towards the capital project to implement the designs. The Pocket Park project was unfortunately closed by Stevenage Borough Council due to funding issues and difficulties in securing sustained support across all partner organisations. However, the project is still an important showcase for the innovative approach and thinking that have been reflected in the final designs, and is a valuable learning tool and source of inspiration regarding the process of working on capital projects with such extensive partners. Project TypePartner Links
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This document was downloaded from: http://www.greenheartpartnership.org