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The Borough of Broxbourne Council recognised that the redevelopment of the Wormley Community Centre was an opportunity for valuable community development on the estate. Working with the Green Heart Partnership and artist, Simon Honey, the council took a creative new approach to regeneration and the improvement of this community space.
Living in a flat on the Wormley estate for a three month period, Simon was able to become a member of the community, talking to local people in their homes, in public spaces and through creative workshops about the future of Wormley Community Centre and the surrounding area.
Honey developed the community consultation into a short film, which captures the needs and aspirations of local people. This film was shown to elected council members, residents and design specialists to directly inspire and focus redesign and planned improvement.
Following on from this, GHP also worked closely with Fundamental, a specialist architecture team, to engage targeted community groups through active design workshops. The group’s suggestions and insights were communicated through drawings and model-making, and have filtered into the architect’s drawings for the renovation of the centre.
 
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The outcomes of Simon’s 20 minute DVD: ‘EN10’ and the workshops have directly fed into a masterplan of refurbishment and local environmental improvement options. This project has also led to a change in programming at the community centre by Broxbourne Council and Broxbourne Housing Association.
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Simon Honey, artist said: “I have worked on art and environmental projects like this previously. But I suppose the GHP experience differs from these: the fact that the money is already there and the systems are set up to ensure that something will come out of the consultation that will benefit the local community and long-term. It’s a sustainable approach, and if this was not the case, then I would not have taken the project on.”
Clare Watson, Projects Manager, Borough of Broxbourne, said: “Green Heart has helped to facilitate and mentor the team with both the development of ideas and the project management framework. I have been impressed by the provision of added value funding; through this way of working, we have enabled a consultation process to become more interesting and engaging for the community.”
A spokesman for Broxbourne Council commented: "The Green Heart Partnership has facilitated local community engagement in this consultation initiative in a highly creative and visual format, recording a valuable reference for the Council on local community needs. The Council and its partners are now looking to respond to this feedback in a range of service areas including recycling, community centre programming, providing more activities for young people, updating the community centre itself, and improving local housing environments."
Rachel Drury, Head of Resource Development at Arts Council England East commented : 'Simon has demonstrated how an artist can empower a community to develop a shared vision for the future that will positively change their local environment and the way people relate to it and to each other.'
Spaces and Places August 2006: Living with the Unknown.pdf
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