Section: Community Projects & Support
Green Light Given To Over 80 Pocket Parks
Posted 16.02.16
Communities Secretary Greg Clark announced that 87 neglected urban spaces across the country will be transformed into green oases for everyone to use, thanks to a share of a £1.5 million dedicated fund.
Community groups will have the money to create their own pocket parks, developing small parcels of land, sometimes as small as the size of a tennis court.
Greg Clark, said:
"Parks and green spaces breathe life into our bustling towns and cities providing communities with precious spaces to get together, exercise and play.
"These winning bids all have a strong community focus at the core of their plans and their designers have thought up highly creative ideas to turn unloved urban spaces into the green lungs of their communities that will be enjoyed for years to come."
The winning bids include:
- Permarin Community Group plan to turn an unused area of tarmac in Penryn into a native Cornish garden with space place for children to play outdoors.
- The One Voice - Action for Disability Community Group in Wolverhampton, who plan to turn a 30-year-old tipping zone into a natural wildlife area, working with local residents and people with poor mental health or physical disabilities to create the pocket park.
- The Monkey Park Community Interest Company in Chesterfield, who will use their funding to build a riverside walkway, allowing people to walk along the Holme Brook and enjoy the natural green space threading through the heart of the community.
- The Friends of The Chuckery Village Green in Walsall will make the most of the cherry trees on their derelict plot by planting an edible herb and vegetable garden with a plan to create pies and jams.
- Cherry Orchard Gardening Services, a community group in Staffordshire, have been awarded funding to create a pocket 'Park-our' for local teenagers to practice parkour, the increasingly popular urban sport, in a safe environment.
Each community group has been allocated grants of up to £15,000 to create a pocket park.
