Blog from South Terrace Darlington DL1: Britain's Smallest Park

Showing posts with label Britain's Smallest Park. Show all posts

Tuesday, 10 December 2019

South Terrace news roundup 2019

Travel to Buenos Aires last year precluded a 2018 end-of-year news roundup here on the ‘South Terrace blog’, but at popular demand, here is our summary for 2019.

First, a big welcome from all on the terrace to new members of the group, Greg Williams (14), Julie Sellers (7) and Helen Pearson (13), and a farewell to Sarah Hutchinson (4). Congratulations to Dave and Hannah (7) on their May wedding.

Probably the biggest 2019 achievement as a community is the completion of our new pedestrian crossing at Feethams South. We launched the ‘Barker & Stonehouse Crossing Facebook page’ in October 2015, closely followed by a petition that received 252 signatures in just over 2.5 hours. Since then, despite the crossing having been fully funded by Persimmon and passed by planning, there was political prevarication, requiring intervention from Jenny Chapman MP. Now with widespread support and persistence, the crossing has been installed and it opened on 4 December. Many thanks to the residents that gave their support and time to this enterprise.

When the council introduced a garden waste bin service, our small front gardens and paved yards meant that South Terrace residents could hardly justify its 35 GDP annual cost. So a group of residents clubbed together to share the cost of a bin. With 7 paying members in 2019, the collaboration has been successful, and we propose to continue the project in 2020. If you are not currently a member of the group and wish to join, just let me know.

On 23rd February we held our third South Terrace back lane clearing and litter pick. The day was fine, with a gazebo, tea and cake provided at Sainsburys lane end. Events like this are more than just tidying the lane. They are about community-building and cohesion. It is suggested that we repeat the event in 2020, so do get involved whatever your role. Just attending to share a cup of tea provides a big incentive for the organisers.

May 2019 saw our annual South Terrace Garden in Bloom competition, won this year by no.23, with the urban entry at no 22 as runner-up. Features of the competition are - the inspection date is random, every garden on the terrace is included, and that we have no rules! So 2020 could be your year to win. Was it a coincidence that May was also the month in which Murray McLaren published his feature on South Terrace with a delightful photograph of our gardens?

On the topic of gardens, we should not forget the Gerald Lee Pocket Park, just round the corner from Feethams South in Victoria Road. Our community garden inspired projects in Darlington and across the country. If you are not already a member, do join the group here. Many thanks to the children Ed (22), Ellie and Tom (9) for their planting efforts in the park on 4 August.

Residents continue to raise concerns about the width of parking spaces on the terrace. These were reduced in 2017 as part of the new arrangements. Whilst this is a problem, it seems that the council is unlikely to reverse the changes. For those with larger cars, do bear in mind that we have two large new unrestricted spaces in Feethams South. If you see one free, it might be useful to park there to optimise the permit spaces?

Other events of 2019 involve two stray cricket balls and the prospect of extended mesh fencing at the club boundary. This caused controversy for our group, but the upshot (if you will excuse the expression) was that the club will leave fencing as it is, and take more care on match days. On 8 March, the miniature Tornado returned to the roundabout. On 11 May we erected our new Neighbourhood Watch Signs thanks to Darlington Police. On 2 July we were again visited by the Air Ambulance, and in September speed and parking restrictions were introduced in Greener Drive.

A word about our Messenger group. Of all of our community initiatives for the terrace, this I suspect has been the most successful. We currently have 21 members: residents and their close relatives. Rarely a week goes by without a message, keeping residents up-to-date with developments and in contact with each other, and the ‘parcel collection service’ has proved effective. A massive advantage of the service is that it is instant, but this also may present a drawback. Do remember that the Messenger group is largely for messages, not comments (which are more suited to the Facebook group).

For 2020

Following several attempted burglaries of homes and break-ins of vehicles, security on the terrace is of paramount importance. A suggestion has been made that we should investigate the idea front-of-terrace security cameras, perhaps with a security feature for the back lanes. I will post the idea on our Facebook group for your suggestions.
A number of residents have supported a proposal for an annual ‘Terrace Residents Photograph’. I love the idea of this and sense that it would provide a fascinating historical social record.

Thursday, 5 November 2015

A new way to view the back lane

Back in July, I published a blog 'Is it too late to Gate', addressing the proposal that we should consider seeking a gating order to enclose our lanes here at South Terrace.

Since then, a short discussion with John Hirdman suggests that the council may resist such a measure here on the grounds that a grant for us could open the floodgate for like applications across the town.

Following the success of Christopher Donaldson's Back Lanes of Darlington Facebook group depicting photographs of horrors and success, back lanes have become a white-hot topic. But my work with Christopher has caused me to think much more about the present day function of our back lanes, and of their future.

The idea of lanes developed from the boundaries of Burgage plots backing medieval homes. With 18th century urban development, the back lane concept was captured as a service road for tradesmen and servants, and this persisted until the 1st World War. And therein was the back lane's doom. Middle class properties turned their back on their back lanes, and this prejudice persists to this day.

With 21st century living, the idea that a back lane should be neglected is absurd. Urban space is at a premium; there are fewer safe places for children to play; and fewer community spaces for neighbours to meet. That our back lanes are left to the rule of town councils misses entirely their potential benefit as a community resource.

Thanks to Tina Mortimer for the photo

Here in Darlington, most back lanes are used simply for rubbish collection and recycling - a 'once a week' event. Because they have no other purpose, they become dumping grounds for residents and incomers. Successful projects have been run in Middlesbrough in which lanes have been gated and restored to community use - and importantly, community management. As in many urban areas, Middlesbrough supplied large communal refuse points - both freeing up space in the lanes, and reducing refuse collection costs.

So, how can we take control over our back lanes without gating orders? Contributors to the argument observe that minus the gates, community lanes may simply be wrecked.

This blogger is not so sure. Our recent experience in developing the 'Gerald Lee Pocket Park - the Smallest Park in Britain' defied that argument. Yes, the park has had occasional losses, but for a venture so close to the highway, it has survived in bloom, well enough to celebrate its first anniversary in August.

The main protection against theft and damage would be restrict the access for vehicles, save for those of residents. Because of the narrowness of the lanes and parking restrictions, many of Darlington's lanes are infrequently used for residents' cars, so some restriction is unlikely to cause significant problems.

One proposal is for the judicious use of fold-down or telescopic security posts, with keys or combination locks. A commentator with some experience suggests that these could revolutionise the use of lanes, keeping out unauthorised traffic and giving encouragement for residents to dress their lanes.

It may be that local byelaws would permit this, or alternatively a short amendment to s.129 Highways Act 1980. The latter is certainly not out of the question, as gating orders were themselves introduced this way in 2006 under s.2 Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005.

So, do we simply say 'Its too much effort'? Or would we like to take back our back lanes? The answer is really up to you!

Thanks to North News & Pictures Ltd for the photos

Thursday, 20 November 2014

Pocket Park - an ongoing success story

Our neighbourhood pocket park, the Gerald Lee Pocket Park, rose from the obscurity of a patch of weeds under a billboard to becoming one of the most desired and decorated ventures of 2014.

From this

Via this

To this

For those that missed the history, here are our earlier postings:

2nd May 2014: initial proposals for the park
21 May 2014: prelude to the big dig

7 June 2014: the big dig, undertaken exclusively by South Terrace residents and their families

18 June 2014: prelude to the big plant - with the Mayor, Amanda and the children
21 June 2014: the big plant - combining South Terrace residents, Friends of the Earth Darlington and Guerilla Gardeners Darlington

23 June 2014: nearly the finale

4 August 2014: the grand opening by the Mayor, Councillor Gerald Lee and the Mayoress, Mrs Lee

On 28 July 2014 the Daily Mail featured the park. The Grand Opening on 29 July 2014 was clearly a massive success, both for the park and the people involved, as reported by the Northern Echo on 30 July 2014 (click here and here to see the videos).

By 12 September 2014 the pocket park was voted category winner in the Darlington Garden Contest, with the award ceremony at Darlington Town Hall on 2 October 2014, award being received by Kendra Ullyart and Peter Plant.

Success did not end there. Despite political controversy, following assessment on 5 September 2014 when the leader of the council questioned the naming of the pocket park, the park went on to gain an 'Outstanding' Award from the Royal Horticultural Society and Northumbria in Bloom in the 'It's Your Neighbourhood' ceremony, with a presentation to Councillor Paul Harman on 18 November 2014 in the Legends lounge in Middlesbrough Football Stadium.

The park shows the ability of a local community to make a difference. What awaits us in 2015? Well, lots more fun in the park, we hope!

Councillor Paul Harman, receiving our RHS 'Outstanding' category Award

Monday, 4 August 2014

Gerald Lee Pocket Park - the formal opening by the Mayor

It started life as a crazy idea.

When Councillor Paul Harman proposed that we turn a scrap of land below a billboard into a garden, we looked at him with disbelief. The plot was next to one of Darlington's busiest roads, is north facing, and shielded from the sun by a huge poster, had never been cultivated and was full of couch grass and weeds.

But Paul Harman is both imaginative and persuasive, and he would not take 'no' for an answer. So, in early Spring, the journey to make Britain's Smallest Park commenced.

In the early stages of the project, it was not known who owned the plot. Most enquiries received rather hurried denials. A letter to J C Decaux however produced an encouraging response from their surveyor Harry Read in Chapel Street, London. Yes, they owned both billboard and site, and certainly we could negotiate a licence for a community garden.

Permission granted, our next task was to mobilise our local community. Amanda Llewellyn agreed to head the team and we set about arranging our three key dates, 'The Big Dig', 'The Big Plant', and the 'Open Day'. Key to this was the active support of the South Terrace Residents Group. To this band we added Darlington Friends of the Earth, led by garden designers Kendra Ullyart and Matthew Snedker, and the little known Darlington Guerilla Gardeners - a clandestine, after night-fall group of planters and seeders.

The last question was what to name the park? Paul Harman slipped back from the task, telling us that this had to be a community decision, but that 'Harman Park' was certainly not on the agenda. Victoria Park was suggested, but met with yawning silence. Things changed when a small voice from the back of the room uttered the words, "what about Gerald Lee Pocket Park after the Litter Tsar?" A buzz went round the room and the discussion closed with this inspired choice.

The rest of our planning has ascended into folk history. As the community transformed the plot, Darlington awoke to new developments and even controversy. Litchfield council remained tight-lipped as their smallest park in Britain - Prince's Park - lost it's mantel.

So here are the photos of the Open Day. Our heartfelt thanks go to the residents who have given so much time and perspiration, Friends of the Earth for their support and guidance, JJ Blair & Sons (Covered Market) and Sainsburys Super Store for donating plants, Woodburn Nursery for huge support, including infrastructure and plants, Peter Plant, Matthew Snedker and Kendra Ullyart for technical advice and days of hard work. On the day, our thanks to Cockerton Vintage Brass Band who played beautifully, CPT Accountants and Business Advisers - and of course The Worshipful, the Mayor of Darlington Gerald Lee and Mrs Ruth Lee who acted as our inspiration for the project.