Cass associates Port Sunlight River Park
Introduction Port Sunlight is a name that spells out its ambitions. The development was a model of social and economic regeneration long before the term was coined, including a ground-breaking manufacturing company, a port with a global reach and a village built to provide a beautiful, green environment to live, learn and play. Ships would come up the River Mersey to Bromborough Dock and travel down the River Dibbin to offload their cargoes of palm oil for the Lever Brothers’ factory on the wharf at Port Sunlight. The garden village provided by the Lever Brothers to house the factory workers was built to the highest standards in housing and urban design with a cultural jewel, the Lady Lever Art Gallery, at its centre. Port Sunlight River Park aims to revive and extend that Utopian ideal by creating an attractive new green space with an inspirational artwork at its heart on the site of what was was until recently Bromborough landfill site, previously Bromborough Dock; reconnecting the communities of Port Sunlight, Bromborough and New Ferry with the River Mersey and its tributary the River Dibbin. What was an unsightly barrier to the river will become a beautiful, magical space where nature and art can be experienced together with spectacular views across the Mersey to the city of Liverpool and up and down its magnificent estuary. This report, commissioned by the Forestry Commission in partnership with Wirral Council, seeks to capture that vision and explore the challenges and possibilities that this exciting opportunity represents for South Wirral.
Vision
Vision Port Sunlight River Park: a local, regional and national asset Port Sunlight River Park will offer a recreational and cultural destination unmatched in the UK; blending international contemporary art and design with the very best of early 20th century urban design and 19th century industrial and cultural heritage, set alongside a world famous river while protecting and promoting a unique wetland and woodland habitat. The scheme, presented here, binds together the green spaces, watercourses and heritage fabric radiating from Port Sunlight to the river and encompassing the communities of Bromborough and New Ferry. The park will offer something for everyone, whether walking, cycling, coming by car or by boat, for bird watchers and art lovers or simply for families looking for a healthy, active day out. Bromborough Dock offers an unsurpassable view over the River Mersey, acting as a prominent landmark when seen across and from the river, yet, having been used as a landfill site since 1991, it has acted as a barrier between neighbourhoods, the river and economic opportunity for the past twenty years. During this time 3 million cubic metres of waste has been tipped to create the imposing landform that can be seen today. The Port Sunlight River Park proposal puts the site at the centre of a phased design and access plan to transform this unsightly and inaccessible barrier into the glue that reconnects the river to its communities with an inspirational artwork and landscape scheme generating 28Ha of previously inaccessible waterfront.
The development site is located on the eastern waterfront in Wirral, to the north of Wirral International Business Park and to the east of Port Sunlight, a model village and popular tourist destination that includes the Lady Lever Art Gallery housing one of the country’s finest collections of fine and decorative art with approximately 182,000 visitors per annum. It is a very distinctive, imposing mound of capped off landfill with an approximate height of 12.0m above ordnance datum which has created a spectacular vantage point over the entire estuary, the mouth of the Manchester Ship Canal, the wildlife reserve at Speke Garston, the proposed Wirral Waters and Liverpool Waters developments and the three Graces on Liverpool’s waterfront. The mound is also visible from most of the immediate surroundings, and is visually dominant from Liverpool and from Rock Ferry Esplanade. This plan builds on the Art on the Mersey report commissioned by Mersey Waterfront and published in June 2010, focusing on Bromborough Dock and other undeveloped sites that could act as multipliers and catalysts in their respective areas and begin to frame the river as an iconic landmark and leisure destination. The document made the case that, with a commission of the appropriate scale, calibre and ethos, the former landfill site at Bromborough could become an unmissable destination on the waterfront, as well as becoming a main attraction in a trail of work, alongside Another Place at Crosby Beach and the renovated Festival Gardens, that would offer a unique day out while animating the river itself by their relationships. Mersey Travel have expressed their support for the project and are willing to explore the option of extending the current Mersey Ferry operation to Festival Gardens and Bromborough Dock, both of which have landing piers.
Bromborough could set a benchmark of quality and ambition for other signature projects in order to create a unique selling point for the sub-region. Peel Holding’s Atlantic Gateway developments along the River Mersey offer an unprecedented opportunity for mutually supportive, synergistic relationships to develop across its banks and boundaries. Indeed, one of the key themes in the Atlantic Gateway strategy is that of creating places that attract and retain talent by creating attractive recreational environments and cultural destinations, with the River Mersey cited as one of the city region’s exceptional assets. Liverpool City Region’s own development plans are based on a vision to be a premier European city by 2025 with one of its key priorities to enhance the tourism and culture provision. Port Sunlight River Park has the potential to match this aspiration and put Wirral, already a leading leisure destination, at the forefront of the City Region’s, indeed the North West’s, offer.
Strategic Context
This proposal is directly informed by Wirral Council’s Preferred Spatial Vision as described in the Local Development Framework for Wirral Core Strategy Development Plan that states:
‘by April 2027, Wirral will continue to offer a high quality of life, as an attractive place to live an active, productive, safe and healthy lifestyle based on a series of distinct but well-integrated settlements, which will together make a stronger contribution to the prosperity and regeneration of the wider sub-region. The focus of new development and investment will be on urban regeneration; tackling social, economic and environmental disparity; reusing previously developed land; and on strengthening and enhancing the distinctive assets of the Borough, including the quality and value of the natural environment; supported by a tight Green Belt. Wirral’s potential as a visitor and tourist destination will be focused on the quality of the Borough’s natural environment; built heritage; country parks; and the visitor and coastal facilities at Birkenhead, New Brighton, Leasowe, Hoylake, West Kirby, Thurstaston and along the Mersey coast.’ The case for commissioning signature projects on key sites along the Mersey waterfront has been made convincingly in a number of reports and strategies over the last five years including the Mersey Waterfront Strategic Framework in 2007, Adapting the Landscape report commissioned by North West Development Agency in 2009 and the Mersey Coastal Strategy published by Wirral Council in 2010.
The Economic Assessment of the proposed development of community woodlands, commissioned by the Forestry Commission in 2009, provides a comprehensive background to the proposal for the site and is reinforced by Wirral Council’s Mersey Coastal Park Strategy, published in 2010, which builds upon the legacy of successful initiatives across Merseyside that have attempted to develop the coast as a major asset. The council wish to capitalise on this experience and has a strategic vision of having a complete and uninterrupted access to coast by, where possible, opening up the entire waterfront of the Wirral Peninsula. Proposed developments envisaged as part of the Mersey Coastal Park concept would also have a substantial positive impact on the character of the surroundings by upgrading and developing several derelict and run-down areas and bringing them back into beneficial use. The transformation of Bromborough Dock Landfill site could be an early win and act as a driver to this longer term plan. [refer to appendix for details of reference documents]
Strategic Context
The Coastal Park strategy is part of the broader vision for East Wirral and has been deliberately designed to: • • •
Establish the Mersey Coastal Park as a high quality visitor attraction and inward investor destination in the North West. Create a major, high quality, informal recreation facility on a prime waterfront location with improved access and significant local amenity benefits. Promote the principles of conservation, green infrastructure and sustainable economic development.
Wirral Council’s experience of delivering regeneration programmes has identified the benefits in concentrating resources within a clearly defined area. The vision for Mersey Coastal Park follows the same principle of geographic targeting but within a smaller area largely concentrating on the coastal stretch between Rock Ferry and Eastham Country Park. The area is approximately 6.5km in length and will comprise the following ‘signature’ projects, including Bromborough Landfill Site, which, once linked, will create a unique visitor and investor attraction; • • • • • •
Rock Ferry Waterfront Regeneration scheme Rock Park Esplanade Shorefields Community Park Newlands 2 Bromborough Landfill Site Wirral International Business Park Eastham Country Park.
Strategic Context
Bromborough forms a strategic link in the efforts to create coastal access along the Mersey Estuary from Rock Ferry to Eastham Country Park. Woodlands will be developed on reclaimed land so removing the negative associations with the landfill site and making it appealing, usable and accessible to the general public. There are also more than 4 hectares of former salt marsh wetlands to the North of the site which offer good levels of biodiversity and wildlife-watching opportunities, and a strong natural environment pull for the site which could also be used for education purposes. The project will deliver a high quality of recreational green space and infrastructure, alongside the creation of viewing areas to make the most of the natural habitat and add to the overall ‘day visitor experience, with its physical proximity to the neighbouring tourist destination of Port Sunlight. Moreover, given the high visibility of the site from the other side of the Mersey Estuary, one of the clearest outcomes will be the transformation of a significant scar on the waterfront landscape to a key attractor that can be clearly seen from the Otterspool/ Aigburth Promenade, the Garden Festival site and Liverpool John Lennon Airport on the other side of the river, lending huge benefit to the regional image. The Mersey Waterfront Regional Park published a strategic framework in 2007 that proposed a series of ‘Windows on the Waterfront’ along its 135km of coastline and a ‘Mersey Waterfront Way’ that pulled these vantage points together. It is proposed that Bromborough Dock is one of these highest profile of these sites, offering a high level view of the World Heritage Coastline and of the mouth of the Manchester Ship Canal.
Port Sunlight
Wirral + Liverpool
Atlantic Gateway
International Destination
Strategic Context
In line with the Regional Economic Strategy and the North West Regional Spatial Strategy, the Mersey Coastal Park will look to create and enhance the following:•
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Quality of Place and improvements to the environment; capitalising on natural assets, quality of the visitor experience and high quality/attractiveness of the built environment. This will support Wirral’s competitive offer as a place for business, visiting and investing. Creating the right conditions for private sector investment in key places in the Coastal Park, by championing ‘Green Infrastructure’; the network of open spaces, waterways, woodlands, green corridors, trees and open spaces which will enhance image and land values. Quality of Life: ensuring that people in Wirral have access to opportunities for healthy activity, recreation and leisure, high quality environments, providing a great place to live and work – supporting the subregions housing offer. Developing the sense of community in the area, including increased community cohesion and civic pride. Quality of Environment: creating healthy settings, enhanced biodiversity providing contact with nature, an enhanced landscape setting, and environmental risks managed. Developing the economic benefit of the Coastal Park natural environment through better alignment of environmental activities and economic gain.
This study sets out a framework to integrate the existing neighbourhoods and cultural assets in and around Bromborough Dock using a major art commission as a catalyst on the former landfill site itself. An innovative art and design solution would act as a key driver in creating a destination of regional, national and international interest but, as this report shows, in order to unlock economic, social and environmental benefits for the communities and spaces around it, the vision must encompass its immediate hinterland and access routes. [refer to appendix for details of reference documents]
The Site
Existing Site - Key Issues
A number of recent reports have been published that analyse the key issues affecting the communities within the project area. Our analysis has focussed specifically on issues affecting the connections to and from these communities and on connections to Liverpool, the Mersey Basin and beyond. Seven of these key issues are highlighted below:
1 The Port Sunlight Island - The village is cut off by poor quality streetscapes, poor legibility and major infrastructure barriers that severely diminishes its heritage and tourism appeal. 2 The River Dibbin - The existing route is inaccessible and dangerous due to land ownership issues and ground conditions 3 A41 Junction - The junction at the A41 creates a major barrier between Port Sunlight Village and the eastern approach to the waterfront. 4 Bromborough Pool - The existing route into Bromborough Pool is circuitous and poorly sign posted. There are no clear links between the village, surrounding communities and the waterfront 5 Landfill site entrance - Existing access to the landfill site is constrained by land ownership boundaries, infrastructure and the river corridor 6 Mayfield Underpass - The existing underpass is in poor condition with no passive surveillance creating an intimidating environment 7 Shorefields Waterfront - The existing woodland and pedestrian route are poorly maintained creating an intimidating environment
Existing Site - Key Routes
In its existing form the Bromborough landfill site is accessible from one location to the south of the site. The route is circuitous, passing along broad, featureless roads through industrial developments, derelict plots and skirting around the heritage jewel of Bromborough Pool village.
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During our analysis we have evaluated four other potential routes into the site. In total the five routes that we have analysed are as follows: 01 Bolton road boulevard from Port Sunlight village across the A41 to the landfill site. 02 Bromborough Pool following the existing vehicular access route.
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03 River Dibbin following the course of the river from Port Sunlight village to the edge of the landfill site 04 Mayfield underpass access under the Rockferry bypass 05 Shorefields Park following the pedestrian route to the shoreline adjacent to the landfill site.
3 These routes currently have access to the perimeter fence of the landfill site providing the best opportunity for future expansion into the landfill site.
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Key Route 01 - Bolton Road
01. Bolton road looking east
Constraints • No clear end point to the street • No relationship to the waterfront Opportunities • International standard destination • Well maintained streetscape • Transport connections and facilities
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02. A41 junction looking east
Constraints • No clear route across the junction • Poor pedestrian facilities • Poor streetscape quality Opportunities • Clear views to the landfill site • Gateway opportunity
03. Bolton road east
Constraints • Poor quality streetscape • Private residential feel • No clear access point Opportunities • Direct views and access to the landfill site • Generous street proportions
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Bolton road key plan
Key Route 02 - Bromborough Pool
01. Pool lane looking east
Constraints • No clear entrance to Bromborough Pool • Poor visibility of the village • Poor pedestrian infrastructure Opportunities • Historic conservation village setting • Destination enroute to the waterfront • Gateway to Port Sunlight and Bromborough Pool
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02. Dock road south
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Bromborough Pool key plan
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Constraints • Poor quality streetscape • Poor views or access to Bromborough Pool • Poor legibility to the route Opportunities • Good road links to the landfill site • Opportunity to pedestrian links through the village
03. Landfill site entrance
Constraints • No access • Ownership constraints • Adjacent industrial land uses Opportunities • Clear entrance opportunity for pedestrians and vehicles • Gateway to the landfill site and waterfront
Key Route 03 - River Dibbin
01. View from the A41 road bridge
Constraints • No access to the river • Ownership and neighbour constraints Opportunities • Diverse and tranquil landscape • Direct access from Port Sunlight to the waterfront • Habitat observation and park creation opportunities • Gateway opportunity
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02. South west from the waterfront
Constraints • Hazardous river corridor • No access • Potential water quality issues Opportunities • Direct access to the water front • Important leisure route • Habitat observation and creation opportunity 03. The waterfront
Constraints • No access • Hazardous waterfront • Ownership constraints Opportunities • Panoramic views to Liverpool • Destination visitor opportunity • Access to the landfill site
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River Dibbin key plan
Key Route 04 - Mayfield Underpass
01. Beaconsfield road
Constraints • Poor accessibility • Pedestrian route perceived as unsafe • Poor streetscape quality Opportunities • Access to Mayfield
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Mayfield key plan
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02. Mayfield underpass access
Constraints • Poor surveillance of the underpass • Poor quality setting • No clear access or signage Opportunities • Potential high quality community link to the landfill site
03. Landfill site from Mayfield
Constraints • No clear pedestrian network • Poor scale to the space Opportunities • Entrance to the landfill site • Good connections to surrounding communities • Increased potential for leisure use
Key Route 05 - Shorefields Park
01. Shorefields to Liverpool
Constraints • Private residential feel • Poor quality pedestrian environment • Poor ground conditions Opportunities • Panoramic views to Liverpool • Strategic piece of the Wirral waterfront • Habitat observation and creation opportunites
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02. Pedestrian access to the beach
Constraints • No surveillance of the route • Poorly managed woodland • Lack of signage and access routes Opportunities • Strategic link into the landfill site • Key leisure route to the waters edge • Habitat observation and creation opportunity 03. Landfill site perimeter
Constraints • Ownership constraints • No surveillance of the surroundings • No pedestrian infrastructure Opportunities • Access to the waters edge and beach • Entrance to the landfill site • Key habitat observation point
Shorefields key plan
Bromborough Landfill Site
01. Seawall and Oil pipeline
Constraints • Seawall ownership • Liability for access to the waterfront • Oil pipeline wayleave • Future access for maintenance
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Opportunities • Waterfront access with spectacular views • Connection to the Wirral coastal park strategy • Footpath connections within the site
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02. Wetland Habitat area
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Mayfield key plan
Constraints • Protection for the existing wildlife habitat • Pressure from increased visitor numbers Opportunities • Rare and protected wildlife resource • Habitat development and observation opportunities within the rest of the site • Increased visitor numbers could lead to increased funding and facilites for the site 03. United Utilities water treatment site
Constraints • Poor access and ownership issues • Site access road creates a barrier • Potential environment issues Opportunities • Potential funding partner for the landfill site • Potential sponsorship and promotional influence
Bromborough Landfill Site
04 Bolton Road East access point
Constraints • Poor quality streetscape • Narrow access point • Ownership of potential access route Opportunities • Primary public access point • Axial relationship to Port Sunlight village • Gateway opportunity to the landfill site • 05 Landfill mound
Constraints • Environmental management of the landfill site • Existing site ownership and future management Opportunities • Spectacular views • Unprecedented new recreational and cultural destination • Habitat observation and creation opportunity • Connection to the Wirral Coastal Park strategy 06 River Dibbin access points
Constraints • Ownership of the two crossing points • Long term management and liability of the bridge structures Opportunities • Existing infrastructure for access in place • Two key access points for both vehicles and pedestrians
The Projects
Port Sunlight River Park _ Connection Projects
The vision for the Port Sunlight River Park project clearly sets out the key components that are required for the success of the project on both community and international levels. The key focus of this is the realisation of clear strategic routes, connections and gateways into the new park site. The following pages set out sketch proposals for the implementation of a series of routes that will link surrounding communities and create the environment to attract an expanding number of international visitors. Connection projects
1 Bolton Road Boulevard A formal axial link between Port Sunlight Village and the new waterfront destination. 2 Bromborough Pool Entrance A new vehicular gateway into Port Sunlight with road and pedestrian links to the waterfront. 3 River Dibbin Park A new natural park connecting the formal Port Sunlight village to the river Mersey 4 Mayfield Entrance A dramatic new pedestrian gateway created by footbridge links across the major infrastructure routes between communities 5 Shorefields Coastal Park New boardwalks and walkways to continue the Wirral coastal route and develop community links. Each of the following connection projects will set out the key requirements of the works within the context of the overall vision.
Project 01 - Bolton Road Boulevard
Port Sunlight Village Central Boulevard
boulevard heritage
Boulevard Entrance
Interpretive surfacing + signage The Bolton Road Boulevard creates a formal connection to Port Sunlight Village and the primary pedestrian gateway into the new Port Sunlight River Park. • • • • • • • •
Formal streetscape improvement to visually connect with the character of the Port Sunlight village Junction improvement works at the A41 to provide improved pedestrian crossing points Enhanced street tree planting and street lighting Pedestrian footway widening and new paving Improvement to residential front boundaries Potential improvement to building elevations New gateway structure to signify the entrance into the park Enhanced connections to the river Dibbin and Mayfield Park
Enhanced lighting + wayfinding
Entrance features
Improved pedestrian access
Improved public space + materials
Project 02 - Bromborough Pool Entrance
Bromborough Pool Village
village heritage
Gateway features The existing Bromborough Pool entrance will be enhanced to create a gateway to Port Sunlight, provide strong links to the heritage of Bromborough Pool village and create the primary vehicular entrance to the river park. • • • • • •
Heritage interpretation
Heritage Gateway
New Gateway structure on the A41 to define the entrance to Port Sunlight Improved streetscape, wayfinding, lighting and links to Bromborough Pool village Street tree planting to enhance streetscapes Gateway entrance and parking facilities to new park entrance Improvement to property boundaries along entrance route Enhanced interpretive heritage information for Bromborough Pool village
Relationship to the river park
Links to the river Dibbin
Improved public spaces
Project 03 - River Dibbin Park
River Dibbin and Bromborough Dock
waterfront heritage
New movement infrastructure
Low impact routes
Boardwalks and routes
New recreational spaces
The River Dibbin Park will be a major new park that connects the heritage of Port Sunlight village once again to the river Mersey. A new park that provides extensive recreational routes and increased bio-diversity and habitat management. • • • • •
New gateway entrance from Port Sunlight village to the river Dibbin corridor Pedestrian and cycle access in the form of walkways and routes through the river valley Integration of potential development sites alongside the river corridor Habitat development and management within the river valley New arrival points and connections from the river valley into the surrounding communities and Port Sunlight River Park.
River Park
Enhanced habitat within the river valley
Project 04 - Mayfield Gateway
Mayfield Brickworks
industrial heritage
Bridge Gateway
Footbridge and aerial routes A new gateway to Port Sunlight from the north. An iconic new footbridge crossing the Rockferry by-pass will signify the entrance to Port Sunlight whilst providing a strong connection from the surrounding community into Mayfield Park and the Port Sunlight River Park. • • • • • • • • •
New gateway footbridge structure Enhanced pedestrian and cycle access New footbridge and aerial walkway routes into the Port Sunlight River Park Enhanced street lighting and wayfiniding Enhanced connections to surrounding communities Enhanced bio-diversity within Mayfield park and its connections Improvements to the Rockferry by-pass underpass Heritage interpretation Improvement to existing sports fields
Enhanced routes + lighting
Enhanced park space
Expressive bridging structures
Links to key viewpoints
Project 05 - Shorefield Coastal Park
Quarantine Hospital Ruins
community heritage
Access to the water edge The Shorefields Community Park provides spectacular views across the river Mersey to Liverpool. The park space will be enhanced with new pedestrian and cycle infrastructure that connects into the Port Sunlight River Park. Access to the waterfront and habitat mangement will also be key aspects of the Shorefield project. • • • • •
Enhanced pedestrian and cycle infrastructure Management of woodland habitats to create safe and accessible routes into the Port Sunlight River Park. Management and enhancement of key habitats on the river Mersey water edge. Improved access with raised walkways allowing level access to the Port Sunlight River Park Improved connections to Mayfield Park
Improved infrastructure to the waters edge
Coastal Park
Enhanced habitats and public spaces
Sensitive walkways through key habitats
Enhanced relationship to the water
Port Sunlight River Park Commission “Art and the beautiful civilize and elevate because they enlighten and ennoble.� Lord Leverhulme, 1922 On 25 March 1914 King George V laid the foundation stone of the Lady Lever Art Gallery in the newly built Port Sunlight Village. It would be a fitting tribute to the vision, enterprise and philanthropy of Lord Leverhulme, its creator, if the creation of a new art work for Bromborough Dock could be celebrated a century later. An art work should serve as the jewel in the crown of the Port Sunlight Waterfront Park, raising its profile to become an international destination with great local and regional benefit while enhancing and enforcing the overall vision for the park. A collaborative approach from an artist could provide a response to the site that would integrate planting, landscaping and artwork.
The Art on the Mersey report gives examples where art commissions integrated within landscape transformation have had a catalytic effect in the reinvention of a postindustrial area including the High Line, New York City, Olympic Park, Seattle, Millennium Park, Chicago and Emscher Park in the Ruhr Valley. Commissions closer to home such as Another Place on Crosby Beach in Sefton and Dream at the former Sutton Manor Colliery in St Helens are works that have had a positive environmental and social impact on their sites. These projects begin to offer a framework for the sub-region that Port Sunlight Waterfront Park can consolidate by inviting an artist with an international reputation and a strong track record of work in the public realm to make a design proposal. The land management vehicle and proposed end use for the ex-landfill site will dictate the brief for the commissioning of artwork both in terms of content, form and usage. If, as is currently proposed, the site’s principal purpose is as community woodland then this should provide the overarching context for the brief. Whatever the management model, low maintenance, durability and safety must be key practical components for any work but beyond this its usage and day to day management must also be carefully considered.
Tree top views engaging with nature
Dramatic look out point
Port Sunlight River Park
Spectacular views across the river
Art engaging with the landscape
Wetland observation deck
Port Sunlight River Park Commission _ Art + Trees
In the archive of artists Heather and Ivan Morison is an email sent to Sheffield City Council in 2005 with the subject heading, Siberian taiga planting scheme for Sheffield. (Taiga, they explain, is the boreal forest commonly found in Siberia where they had studied at the Botanical Institute two years before). The following is an excerpt:
‘We were intrigued and set about organising an expedition to these mysterious forests. Not many weeks later we were experiencing taiga first hand in the Kuznetsky Alatau Zapovednik, located along the eastern border of the Kemerovo Oblast in Western Siberia. In general we only ever read science fiction but on this particular trip we happened to be reading a 1970 Penguin edition of George Orwell’s The Road to Wigan Pier. It is two thirds of the way down page 95 of this particular edition that taiga and Sheffield first collided in our minds. The best way to explain would be to quote the passage that struck us. Orwell, for the previous half page has been talking about Sheffield, detailing why he found it particularly disagreeable. ‘One scene especially lingers in my mind. A frightful patch of waste ground (somehow, up there, a patch of waste ground attains a squalor that would be impossible even in London) trampled bare of grass and littered with newspapers and old saucepans.’
There couldn’t have been a greater contrast between the grim desolate industrial scene that Orwell was describing than with the rich natural ecosystem of the ancient forests that we were in. Yet, at the same time, these two distant environments shared a certain inhospitable harshness. The two places for us seemed to have some kind of kinship. At that point, deep in the primeval forest, we decided that we must carefully survey an area of taiga and draw up a plan of it, which in the future could be used as a planting scheme to plant Siberian taiga on an area of waste ground in Sheffield that matched up to Orwell’s own ‘frightful patch of waste ground.’ It has taken us some time locate the correct site, but we have now found it and are contacting you for Sheffield City Council’s approval to move ahead with our endeavour.’ (Their ‘endeavour’ in Sheffield was never realized but the archive should be read in full: www.morison.info/ siberiantaigapla.html.) Heather and Ivan Morison work with trees, one of the world’s most ubiquitous yet precious resources, one of man’s earliest tools yet one that he is distanced from in modern urban life. The couple use timber to create structures that articulate the continuum of that relationship in both fact and fiction, by the process of their making and the imaginative narratives they weave around them. Fantasy Island captures the duality of their practice, appearing like a hideaway from some postapocalyptic scenario in the forest, unflinchingly organic and hand-made yet sophisticated in its geometry and craft, showing off man’s skills in using the rawest of materials to solve the most elemental of needs – shelter.
The work nestles in a plot of woodland in North Wales which the Morisons acquired a few years ago to develop as an arboretum with species they collect on their global wanderings, yet another facet of their practice. Its sister piece, Pleasure Island, was shown at the 52nd Venice Biennale in 2007 when they represented Wales. In more recent work the Morisons have turned to a Japanese technique of scorching timber that, by the seemingly destructive power of fire, preserves the wood. Moreover it gives the material the appearance of a relic, an ancient survivor of some disaster. Plaza, Vancouver, 2010 operates on a massive scale, responding to the city architecture around it but twisted as if warped by some extraordinary force. Like Black Cloud (Bristol, 2009) and Frost King (Seattle, 2010), Plaza was brought into being by a massive community effort that harks back to the barn-raisings of pioneer days. The Morisons have a unique gift for creating alternate realities that seem to hold the seeds of a solution to the modern dilemma in an archaic form.
‘Plaza, a halted moment of architectural and societal transformation, acts more as a blueprint of happiness than as a warning of a devastated urban future.’ Similar to other large scale projects by Heather and Ivan Morison, the construction of the work was part of a broad community-based effort. The work was made using salvaged wood collected from beaches, development sites and construction yards throughout Vancouver and milled on site. Individuals and local businesses generously donated materials and labour, including lumber, hardware, propane, architectural and engineering expertise. The coordination and construction of the piece was led by a not-for-profit shop affiliated with the University of British Columbia. Members of the construction team included carpenters, artists, labourers, as well a job training program for at-risk young people. Numerous volunteers from the community generously offered their time and energy milling and burning countless feet of timber.’ - Vancouver Art Gallery
Like a canker cast out from the model village of Port Sunlight, the massive new form of Bromborough landfill site is caught in limbo between the utopian vision of the early 20th century and the dystopian moment of the early 21st century. Seen from the other side of the Mersey, it has the appearance of a temporary island that’s been dropped from outer space, appearing to hover above the river. Sitting on the site of a once bustling dock that saw raw materials arrive and manufactured goods leave to and from the four corners of the world, this product of man’s recent over-consumption and short-sightedness is to be transformed into a woodland, a green symbol of hope. Bromborough is about to reinvent itself, to forge a new future and there could be no artists better equipped to conceive and help the local community build that future than Heather and Ivan Morison.
Port Sunlight River Park
Project Benefits
Key Benefits
At this stage in the project it is only possible to provide a broad overview of potential quantitative and qualitative benefits which are likely to accrue. At the more detailed design and assessment stages of the project the appraisal of benefits will be examined in greater detail. The benefits to be derived from investment in the substance and infrastructure of this strategic greenspace will have many facets. The benefits fall under nine heading: 1 Places and communities 2 Health and well-being 3 Land and property values 4 Investment and job creation 5 Labour productivity 6 Tourism 7 Recreation and leisure 8 Biodiversity 9 Land management. The reference point for this overview is The Green Infrastructure Valuation Toolkit User Guide (2011). This guidance has proved useful but the method of evaluation has been adapted to meet the requirements of this particular project.
Community events and engagement in Glasgow
‘‘The benefits to be derived from investment in the substance and infrastructure of this strategic greenspace will have many facets.’’
Places + Communities
The quality of any place can be significantly enhanced by well designed and accessible green infrastructure. In turn, green infrastructure can assist in the cohesion of surrounding communities and can enhance satisfaction with their general living environment. It is difficult to quantify the benefits that greenspace can bring to a community but research elsewhere has shown that land and property values are sustained and increased where there is proximity to greenspace. This is one indicator of community satisfaction. At Bromborough the advent of a significant new component of green infrastructure with its long frontage to the River Mersey has the potential to heighten community cohesion and the level of satisfaction experienced by the local population. The effects could be widespread and significant.
• If accessibility is improved along the lines described elsewhere in this document then the corresponding households in the different catchments are 1080 in the 1.2km walking catchment (+1,900%), 4,380 in the 2.0km walking catchment (+766%), 11,908 in the 3.0km cycle catchment (+460%), and 31,197 in the 5.0km cycle catchment (+83%). [See Appendix for the detailed accessibility maps by mode of travel]. The significance of the benefits for the local people is heightened by the fact that surrounding residential areas display indications of multiple deprivation which places them in the lowest 10% across the country. Direct improvements in environmental quality and indirect potential for improvements in health and education will bring marked benefits for the local community.
Community park space in Edinburgh
If the level of accessibility for the greenspace is improved for local communities then the magnitude of benefits increases significantly. This is best illustrated by an examination of accessibility mapping: • Based solely on the existing point of access through the Wirral International Business Park (and via Bromborough Pool) there are around 54 households in a 1.2km walking catchment, 506 households in a 2.0km walking catchment, 2,128 households in a 3.0km cycle catchment and 17,028 households in a 5.0km cycle catchment.
‘‘The quality of any place can be significantly enhanced by well designed and accessible green infrastructure.’’
Health + Wellbeing
A new public greenspace at Bromborough of an almost exceptional scale will provide benefits for overall health and wellbeing. For those attracted to the greenspace, physical health will be improved through exercise and there is also evidence that mental health benefits will accrue through reductions in levels of stress. This greenspace will form a significant part of a wider network. If it is well integrated then its availability will offer the potential for higher levels of walking. An increase in walking activity can have a significant bearing on the risk of contracting common medical problems, including cardiovascular disease and obesity. The health index for communities around the greenspace shows how important this is. The percentage of households with good or fairly good health is below the national average. Opportunities for exercise within or next to these neighbourhoods can only assist local health and wellbeing. This will have direct cost benefits such as a reduction in working days lost to illness. Those living within a reasonable 15 minute walking catchment (1.2km) or a 15 minute cycle catchment (5km) are likely to gain most. There is a correlation between the proximity of greenspace and the propensity to take exercise. There are also potential air quality benefits. New trees, in particular, at the greenspace can filter and lock in airborne pollutants. This could be significant in Bromborough where industry and housing lie in close proximity.
Riverfront regeneration in Detroit
‘‘A new public greenspace at Bromborough of an almost exceptional scale will provide benefits for overall health and wellbeing.’’
Land + Property Values
Land and property values are an indicator of relative satisfaction with a particular neighbourhood. Improvements to greenspace and – more pointedly – the introduction of significant new greenspace can lead to marked increases in property and land values. In some instances improved environmental quality will unlock development potential and new investment. There is a strong likelihood that the step change in the quality of the environment at Bromborough will engender investment in both commercial and residential areas around the project site. This is illustrated, to a limited extent, by the decision of Barratt Homes to commence new build housing on land at Bolton Road East once the landfill operations at Bromborough ceased. The delivery of a well integrated strategic greenspace is highly likely to engender investment and an uplift in both land and property values.
Improved streescapes and green space
‘‘There is a strong likelihood that the step change in the quality of the environment at Bromborough will engender investment in both commercial and residential areas around the project site.’’
Investment + Job Creation
There is some qualitative evidence that well conceived green infrastructure is an important factor when commercial investment decisions are being taken. Inward investment in an area can be boosted by higher environmental quality. This is a relevant and significant factor at Bromborough as the Wirral International Business Pack is an immediate neighbour. Over 100 businesses operate from the business park providing 7,000 jobs. High quality access to the waterfront at the project site will be a positive benefit for existing businesses but could also influence the decisions made in the future by inwards investors, particularly high value, mobile business investors. In turn, this investment will add higher value jobs and skills to this part of Wirral. There is around 70ha of land remaining to be developed at the business park. A significant change in the quality and amenity of accessible open space next to the business park could have a positive impact on the appeal of vacant employment land to investors. If all vacant land is developed then there is potential for another 2,000 local jobs.
New commercial uses adjacent to old industry
‘‘High quality access to the waterfront at the project site will be a positive benefit for existing businesses but could also influence the decisions made in the future by inwards investors, particularly high value, mobile business investors.’’
Labour Productivity
The satisfaction level of a workforce is a relevant consideration when incumbent businesses and inward investors make business decisions. There is a link between employee satisfaction and the quality of environment. From a business perspective, accessible green infrastructure is significant. It has a positive impact on labour productivity. These impacts range from physical and mental health improvements to greater productivity. A new component to the greenspace network at Bromborough will provide the local workforce (both existing and projected) with opportunities for exercise and general recreation that do not exist at present along the Mersey Waterfront. This should have a beneficial effect on labour productivity leading, in turn, to wider economic benefits.
‘‘There is a link between employee satisfaction and the quality of environment.’’
Tourism
The elevation of the landfill restoration project from a component of the local green infrastructure to a strategic arts based destination will be most significant to the tourism sector. The combined attractions of Port Sunlight and a linked visitor attraction on the Bromborough waterfront will strengthen the extant tourism economy and attract a higher number of visitors.
The estimated annual visitor number to Port Sunlight is between 250,000 and 300,000. The majority come from within a two hour drive catchment (see Appendix). Within this catchment there are around 7.7m households. The elevation of the tourism offer to a different level through this arts-based project has the potential to attract a greater number of visitors from this drive time catchment.
The quality of experience for visitors to the Wirral peninsula will be greatly enhanced if effective links can be established between the village of Port Sunlight and the Mersey Waterfront. The experience could be further enhanced if Bromborough Pool is brought into the visitor attraction mix. There is potential to extend the critical mass of high quality visitor attractions in Bromborough. This will underpin the tourism sector, tourism related expenditure and tourism jobs.
The increase in visitor numbers from the UK and overseas is difficult to quantity but information from other arts events provides an indication. For instance the 2008 Liverpool Biennial is estimated to have attracted around 450,000 visitors. Of these, 269,000 are estimated to have been drawn to Liverpool primarily because of the Biennial.
A significant part of the appeal to visitors is the ease of access to an extensive coastline. If that part of the coast between Rock Ferry and Eastham is more accessible and endowed with art installations of national importance then visitor appeal will be placed on a different level. Tourism accounts for around 8% of local jobs across Wirral and expenditure by tourists is an important component of the local economy. The ambition for a further attraction of national standing – to complement the international profile of Port Sunlight – would give significant support to tourism jobs and would lead to a new overall increase in visitor expenditure.
Major tourism draw on the Seattle waterfront
‘‘The elevation of the landfill restoration project from a component of the local green infrastructure to a strategic arts based destination will be most significant to the tourism sector.’’
Recreation + Leisure
The ambition of the Mersey Coastal Park Strategy is to greatly enhance the recreational and leisure value of the waterfront. The delivery of the Bromborough waterfront as a recreational and leisure resource will bring sustainable benefits for the local area but also across the sub region. Improved accessibility and a step change in environmental quality at the Bromborough waterfront will bring a significant amenity within reach of a wide catchment. If the profile of the waterfront as a visitor attraction is raised to a level of prominence and the level of accessibility of this amenity is improved then a substantial number of people could be drawn to the area using the main modes of travel:
Mode of travel (recreation and leisure) and catchment
Recreational and leisure value is difficult to quantify in monetary terms but the introduction of a significant leisure attraction at the Bromborough waterfront has the potential to give meaningful benefits to the local and subregional population. The greatest recreational benefit (measured by frequency of visits) is likely to be gained by those within the walk and cycle catchments but a high profile attraction could bring benefits to a wider population, albeit with a lower frequency of visits.
Existing access only (households)
Enhanced access (households)
Percentage increase (households)
2km walk distance to the waterfront
506
4,380
766%
5km cycle distance to the waterfront
17,028
31,197
83%
15 minutes by public transport
146
1,906
1,205%
30 minutes by public transport
10,457
33,915
224%
Biodiversity
There is already a particular biodiversity interest in the form of around four hectares of ‘salt marsh’ on the northern edge of the project site. The restoration of the former landfill will add to the range and quality of wildlife habitats. Enhanced biodiversity brings benefits which are generally non-quantifiable but which are important to the wider population. Investment in the green infrastructure at the scale envisaged will add a significant new component to the mosaic of habitats along this part of the Mersey Waterfront. This could benefit terrestrial and marine wildlife. If there is tangible evidence that biodiversity is being significantly enhanced then the degree of ‘ownership’ amongst local communities is likely to increase. A strong association between wildlife on the project site and perceptions of that site by the local community should bring benefits over the longer term. There are also incidental benefits from linked recreational activities such as bird watching, walking or educational/special interest group visits. A well-conceived habitat creation scheme could help the Merseyside local authorities to meet their obligations under the Habitats Regulations.
Biodiversity and habitat creation
Nature in the city on the New York Highline
‘‘ Investment in the green infrastructure at the scale envisaged will add a significant new component to the mosaic of habitats along this part of the Mersey Waterfront.’’
Land Management
The long term management of this new component in the green infrastructure network will be a source of employment in its own right. The level of employment will vary according to the intensity of use and the success in creating a visitor attraction of national importance. The Land Trust manages a number of reclaimed and restored sites and will commit significant resources to the maintenance of this amenity on the Bromborough waterfront.
High quality land management
‘‘The long term management of this new component in the green infrastructure network will be a source of employment in its own right.’’
Delivery + Next Steps
Project Delivery Wirral Council The delivery of this ambitious project will require an integrated and collaborative approach involving a number of key partners. Wirral Council will provide the focal point for project delivery in recognition of the role that his initiative will play in building a sustainable community and promoting economic development. The Council will undoubtedly need to work in close partnership with other bodies and organisations to realise the full ambition of the project. With this in mind the skills and experience of two other key organisations, the Port Sunlight Village Trust and the Land Trust, will be brought together to secure the project from start to finish.
‘Wirral Council is currently looking at the development of the Port Sunlight Waterfront Park with its strategic partners. The Mersey Coastal Park Strategy is promoting a regeneration vision for East Wirral built upon the principle of opening up access to the coast and harnessing the economic potential of the waterfront. It has been developed around six Signature Projects covering some 6.5km of coastline between Rock Ferry and Eastham Country Park. Port Sunlight Waterfront Park is at the heart of our aspirations for the Strategy, a jewel in the coastline’s green infrastructure and a potential tourist offer. The installation of a piece of public art of regional, national and international significance is currently being explored and it is hoped that the site will be promoted under the Wirral Year of Coast and Countryside 2012’.
Port Sunlight Village Trust The creation of Port Sunlight Coastal Park is a major opportunity for the economic development of Port Sunlight and its neighbouring wards which are in dire need of an injection of innovative employment generating initiatives. Already the potential for Port Sunlight to become a world class tourist destination is recognised. The addition of the projects contemplated along with the existing tourism offering will assist in attracting significant visitor numbers and the diversity will encourage longer stay durations thus enabling the local area to benefit through the provision of facilities to meet the resultant demand. The transport infrastructure is well placed and has the capacity to cater for this opportunity. The Port Sunlight Village Trust is highly experienced in handling large visitor numbers into the Village and also has the core skills to maintain landscape to a particularly high standard as is required within Port Sunlight Village. The extension of this into other perhaps less intensively managed forms of landscape will be an important addition offering a much richer palate of experience to the visitor. The immediate proximity of the Wirral Coastal route will encourage visitors into Port Sunlight just as much as visitors to the Village might be encouraged out toward the Coastal Route.
Land Trust The Trust is already examining ways and means of providing a significantly larger museum facility within Port Sunlight concentrating on the social history of the village, its architecture and the quality of the town planning and paying particular attention to the significant civil engineering and land reclamation work undertaken to bring about the landscape and built environment of today. The links with the River Mersey through the River Dibbin and the Coastal Park provide a significant additional feature and opportunity to provide a visitor experience on an unprecedented scale. This proposal presents an ambitious and exciting opportunity. It will bring about improved economic prospects for the wards surrounding Port Sunlight that suffer from severe deprivation and in the long run will assist indirectly in preserving the heritage of Port Sunlight through greater prosperity for the whole community and higher public esteem.
The Land Trust is an organisation which acquiries and manages green open spaces, such as the proposed Port Sunlight River Park, on behalf of, and with, local communities. The Land Trust is an independent charitable trust and works to ensure that places deliver substantial community benefits - an improved environment, a place to improve health and for education and where there is social cohesion. This enables communities to thrive through an uplifted economy, whilst also protecting environmentally sensitive areas and cultivating biodiversity. At Port Sunlight River Park, the Land Trust is aiming to manage the Park for public benefit in perpetuity. The Land Trust will work in partnership with current owners, Biffa, and local organisations, in particular the Port Sunlight Village Trust and Wirral Council to ensure that we create and manage a sustainable quality landscape that local residents, groups and companies, need in order to thrive. The Trust also shares the aspiration for the Park to be a regional destination and will work to acheive this goal.
Next Steps - Arts Commission
Objectives
Process
• • • • •
Phase 1 (May - July 2011) • Establish a steering group (identify key stakeholders) and management vehicle • Develop and agree brief and business plan • Research funding sources • Agree a selection process: - open competition - invited shortlist for limited competition (3 to 5 artists/practices) - invited artist • Commence selection process (allow more time if open competition) or invite artist to begin R&D/initial design stage
To create a destination To animate the site and exploit its topography To attract visitors from local to international To act as a catalyst for existing and future developments in the immediate area and other Wirral coastal attractions To connect the site directly with Port Sunlight, with the immediate neighbourhoods and with the river
Principles • • • •
World class experience High quality design Socially engaged process to ensure community ‘ownership’ of the project and pride in the site High environmental standards
Phase 2 (August - December 2011) • Develop funding applications • Artist R&D, including some stakeholder engagement • Artist outline design and presentation to Steering Group Phase 3 (January - April 2012) • Artist to produce detailed design culminating in public presentation of design proposal • Develop and run community engagement programme • Funding applications submitted Phase 4 (May - August 2012) • Develop and submit planning application (inc. any required studies, e.g., Environmental Impact Assessment) • Technical feasibility study undertaken Phase 5 (September - October 2012) • Gain planning permission • Begin procurement process for contractors Phase 6 (November 2012-September 2013) • Delivery • Launch
Next Steps - Connection Projects
Objectives
Process
• • • •
Phase 1 (May - July 2011) • Establish a steering group (identify key stakeholders) and management vehicle • Develop and agree brief and business plan • Agree phasing for the implementation of individual projects • Agree a procurement process for each of the connection projects: - open competition - invited shortlist for limited competition (3 to 5 practices) • Commence selection process
To create a destination by unifying the Port Sunlight waterfront communities. To attract visitors from local to international To act as a catalyst for existing and future developments in the immediate area and other Wirral coastal attractions To connect the site directly with Port Sunlight, with the immediate neighbourhoods and with the river
Principles • • • •
World class experience High quality design Socially engaged process to ensure community ‘ownership’ of the project and pride in the site High environmental standards
Phase 2 (August - December 2011) • Develop funding applications • Individual project design development with stakeholder engagement • Outline design and presentation to Steering Group with public consultation events Phase 3 (January - April 2012) • Detailed design culminating in public presentation of design proposal • Develop and run further community engagement programmes Phase 4 (May - August 2012) • Develop and submit planning applications for Phase 01 projects (inc. any required studies, e.g., Environmental Impact Assessment) • Technical feasibility study undertaken Phase 5 (September - October 2012) • Gain planning permission for Phase 01 projects • Begin procurement process for contractors Phase 6 (November 2012-September 2013) • Delivery of Phase 01 projects in line with delivery of new Arts commission • Launch
Appendix
Project Reference Documents
•
Mersey Waterfront Regional Park Strategic Framework 2007
•
Adapting the Landscape - North West Development Agency 2009
•
Economic Assessment of the proposed development of community woodlands - Forestry Commission 2009
•
Art on the Mersey - 2010
•
Wirral Council Core Strategy Development Plan - Local Development Framework, prefered spatial vision
•
Mersey Coastal Strategy - Wirral Council 2010
•
The Green Infrastructure Valuation Toolkit User Guide 2011
CYCLE ACCESSIBILITY WITHOUT DEVELOPMENT
NS
DATE: 23rd MARCH 2011
PROJECT: BROMBOROUGH LANDFILL SITE SCALE: NTS
11066/002
PUBLIC TRANSPORT ACCESSIBILITY WITHOUT DEVELOPMENT
NS
DATE: 23rd MARCH 2011
PROJECT: BROMBOROUGH LANDFILL SITE SCALE: NTS
11066/003
CYCLE ACCESSIBILITY WITH DEVELOPMENT
NS
DATE: 23rd MARCH 2011
PROJECT: BROMBOROUGH LANDFILL SITE SCALE: NTS
11066/005
PUBLIC TRANSPORT ACCESSIBILITY WITH DEVELOPMENT
NS
DATE: 23rd MARCH 2011
PROJECT: BROMBOROUGH LANDFILL SITE SCALE: NTS
11066/006
2-HOUR DRIVE TIME FROM DEVELOPMENT SITE
NS
DATE: 23RD MARCH 2011
PROJECT: BROMBOROUGH LANDFILL SITE SCALE: NTS
Existing Land Ownership Constraints
01 Biffa 02 Biffa 03 tbc 04 tbc 05 Dibbin Industrial Estate 06 Land + Marine 07 Barratt homes 08 tbc 09 United Utilities 10 tbc 11 tbc 12 Uni Lever