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The Waterloo Open Spaces Audit in 2003 identified the Recreation Ground as in need of redevelopment, flagging it as a key improvement site for the benefit of the local community. After some initial improvements, Groundwork was commissioned in
2007 to look specifically at the play area in partnership with the Waterloo Green Trust. Poor design and neglect meant there were many issues that needed to be dealt with.

The surfacing and equipment in the children’s play area was in awful condition and the section was dark and uninviting. There were no gates and only small parts were fenced off to prevent dog access. Seating had deteriorated and was located out of open sight, making misuse more likely. Plants and greenery had become overgrown and signage was in poor condition. Overgrown hedges and pockets of seclusion had magnified feelings of insecurity amongst park users and increased concerns about anti-social behaviour including street drinking, loitering and drug use.

From the very beginning the project acted as a shared platform for change, with heavy involvement from both partners and the community. Groundwork London teamed up with Waterloo Green Trust to conduct an in depth community consultation, which led to the creation of a neighbourhood-backed plan in March 2007. The consultation identified the need for more community engagement in the creation and maintenance of local green space. A new natural play area was installed with a wide range of equipment. Additional seats and fencing were installed within the area so that parents could supervise their children in a relaxed atmosphere while also eliminating persistent dog fouling.

 

Access has also been improved, especially for buggies and wheelchairs, through disguised rubber matting and natural drainage solutions. Rebekah Boston, a local parent commented ‘I love the new park and playground at Ufford Street. My son loves it all and everything apart from the baby swings is fully accessible for my husband who uses an electric wheelchair’.

The project has achieved much wider objectives than just the new play area. A good working relationship with Lambeth Council gave Groundwork permission to change the whole park and provide a holistic approach to the site with a greater and longer lasting transformation. The development of a new community garden was completed with the help of local volunteers. Plantings took place on the Launch Day, a Marks & Spencer Planting Event and a Waterloo Green Trust Family Day. This engagement has led to a high degree of interest in a permanent garden group to ensure the site is well maintained.

The site has educational and historical value as well as improving the park’s aesthetics. Many of the plants used were reintroductions of the flora which grew on the site in 1790 when it was known as London Botanical Gardens. Informative placards have been installed which educate school children and visitors about the process and the particular plants that have been used.

The overall design of the Recreation Ground has improved the atmosphere and security of the site. All stakeholders backed the landscape improvements, which have increased sight lines and eliminated secluded areas. The project has worked in
partnership with the local Mission to ensure the street sleepers and problem drinkers who were frequenting the park have somewhere else they can get help. The project has had a truly positive impact on the community. Reports from park users, the local community and the council have all recognised the design has created a positive, safer space and an increase in park usage has been identified.

The London Mission has also noted that the people they help are no longer misusing the space. Over a hundred young people and adults were directly involved in planting and workshops through the Launch Event and Family Day. Nine Marks and Spencer/
SSP employees also took part in a planting day in the play area. The project has successfully connected with the wider community. Over four hundred pupils from two primary schools were invited to the launch and these children will benefit from playing in an environment, which mixes natural habitats traditional equipment. 550 residents kept updated on the improvements while local stakeholders were consistently part of the work, including Waterloo Parents and Carers Network, Waterloo Community Network, London Mission, Residents Association and Councillors.

The project has succeeded in creating a space for the community to enjoy and feel safe, while the Trust have managed to cultivate excellent partnerships and links to local residents which has ensured that the space is designed for the community and they feel part of its creation.

The Figures

• 2050 m2 of land improved
• 7 Trees planted
• 120 directly involved from the community
• 45 Children
• 75 Adults
• 9 Marks & Spencer staff involved
• 58 volunteer project days
• 22.5 Young People days
• 35.5 Adult days
• 6 voluntary sector partners
• Physical improvements
• 11 items of play equipment
• 14 benches

The People
Natalie Bell lives in the neighbourhood and is a member of the Waterloo Green Trust. Natalie believes that the new play area has transformed the site into a flexible, family orientated space and has galvanised the community: “The area was extremely run down and had suffered from long term neglect. It looked unsafe and uninviting while the equipment was rusty and getting dangerous. The park was overgrown with dark and dingy corners that were used by drunks, homeless people and drug users. The space had also become a dog run, with local authorities not giving it the attention it deserved.

“Community engagement was crucial to the success of the project,” continues Natalie. “It was worthwhile spending a year with the community getting the project right. The high quality of community engagement had created real neighbourhood ownership and ensured the play area was sustainable.

“Mixtures of informal and formal consultations were held with a broad cross section of the community, which opened a lot of doors and reached a variety of people who had an interest in the park. This allowed the changes to be shaped to suit the needs of
families. Older people were thinking of what would benefit their grandchildren and this created a holistic, intergenerational approach to the project. Bulb planting days allowed volunteers to actually get physically involved with the space rather than just
talking about it.

“The success of the project has delighted the whole community. I was there on the first day the new park opened and people were shocked and surprised at how beautiful it looked. It was so light and open and I was amazed at how natural it looked. The changes suited everybody and people were surprised by the extent of the transformation. It has had a positive effect on community spirit and has really uplifted the area. It is now a much more family orientated space. A renewed commitment from families has discouraged the sort of activity that had plagued the site and much of the anti social behaviour had dissipated.

“Its success has been contagious and has motivated other groups around the area into realising what can be achieved with this kind of project. They are now looking at their own pieces of underused land and realised the potential.”