‘Quality’ recreation spaces planned
TWO new public spaces are set to be created as part of a regeneration scheme.
Housing developer PlaceFirst has unveiled proposals in Woodnook for a new public square off Nuttall Street and a park with a children’s play area off Booth Street.
‘Woodnook Square’, a formal hard landscaped space flanked by new trees, will be built on the cleared Priestly Nook site off Nuttall Street.
Bosses said the ‘flexible space’ can be used for a range of community events and will create an attractive ‘front door’ to Woodnook Community Centre.
David Smith-Milne, PlaceFirst managing director, said: “The proposed new public spaces in Woodnook will complement the new homes we are building and provide high quality, publicly accessible spaces that will benefit the wider Woodnook community. In a neighbourhood of ‘back of footpath’ terraced housing, we always felt it was important to provide some quality public space that can widen the appeal of Woodnook beyond housing alone; as build-to-rent developers we place significant importance on quality public realm as these are the spaces where people meet and communities are formed.”
Trinity Community Church, which runs the community centre, is currently refurbishing the building which will offer a wider programme of events and rooms that can be used by local groups and societies.
On Booth Street, where a row of dilapidated terraced houses once stood, PlaceFirst is proposing a small park overlooked by new homes. The park will feature a young children’s play area, a private residents’ garden including barbecue facilities, and opportunities for local residents to grow their own plants and vegetables. PlaceFirst said they expect to start groundworks on both sites imminently to prepare them ahead of obtaining the necessary planning approval.
Coun Clare Cleary, portfolio holder for housing, is ‘delighted’ with the proposed transformation.
She said: “The new spaces will introduce some much needed open space into the Woodnook neighbourhood and at the same time complement the ongoing works to refurbish many long-term empty homes”.