Nursery Row Park has a new welcoming green entrance, a social space and active space, making this park safer and attractive for people and nature. The project saw two play areas revitalised; retaining and designing around the best of the existing equipment to maximise value and avoid waste. By involving local kids in the choice of which to keep and which to replace during school and park workshops meant we got expert co-design input and added social value.

Our design means a better frontage onto the busy East St Market, providing a variety of spaces within a cohesive design. It enables different social uses, encompassing ‘Making Space for Girls’ principles, while being robust and maintainable. Seating, planting and exercise are co-located in a greener, open setting, mitigating ASB.

Working with the Friends Group during early co-design, we agreed key, spatial design principals which allowed us to proceed efficiently and design within budget for the remaining project. Collective design decisions to retain and incorporated original cast concrete planters, thus using budget wisely, retaining local distinctiveness and embodied carbon. By designing within budget, we were able to add value through bespoke entrance metalwork, adding local distinctiveness and reduce signage clutter.

Co-design workshops in two schools helped play areas design and provided a real learning opportunity. The all popular zipwire was accommodated as a result, and the kids learnt about landscape architecture, environment and design. Safety surfacing ‘artworks’ were produced in some sessions and we adapted and incorporated students’ designs into the final surfacing. We held school visits to the construction site and discussions about landscape architecture, landscape and construction as a career.

SPLA were contracted by LDA Design to deliver this project.