Great Barr Park and Nether Hall Housing

Client: Bovis Homes

Completed: 2006

Bovis Homes proposed residential development on the former St Margaret’s Hospital site, which formed part of the historic Great Barr Park near Walsall in the West Midlands. As part of the planning conditions for the development Bovis were required to restore Great Barr Park from its current derelict condition, including the remnant areas contained within undeveloped parts of the residential area.

The detailed landscape proposals included:-

• Proposals for all woodland zones to open up selected views to built features or to recreate historic panoramas, species lists for replanting to echo historical compositions, enhance biodiversity and improve amenity value.
• Development of an access strategy to serve the new residential area, the local and wider community and potentially link with other strategic footpaths.
• Detailed design of surfacing, access barriers, interpretative signage, boundary treatment, creation of visual links from new housing to parkland areas and proposals for controlled access from new housing areas to the lakes.
• Detailed specifications, priorities and phasing for the works.
• Proposals to remove the Holbrook water course from its modern culvert, and allow it to create marshland meadows in line with the history of the site, whilst retaining the noted ‘Duckery’ pool and wet woodland area by means of a wier.

Landscape and Ecological Management Plan

A phased and detailed landscape and ecological management plan (LEMP) was prepared, with a view to handing the whole site over to a managing body following the completion of the capital works. The Plan included detailed recommendations for management of built, landscape and ecological resources, including new capital works to achieve long term objectives.

The outcome of the project was successful and, after many years of trying, Bovis Homes met all the detailed planning conditions related to landscape and ecological aspects of their proposals and the conditions were discharged, allowing development work to start.

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