Story & photo:Helen Brown
On 3rd August clearing of the unused green space on Catherine Street began. Local residents, members of TARA, councillors, and representatives of Arches all came together at the site to mark the occasion.
The green space, which has become an unused eyesore, is being transformed into a landscaped public area for local residents to enjoy. The project is being funded by money set aside by the Sheffield Council to fund projects of benefit to the community, which is then paid into a scheme that requires developers to contribute to the community. In this case the money was contributed by Arches, who are building housing, which will overlook the Catherine Street green space.
The first tenants were due to move in during September. Kanwaljit Singh, the Housing Services Manager for Arches, said the green space would make the area far more pleasant for residents and benefit the community.
Unusually, the money given by Arches was ring-fenced for local use rather than becoming part of the Sheffield wide fund. This happened partly thanks to a campaign led by the TARA, who were then asked by the Council to take part in the consultation for the project. TARA volunteers performed surveys to establish what was wanted for the space. The process has taken eighteen months in total.
The TARA’s Margaret Hill, says “This has got to have a positive impact, because people will be able to use it.” She says the area currently doesn’t provide a safe environment for children and this green space will give the local residents, whose gardens are often not big enough for outside play, the opportunity to take their children to a safe area nearby their homes.
The project is due to be finished by February or March next year, when it should be available for use. Margaret is hoping that the area will not only be cleared and landscaped by then, but that a natural play area will have been created using landscaping and natural resources rather than expensive play equipment, though she has hopes that a slide might be possible too. The provision of such extras as benches and actual play equipment will be decided in phase three of the project, which should be reached later this year, and will depend mainly on available funds.