Riverside - More greenery for Liverpool’s suburban scenery

People from Netherley had a say on the future of their green spaces at a workshop to plan development of Middlemass Hey – currently a run-down area in the heart of the estate in south Liverpool.

Social landlord Riverside arranged for the Spaceshaper workshop – a government backed consultation tool – to find out more about how to spend £501,734 from the Big Lottery Fund, to best meet the needs of tenants and residents in the area.

The workshop marked the first time Spaceshaper has been commissioned by a social landlord. Developed by the Commission for Architecture and Built Environment (CABE) - the government advisors on urban design – the tool makes sure that people have a say in the development of their green spaces before investing time and money into projects.

Following a visit to the site, tenants, residents, local business people, community safety officers, landscaped architects and housing professionals all agreed that the site is poorly maintained, unsafe and inaccessible. It is currently a dumping ground for litter, broken glass and dog mess with no seating, lighting or play space.

The workshop focussed on people’s priority for change. Good design is a top concern, with plenty of things for people to do to benefit the wider community.

Sian Martin-Baez, regeneration officer at Riverside said: “We were really surprised that people focussed on design. There are a lot of pre-conceived ideas about what people want from their green spaces and professionals often assume that maintenance of a site is the main priority for people. People are keen to see a well-designed, natural, pleasant green environment with plenty of opportunities for healthy activities such as walking cycling and growing food, with family activities at the heart of the site.”

Riverside plans to hold a follow-up session to present design plans to the community. Work on developing the space will take place over the next 12 months.

Riverside has earmarked £501,734 for Middlemass Hey from a successful bid in partnership with social landlords Places for People and Peabody, which secured £15.6 million from the Big Lottery fund’s Changing Spaces project to develop 75 projects across England.