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The Steel Valley
Project has been in existence since 1988. It has
successfully undertaken a very wide range of landscape and
green space enhancement projects within Stocksbridge. These
have already done much to help the regeneration of this township
of over 13,000 people in the northern part of the city of
Sheffield. Here you will find details relating
to:
The
aim of this website
:
- to
examine the potential of the existing green spaces to
enhance the quality of life and livability of
Stocksbridge, as well as to enhance local
biodiversity
- to
consider the means of involving the local community in
decision-making
- to
find a means of prioritising changes to green spaces and
the use of manpower and financial resources
The
Steel Valley Project:
- the
history of the Steel Valley Project and the resources
available to the local community
- the
environment of Stocksbridge township
- the
potential for enhancement through appropriate landscape
and green space management.
The
Report and the detailed findings of the Green
Audit
- Information is available for over 80 greenspace sites in
or adjacent to the built up area of Stocksbridge. These
studies have been sponsored
by local agencies and firms
and undertaken by ecology and landscape experts from
Stocksbridge. Every greenspace
has been visited and a record made of:
- its visual
qualities and how well it is kept
- evidence
of use of the spaces by passers-by and people living
nearby
- biodiversity
looked at through the habitats that the site supports
(categorised by habitat plus landscape management
regime). For sites which proved to be rich in species of
plants additional information was gathered to record the
main plant species found across these special sites - see
Biodiversity section.
Community
and volunteers' contact point for greenspace
issues:
- a
Message Board provides information about local events from the
Steel Valley project team and is where the
Team can put your suggestions. You might want use this Message Board to
see if any other members of the local community would
like to work with you to get a new greenspace
enhancement project going or to work on an existing
project
- getting
your ideas through to the Steel Valley Project
Team
Aim
of this Steel Valley Project website
This
website aims to keep the local community informed about:
- the
potential that exists in green spaces for improving
aspects of people's lives in their local community
through:
- preservation
of the high quality landscape which is evident in and
around the town of Stocksbridge.
- enhancement
of the local urban green spaces:
- as places
to support a more diverse range of leisure time
activities and, if designed properly, will
encourage a higher level of participation in
outdoor activities
- as places
which can support a far greater level of
biodiversity for the benefit of wildlife and for the
enjoyment of those watching
- development
of a greater understanding of local heritage. Using
this knowledge as a starting point when developing
educational and health-related projects (encouragement of
walking and cycling) to stimulate use of the
outdoors and local landscapes
- how
the local community can better involve itself in the
identification and understanding of the issues related to
planning, designing and managing local greenspace, as
well as the potential for change inherent in the local
landscape and green spaces. For instance looking
at:
- what
stimulates or deters Stocksbridge people in the use of
their local green spaces
- what
can be done to enable these green spaces to
provide better support biodiversity
- how
it is possible for the local community to enhance aspects
of environmental sustainability through relatively small
"on the ground" actions. A major problem when there is so
much that could be done is how to prioritise action. To
do this the local community needs to work out what
matters most - what should determine priority. This is a
job for the future, but points to
consider include what it means to the planning, design,
management and financing of green spaces if it can be
accepted that:
- people
travel less when local landscapes can support their
recreational interests
- For
this to happen the local
community needs to work out what people are prevented from doing at present
because the right settings do not exist
in the local green spaces. The local community needs to work
with the Steel Valley Project team and the
Sheffield City officials to determine what is
really possible locally. Later on the question of
what else a particular greenspace could be used for is an
important issue, as this will help guide the
decision-making process.
- school
children are less likely to be driven to school if
they can walk through pleasant, safe green routes
- Working
with schools, parents and residents can generate
workable solutions and help to identify where money
can best be spent on enhancing the quality of
specific green spaces.
- people
are happier and more content with their home
environment if they can think of it as well cared
for
(see the MORI report - Physical Capital: Liveability in 2005)
- The
visual quality of the area immediately outside
their homes is particularly
important to older people in any community: a well maintained, neat and cared for
environment is taken as a sign that local
inhabitants are "in control" of the area and "watch
out for their neighbours". For this reason, shaggy,
non-maintained landscapes are rarely a good
solution directly adjacent to houses - this factor
can help to determine expenditure
priorities.
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Stocksbridge
- its landscape, the quality of the present green spaces and
the role of the Steel Valley Project
The
potential to make a high quality urban environment lies in
the high quality farmed landscape, moors, woodlands, streams and lakes which create a very special setting
for Stocksbridge. This larger landscape, of which the local
green spaces are a part, acts as a visual backcloth to this
hillside settlement. Unusually for an urban area the larger
landscape dominates the view from many homes -
this makes Stocksbridge a special place in which to live.
Unfortunately many of the smaller green spaces, introduced
as the town expended during the twentieth century, are of
poor quality. Money was never found to plan and design them
as adequate public spaces and the financial and manpower
resources were never available to undertake proper planting
or landscape design schemes.
For the
most part the large number of smaller green spaces have no
real function or usefulness. They are just an ongoing cost
to society - if they are not to become eyesores they must be
regularly mown during the summer months. However with
imagination, good design and land management skills many
of these "left over" green spaces could be designed to
attract local people to use them regularly. At the same
time, through appropriate planting and management of the
vegetation, the ongoing maintenance costs could be reduced.
On many sites the aim could be to enhance biodiversity
through creating habitats rich in plants and capable of
supporting a range of wildlife.
Working
with Local Agencies
The
Steel Valley Project Team look after this landscape. They
work mainly with the Sheffield City Council, the South
Yorkshire Community Forest and the Countryside Agency to
implement green space enhancement schemes. Many local groups,
as well as members of the local community and other
interested agencies, have been involved in these schemes "on the
ground". The work of volunteers from the local community has
been crucial to their success. Local
education establishments from primary school to university
level have been actively involved in generating ideas about
what could happen within the Stocksbridge green
spaces.
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Green Audit Map
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©The Steel Valley Project
ARC, Manchester Road, Stocksbridge, S36 2DT
Telephone 0114 - 2830880 or 0114 - 2831115
Companies House Registration Number 4394953
Charities Registration Number 1095510
- latest
update 16/06/08
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