Burgess Park brochure.pdf

8/13/2019 Burgess Park brochure.pdf

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Burgess Park: a new urban landscape for London

The European context

New Urban Landscapes was a European Union funded project to exploresocially compatible ways to develop urban landscapes. It was part of theEuropean Unions Interreg IIC programme which encourages research,development and partnership building across urban areas in North WestEurope, in the context of the European Spatial Development Perspective.

Sustainable and Accessible Urban Landscapes (SAUL) is the developmentphase of New Urban Landscapes, which aims to address the key issueof 'the vital role of socially inclusive spaces in the sustainable developmentof metropolitan regions. It is funded by the European Unions Interreg IIIBprogramme, which encourages closer co-operation and integration throughtransnational spatial development initiatives which promote sustainabledevelopment.

Six metropolitan regions of North West Europe are represented in the SAULPartnership: London (with two partners); Saarland; Frankfurt/Rhein-Main;Nordrhein-Westfalen (the Rhein-Ruhr region, with two partners); the GrandDuchy of Luxembourg; and the Municipality of Amsterdam.


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Burgess Park is one of the largest andmost important public parks in SouthLondon. Burgess Park: A new urbanlandscape for London aims to:

focus attention on the major issuesaffecting Burgess Park

highlight the metropolitan significanceof Burgess Park

present Burgess Park in the contextof post-industrial European parks

raise the profile of Burgess Park andencourage discussion about its future.

The publication of this document followsa conference last year on the future ofBurgess Park, organised by Southwark

Council, The Friends of Burgess Park andGroundwork Southwark - partners in theregeneration of the park.

The conference was prompted by NewUrban Landscapes - a European Unionfunded project to consider new types ofurban open space in post-industrial Europe.Burgess Park was one of two London parksselected to take part in this initiative.The findings of New Urban Landscapes arebeing developed through a new EuropeanUnion funded project, Sustainable and

Accessible Urban Landscapes (SAUL),through which Burgess Park will receivefunding.

Burgess Park is a valuable place with anexciting future. We hope this document willfocus attention on the key challenges andhow we can work together to meet them.

Cllr Richard ThomasExecutive Member for Environment andTransport, Southwark CouncilBurgess Park is owned by SouthwarkCouncil.

Jeremy BennettChair, Groundwork SouthwarkThe organisation which has taken the lead onenvironmental improvements to the park.

James Da Costa

Chair, Friends of Burgess Park A voluntary group with the remit to enhance,promote and protect the park, involving thelocal community in decision making.

Meeting the challenges together


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Cannon Street

BankTemple

Embankment

Charing Cross

Westminster

Vauxhall

MonumentBlackfriars

WESTMINSTERCITY

0 0.25 0.5 mile


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Burgess Park has the potential to beone of Londons great metropolitanparks - a park bringing benefits not justto those living nearby but attractingvisitors from across a much wider area.

Its size and location are certainly ofmetropolitan significance. Burgess Parkoccupies 54 hectares (the size of St JamesPark and Green Park put together) lessthan two miles from Westminster Bridge.

Creating Burgess Park has been a majorachievement. Of all the parks in Southwark,only Dulwich Park (an historic VictorianPark) has more visitors.

Yet much remains to be done in BurgessPark in order to attract people from outsidethe immediate area.

The foundations of a great park have beenestablished. We now need to move forward.

Numerous bus routes pass within metres of Burgess Parks entrances

Burgess Park has the potential to be

one of Londons great metropolitanparks.


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Created from land formerly occupiedby houses, factories, roads and canals,Burgess Park is a good example of apost-industrial park.

Ken Worpole, one of Britains mostinfluential writers on urban and social policy,has described four distinct phases inEuropean park planning from the Victorianera to the present day.

Great Victorian and early 20thcentury parksThese were often created from thegardens of large houses bequeathedto the local authority, or from green landprotected for public use. People had a

vision of the type of park they wanted tocreate, possibly designed to attract peoplewith a specific interest (eg. botany, bandconcerts, promenading).Examples: Victoria Park (London);

Vondel Park (Amsterdam); LuxembourgGardens (Paris).

Pleasure gardensThese are a mixture of park, fairground,open-air museum, concert halls andrestaurants. The parks were not afraid tomix public open space with attractionswhich had to be paid for. Examples: Tivoli(Copenhagen); Skansen (Stockholm).

Modern and post-modern city parksOften the result of strong civic vision anda belief in the importance of outdoorrecreation, these parks were backed bylarge scale public funding (often with somecommercial facilities). Examples: Parc

Villette and Park Andre Citroen (Paris);Park Industriel (Barcelona).

Post-industrial parksThe post-industrial park is often created byland assembled from many sources,resulting in difficult shapes and boundaries.Transforming industrial land into popularurban parks presents particular challenges,quite unlike those faced by planners inprevious eras. There is no coherent design

tradition for post-industrial parks. Examples:Steelworks Park (Duisberg, Germany);Burgess Park, London.

Cities across Europe are facing thechallenge of creating appropriate urbanopen spaces in a post-industrial age.Like other post-industrial parks acrossEurope, Burgess Park has to meet thechallenges of its heritage.

What kind of large-scale parks do we nowneed? What should be our vision for publicparks, and how can they be funded?

Burgess Parks development is being

funded via Sustainable and AccessibleUrban Landscapes (SAUL), a Europeaninitiative which seeks to promote sociallyinclusive spaces in the developmentof metropolitan regions. For informationvisit www.saulproject.net andwww.nweurope.org

A post-industrial park

Former almshouses at Chumleigh Gardens, Burgess Park


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The vision of Burgess Park as ametropolitan resource is crucial to itsfuture success. So what is ametropolitan park?

In planning terms, a metropolitan park issomewhere of significance to a wider groupthan those who live in the immediate area.However, definitions of a metropolitan parkvary. For example, the European Union andGreater London Authority use slightlydifferent definitions.

Southwark Council, Groundwork Southwarkand the Friends of Burgess Park suggestthe following characteristics as helpingto define what makes a metropolitan park.

This is not intended to be the ultimatedefinition. Rather we aim to focusdiscussion on what makes a metropolitanpark, in the context of the futuredevelopment of Burgess Park.

A metropolitan park must be easy to getto by public transport, cycling and on foot(you shouldnt need a car in order to use it)

It should be of a significant size and haveits own individual character or unifyingtheme

It should meet the needs of the peoplewho live in the region, offering formal orinformal activities - such as concerts, fairsand other events

A metropolitan park should includefacilities or attractions that encouragepeople to visit

Although attracting people from a widerarea a metropolitan park should retain itscommunity focus

The management and development ofthe park must be appropriate to the scaleof the park.

What makes a metropolitan park?

Like other post-industrial parksacross Europe, Burgess Park has tomeet the challenges of its heritage.


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Creating Burgess Park has been amajor achievement. But much of theland remains underdeveloped, withlittle to attract visitors or encouragethem to linger.

Burgess Park was created by the demolitionof older houses, factories and schoolswhich started in the 1950s. But it was onlyin 1982 that the different pieces of landwere finally linked together and the lastindustrial unit on the site was removed asrecently as 2002. Creating Burgess Parkhas therefore been a slow and incrementalprocess.

The parks history and industrial heritage

present significant challenges:

remnants of former roads still remain the paths follow the lines of former roads,

not necessarily what is needed now gas, water and electricity services remain

underground, requiring costly removalbefore any large-scale earth movementcan begin

Burgess Park is long and thin with lots ofboundary (created from several sectionsof land joined together)

The ground has much brick rubble anddemolished material under the soil.

Although large, the infrastructure andfacilities needed by a park of this size havenot, so far, been created. Much of the parkremains in poor condition, despite somesignificant improvements, most notably:

improved entrance from Old Kent Road improved Wells Way underpass tree-lined avenue along the route of the

old Surrey Canal The Heart of the Park Chumleigh Gardens Multi-Cultural Garden Restoration of the historic lime kilnDespite this under-investment, Burgess Parkattracts 3.5 million visits a year from around132,000 people.

A number of opportunities are now comingtogether to create significant opportunitiesfor the park:

Southwark Councils continued strategyto invest in its parks and open spaces

1.4 million current external fundingallocated to projects in the park

Burgess Park is included in the EuropeanUnion funded Sustainable and AccessibleUrban Landscapes (SAUL), which willcontribute capital funding and planningadvice and expertise from across Europe

The new tram line from Peckham toKings Cross will make access to the parkfar easier, although there will be seriousissues concerning its route

The regeneration of the neighbouringestates will also bring benefits toBurgess Park

Southwark Council is consideringhanding the management of the park toa Community Development Trust.

Is Burgess Park a metropolitan park?Earlier we looked at the characteristics ofa metropolitan park. But is Burgess Parka metropolitan park? If not, why not?

And what needs to change. The followingpoints come from discussions at theconference.

Burgess Park is only a metropolitanpark by virtue of its size, not becauseof what it offers. There are not enoughattractions to sustain a long visit andpeople dont really know about it.There needs to be more to do in thepark, so it can be marketed as ametropolitan facility

Major attractions are needed.Suggestions included: larger childrensplay area; ski slope; mountain bike area;climbing wall; outdoor theatre; a mixture

of free and paid-for activities; an urbancentre for sustainable technologies orhealthy living centre. There need to beactivities and facilities for all abilitiesand price ranges

Burgess Park needs to develop a clearidentity - physically and corporately - thatcan be marketed. Burgess Park needsa coherent development plan that isdeliverable

Burgess Park is not easy to get to bypublic transport. It needs to be mademore accessible. The proposed tram linecould help in this respect.

Funding is vital to Burgess Park.Money must be found (from one sourceor several sources) to deliver thedevelopment plan and improvemanagement and maintenance

The fear of crime needs to be reduced,so that people feel safe coming toBurgess Park

Burgess Park should be a resource fora large part of South London - otherwisethere is no reason for it to retain its54 hectares.

Unfinished business

A redesigned underpass links the two halves of the park


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Although large, theinfrastructure and facilitiesneeded by a park of this

size have not, so far, beencreated.


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The future of Burgess Park will be

influenced by the policies of centraland local government as well asEurope.

Fishing on the lake near Cobourg School, Burgess Park


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A brief overview of local, regional,national and European policies whichcould affect the future of Burgess Park.

The future of Burgess Park will beinfluenced by the policies of central andlocal government as well as Europe. Thissection gives a very brief summary of themajor planning context as it may affectBurgess Park.

National planningThe government has recently revised its1991 Planning Policy Guidance Note(PPG17) to include reference to openspaces. The new PPG17 (Planning forOpen Space, Sport and Recreation, 2002)

is designed to cover major recreationalfacilities or centres of regional, nationalor international importance. Issues coveredby the Planning Guidance include:

accessibility wider regional value accommodating multiple uses contributing to wider social or

regeneration objectives functions of area improved design and quality reduced crime.

It is interesting to note that all these areall topics which have arisen in discussionsabout the future of Burgess Park.

Regional planningBurgess Park is largely created from landdesignated as Metropolitan Open Land.This is land which:

has significance beyond Southwark contributes to the physical structure

of London provides open air facilities for a wide area offers features and recreation of valueat metropolitan level (ie not just for

Southwark).

Planning guidance affecting MetropolitanOpen Land will therefore have an impact onplanning for Burgess Park.

The governments Urban Green SpacesTaskforce also looks at the issue ofmetropolitan open land and makes manyrecommendations to the government abouturban parks. It stresses the importance ofstrategic planning for green spaces.

As its formal response to the work of theTaskforce, the government producedLiving Places , a document that sets out itsapproach to making cleaner, safer, greenerpublic spaces. Living Spaces explains whyour public spaces are important, and

identifies key components that underpinsuccessful schemes - committedleadership, strong partnerships, activecommunity involvement, desire for qualityand innovation, and better communicationand sharing of ideas.

Burgess Park could also be affected byRegional Planning Guidance which coversmajor recreational facilities or centres ofregional, national or internationalimportance.

London planningThe Greater London Authority (GLA)neither owns nor manages parks, but itnonetheless has a role in establishing thestrategic and planning framework for openspace in the capital, and encouragingpartnership working.

In 2001, the GLA formed a Green SpaceInvestigative Committee which reviewedopen space in the capital and made severalspecific recommendations. One of theseis that the GLA create a London Parks andGreen Spaces Forum. This is now being

created and is likely to have an impact onhow Burgess Park develops in future.

The GLAs draft London Plan includespolicies on open spaces and shoulddescribe where metropolitan parks, such asBurgess Park, fit within the new policyframework.

Planners at the GLA are also encouragingboroughs to draw up their own open spacestrategies. To help them, the GLA willpublish a guide to producing strategies,including information on key issues andguidance. Southwark piloted this approach.

European planningNew Urban Landscapes was a EuropeanUnion funded project to address thethreats to urban open spaces in a post-

industrial age.

Sustainable and Accessible UrbanLandscapes (SAUL) is the developmentphase of New Urban Landscapes, whichaims to address the key issue of the vitalrole of socially inclusive spaces in thesustainable development of metropolitanregions (see inside front cover).

The planning context

Work in progress on completely new grassed football pitches


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Extract from a speech by David Lambert,member of the governments UrbanGreen Spaces Taskforce, and chair of theBurgess Park Conference 2002.

It is clear that Burgess Park cannot stay asit is. Although regarded with affection bymany and representing a great deal of hardwork by the community, the council andGroundwork, it remains a kind of vacuumwhich will continue to attract more or lessinappropriate ideas and activities unless oruntil it is given a positive identity. And thereis a fantastic opportunity now, with the riseof urban parks up the local and nationalpolitical agendas.

There is a fantastic opportunity now, withthe rise of urban parks up the politicalagenda

Tim Marshall, former deputy director of theCentral Park Conservancy in New York,compared urban park regeneration to athree-legged stool. One leg is the capitalrestoration work. The second is maintenance.

And the third, less familiar to us, is what hecalled programming, or the involvement ofthe community in activities and management,outreach and education. Without one ofthese legs - and for us Id draw attention tothe third - the stool wont stand up.

We have to remember that public parks arefor people, and if people arent using them,or have reservations about them for securityreasons, or because of a lack of interest orfacilities or features, then they arent workingas public parks.

I also want to say that the prospect ofmaking deals with the commercial or privatesector may justifiably be viewed withwariness. But the lesson from history is that it

was ever thus. The development of many,many of our great urban parks was tied upwith commercial deals - usually residentialdevelopment around them. There was nevera golden age of pure and boundless

philanthropy. And I do not see in principle anobjection to developing an attraction orattractions in a park of this size: it needs amagnet, a focal point to act as a catalyst intransforming perceptions of Burgess Park.

A metropolitan park is always a local park first

One of the most telling points made earlierwas that if Burgess Park is going to be ametropolitan-scale facility, it ought to have ametropolitan-scale budget. This is going totake time to assemble, but what we shouldbe seeking now is leadership. The Mayorcannot do what his continental counterpartshave done in Paris or Barcelona because of

our system of governance and funding, buthe could lead on the case for a majorinvestment in Burgess Park as a facility forLondon. Similarly, the Government Office forLondon should share in that task given thepotential role of the park in its vision ofLondon South Central.

If Burgess Park is going to be a metropolitan facility, it ought to have a metropolitan budget

There is not only fiscal caution about themetropolitan tag; there is also a degreeof alarm from local users that visitors fromfurther afield will somehow usurp theirpark. I dont think this need be the case atall. A metropolitan park is always a localpark first; for those lucky enough to livein the West End, the Royal Parks are localfacilities.

Parks are not spaces - with the neutral ornegative connotations of that word - they areor should be places. It is desperatelyimportant to make Burgess Park adestination. Parks should be so much more

than places to pass through on bike or byfoot even healthy walking seemssuspiciously utilitarian to me. Parks should beplaces to arrive, linger and enjoy. Parksshould be places of pleasure.

Parks should be places to arrive, linger and enjoy

This is potentially a great time for BurgessPark. The Governments Urban GreenSpaces Taskforce has recommended that500 million be invested in parks and greenspaces in a five year period. If that is tocome, as most of it probably will, from theNew Opportunities Fund the soonest it canbe available is 2004. That gives Burgess Parka handy two years to focus its vision of thefuture and build the snowball of regionalsupport for the park as a major asset toLondon. Now is the time and the messageis onward and upward.

Speakers at the Burgess ParkConferenceThis publication is based on speechesand workshop discussions at theBurgess Park 2002 conference.Speakers were:

Ken Worpolemember of the governments UrbanGreen Spaces task Force, whose report,Green Spaces, Special Places waspublished in May 2002.

Tony ThompsonHead of Strategic Planning at theGovernment Office for London.

Clare HennesseySenior Planner, Policy & PartnershipDirectorate, Greater London Authority.

Nick BurtonParks Manager, Southwark Council

David Lambertfreelance consultant, policy adviser to

the Garden History Society and authorof Public Prospects: Historic urban parksunder threat (1993).

Time for a vision

The restored lime kiln in Burgess Park


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Parks are for people. And if people arent using

them, they arent workingas public parks.


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Burgess Park was created betweenthe 1950s and the 1980s from landformerly occupied by houses, factories,schools, roads and a canal. Signs ofits industrial and social heritage remainclear to the present day.

Creating the open space took many years.The different sections of land were finally alllinked together only in 1982, creatingBurgess Park as we know it today.

In 1985, the park passed from controlof the Greater London Council to SouthwarkCouncil but lack of funds prevented anylarge scale renovation.

In 1996, Groundwork Southwark andSouthwark Council prepared a plan for thedevelopment of the park and sought

Burgess Park - a brief history

funding from the Millennium Commission. Although the bid was unsuccessful, severalaspects of the plan have since beencarried out.

In 2001, the Friends of Burgess Park wasformed (replacing the former Burgess ParkCommittee) in order to create clear waysin which the local communities couldinfluence the planning, design anddevelopment of the park. The Friends meetregularly with Groundwork Southwark andSouthwark Council to plan the parks future.

To find out more about Burgess Park andtake part in discussion about its future callGroundwork Southwark on:

0207 7252 7666or visit www.groundworksouthwark.orgor www.burgesspark.org


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Burgess Park was created from landformerly occupied by houses, factories,

schools, roads and a canal.


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Groundwork SouthwarkThe Old Library39 Wells WayLondon SE5 0PXTelephone: 020 7252 7666Facsimile: 020 7252 6300ndurston@groundworksouthwark.orgwww.groundworksouthwark.orgCharity number 1048169

Friends of Burgess Parkc/o 30 Northfield HousePeckham Park RoadLondon SE15 6TLTelephone: 020 7639 [email protected]

Southwark CouncilParks Manager15 Spa RoadLondon SE16 3QWTelephone: 020 7525 5000

Designed & produced by Haime & Butler designers.Edited by Rodgers & Johns Publications

Contacts

Suzanne Bosman

Burgess Park brochure.pdf

Documents

Transcript of Burgess Park brochure.pdf