SAVING BROOMHILL’S SECRET GARDEN

Broomhill Action and Neighbourhood Group are campaigning for the creation of a new community park on the site of the Tapton Experimental Garden, which is part of the larger Tapton Hall of Residence site that the University wish to sell for the development of housing.

Why save the garden?

The garden is one part of a much larger site that encompasses the Tapton Hall of Residence and Hadow House. While BANG is very happy to see new homes planned for the northern part of the site, we want nothing to be built on the part that is currently the Experimental Gardens, or on the former walled gardens of Hadow House. The current development plans do propose the retention of part of the Experimental Garden as open space, but would build on almost all of Hadow House’s Gardens and on around half of the Experimental Garden.

BANG thinks that the Tapton Hall redevelopment presents a unique opportunity to create a sizeable community park and preserve all of the natural and historic features there now. Broomhill is a densely populated neighbourhood with almost no public green space. The garden would be the ideal site for a new community park as it is so close - around 200 metres - to the centre of Broomhill. The other parcels of undeveloped land in Broomhill, which are all owned by the University, are much less well situated as accessible open space.

We estimate that more than 3000 people live within five minutes walk from this garden. Many houses in Broomhill have private gardens, but the majority of the residents close to the Tapton garden live in flats, shared houses or terraced houses with small back yards. Other new developments proposed for the area, such as at Hallam Tower, will add many more appartments.

The creation of a community park would be of particular benefit to people living on Crookes, Spooner and Hoole Roads and would help to make these properties attractive to families again. Many of the houses in that area are suffering neglect and several are currently empty.

So the redevelopment of the University’s Tapton Hall of Residence site presents a unique opportunity to create much-needed public open space, and at the same time to tip the balance back in favour of a settled, mixed, sustainable community in Broomhill. It’s a place where both permanent and temporary residents could pool their efforts to create something of real, lasting value for the future of Broomhill.

An important site for nature and history

The gardens contain more than 2000 species of plants and a great variety of wildlife. There are fine mature trees that provide food and nesting sites for a wide range of birds and bats, plus a pond with a breeding population of great-crested newts. BANG is pleased that the proposed development will retain the arboretum, the pond and the ha-ha, but we think this is only a small part of the historical richness and biodiversity of the site. We are concerned about the native trees and shrubs that will be lost under the new houses because the loss of habitat will have a damaging impact on the bat, bird and amphibian populations. But we are also concerned to preserve the historic landscape around Hadow House, in particular its walled gardens along Taptonville Road with their mature shrubs and majestic trees.

BANG’s vision is to improve what is already on the site and to extend the wildlife habitats, working with nature conservation experts. A community park could also reinstate the ornamental walled garden of Hadow House, creating an organic vegetable garden for local people who don’t have the opportunity or know-how to grow their own food. Elsewhere, new woodland planting, ponds and landscaping to provide informal grassed areas, benches and paths would make the gardens an open space for the whole community.

Acquiring the site

Ideally, we would like the University to donate the site to the community as part of its corporate social responsibility programme. But given the level of community interest we think it would be possible to raise funds to purchase or lease the site at a fair market price (for open space amenity land). We are investigating funding sources such as the ‘planning gain’ money generated by the various building projects in the area, the National Lottery Fund and other sources. We are also discussing our ideas with organisations involved in similar successful projects to learn from their experience.

We would like the University to talk to us and give us time to prepare a planned, costed scheme. If the current planning proposals for the site were split, the more urgent development of Tapton Hall and Hadow House could go ahead unimpeded by the community consultation on the future of the gardens.

Broomhill Action and Neighbourhood Group

Hon Secretary: Mark Pickering, 88 Ashdell Road, Sheffield S10 3DB

E-mail: