Astley Village Competition

Project Background

The Big Lottery Fund supported Green Spaces for People project is located in Astley Village, Chorley, Lancashire.  The area is a twelve hectare and near five hundred property site with over a thousand residents.  The properties range from single occupancy flats and maisonettes to three bedroom family homes that were constructed in the 1970’s as part of a purposely built village.

Largely owned by the Places for People Group with the remainder being owner occupied; the site is managed and maintained by payments received as part of a resident service charge.  The village is a popular and reasonably settled area; where a significant proportion of the community have lived for five years or more.

The area is one of seventy five projects being developed nationally through a partnership lead by Places for People, The Peabody Trust and the Riverside Group. The portfolio of projects funding aims include improved accessibility to locally relevant quality community spaces and facilities, improved local wildlife habitats, enhanced biodiversity and increased wildlife, together with improved environmental, social and economic sustainability.

Purpose of the Competition

Places for People is using the competition process to select a designer or design team to work with the community on developing final designs for improving the green spaces of the village estate and implementing them.  The selection will be based on how the shortlisted entrants appear to relate to the community and how well received their conceptual ideas are when exhibited for scrutiny by residents. 

A design concept is invited for the whole estate, geared to strengthening its character, usefulness and sense of place so that its appeal as a place to live is enhanced in the eyes of existing and prospective residents. 

Whilst the village wide budget constraints must be adhered to interventions that can be achieved over time by management techniques are welcomed together with specific suggestions and design ideas for interventions in a number of key locations. 

Some of these locations have been identified in the course of a preliminary community consultation are set out below together with a summary of resident feedback.  This list is not exhaustive and entrants are invited to suggest alternative or supplementary areas if they believe they will more effectively achieve the project aims.

Consultation feedback & Aspirations

General
In this area the encouragement of local wildlife and an increase of local play opportunities for children and youths were highlighted as important aspects for any proposal.

Increasing use for all of the spaces, improvements should compliment nearby playing fields and possible multi use games area being bid for on council owned land to the South East boundary to the site.  This should also seek to address issues of interaction between different age groups.

Safety, especially around the pond area; adding colour and general cleanliness are also high priorities for residents of Astley Village.

Issues such as improved management of the dense tree canopy, poor lighting and leaf fall, localised flooding, congregation of youths around properties, fly tipping, litter, chewing gum and dog fouling are areas for concern for residents.

The addition of local artwork, meeting areas, benches and bins were also ideas suggested by residents but these were also tempered by the possibility of increases in anti social behaviour such as graffiti, vandalism and unwanted congregation of youths.   

Area 1
This is a wooded area and pathway which runs alongside a stream where fly tipping has been highlighted as a problem.

Area 2
This area is a pond with several landing stages for fishing and duck feeding.  Safety around the waters edge has been highlighted along with issues of fly tipping, weed and algae build up and insufficient wildlife protection.

Area 3
With great safety concerns locally due to its steep banks, this area is a second pond with high fencing. In places the fencing that surrounds it has become damaged over time.  Also surrounded by trees and thick shrubbery, the pond is unattractive with algae covering the surface of the water

Area 4
The area is made up of two former young children’s play areas.  With the equipment long since removed the areas are unattractive spaces where rain water gathers causing localised flooding    

Area 5
Located at the heart of the village, this is a large green space with well used pathways linking different parts of the estate.  Informal ball games take place regularly in this largely grassed area with complaints generally limited to footballs entering residents back gardens.
Flooding also occurs in the North West corner of this space where the levels change and steps have been added in.  There is also a mounded area at the end of the link.

Area 6
This area consists of a small triangular green space and a mounded area at the entrance to the village closest to the local school, local shops and community centre.  It also is a stopping area for local buses.  Despite its small size and proximity to the road, the triangular space is also occasionally used for ball games.  Seating is not currently available in this bus shelter.  The mounded area is populated by trees and shrubs.

www.astleyvillagecompetition.co.uk