Alf Buttery and Dean Alsop have been working on phase 1 of the ‘Grey to Green’ project in Sheffield after maintenance was handed over to Amey a year ago.
Grey to Green Phase 1 aimed to transform redundant carriageway in the city centre into a network of sustainable drainage and rain gardens. Located in the Riverside Business District of the city centre, the area is home to the Law and Family Courts, South Yorkshire Police West Bar offices, and several important regional businesses. Completion of the Inner Relief Road in 2008, which used to come through this area, offered an opportunity to address these issues in a new way.
The overall project aimed to transform 1.2 kilometres of redundant roads into attractive linear public spaces, improving the links between the Riverside Business District and the rest of the city centre. It includes innovative perennial meadows, rain gardens, eye catching public art totems exploring local history, and high-quality paved footways and street furniture. The completed Phase 1 scheme comprises around 0.5 km.
Amey plays an essential role in maintaining these spaces in Sheffield; encouraging and nurturing horticultural skills within the contract is seen as an essential element of the long-term success of the project.
Peter Bamfield Business Director at Streets Ahead says, “We are very proud of the work Alf and Dean have put into maintaining this phase of the Grey to Green project. Their enthusiasm and personal interest in the work they are doing is self-evident; the wildflower meadows have looked stunning this year and the short film our client is submitting to BBC Gardeners World will showcase their work to the rest of the country and beyond.”
Sheffield City Council has already had notable success in gaining interest from BBC Gardener’s World when phase 1 of the project featured in their magazine last year. There are significant benefits to this intensive ‘meadow-type’ planting in balancing some of the negative effects from our city centres.
Phase 2 of the project is already underway with the addition of several private developments keen to take advantage of this new type of planting in the city centre.