Marrowbone Park - Consultation on proposals
Overview
Improvements at Marrowbone Park
We are working in partnership with Urban Villages Initiative on the comprehensive renewal of the existing park facilities at Marrowbone Millennium Park, Oldpark Road.
We have now developed initial designs for the park and we want to hear your views.
Location of park
What do we want to achieve?
We want the renewed park and play park to have:
- Identity - a place that celebrates natural habitats, local context, heritage and culture
- Comfort and safety - high quality that’s practical, safe and sustainable
- Connectivity - well linked with surrounding neighbourhoods
- Flexibility – a place that can be used throughout the year with educational activities and animation
What are the proposals for the new park?
The new park will offer a range of recreational facilities for all age groups. There will be three main active zones with the rest of the park being a calm and landscaped parkland. The active areas will include the new play facility, a new multi-use games area (MUGA) and a new intermediate level 3G pitch with changing and spectator provision.
The play space will provide equipment for children of all ages and abilities. Inclusive play will be a key consideration, ensuring social, emotional, physical, cognitive, sensory and communication aspects of play are met.
The new path network will accommodate a children’s Park Run route and will have trim trail stations for young people and adults. A large grass area with reinforced surfacing and drainage will allow for a full programme of events such as summer festivals, concerts, community fun days, markets and fairs.
The revamped park will be a safe, shared space for everyone in the community of all ages and abilities. It will be a place to meet and enjoy a range of outdoor activities including sports and fitness, a place for younger children to have fun in the play park area, and an attractive meeting place for all.
Our aims are to improve safety, access and facilities
Improving safety:
- Lighting - We’ll install lighting throughout the park to improve visibility during the hours of darkness
- Reducing thick woodland - We’ll thin out the thick woodland along Jamaica Road to improve sightlines right across the park
- Installing new boundary fencing - We’ll replace the existing fencing along Oldpark Road with new attractive and robust fencing
Improving access:
- New stepped entrance - We’ll improve access to the park from Jamaica Road
- Additional entrance - We’ll create a new entrance at the northern corner of the park
- Existing entrance - We’ll improve the appearance of the existing entrance on Oldpark Road
Improving facilities:
- New playground - We’ll relocate and redesign a new larger playground with equipment for children of all ages and abilities
- Improved sports facilities - We’ll widen and lengthen the existing 3G pitch and build a new changing pavilion. We’ll also install a new free to use multipurpose games area for a variety of ball sports
- Event space - We’ll retain and improve the large grass area to allow for events such as summer festivals and community fun days
The designs have been developed to help to meet the needs of the area by providing an attractive space for healthy activity for everyone to enjoy. The proposal works in harmony with the natural aspects of the park while also reducing the opportunities for anti-social behaviour in and around the park.
The illustration below gives more detail on the proposal.
More information
Find out more about the Urban Villages projects we are delivering at www.belfastcity.gov.uk/urbanvillages
What is the Urban Villages Initiative?
The Urban Villages Initiative is a key action within the Northern Ireland Executive’s ‘Together: Building a United Community’ (TBUC) Strategy. It is designed to improve good relations outcomes and to help develop thriving places where there has previously been a history of deprivation and community tension. It is a collaborative approach with three interconnected aims:
- To foster positive community identities
- To build community capacity
- To improve the physical environment
The goal is to enable current and future investment to be targeted and delivered in more effective and sustainable ways. Objectives and outcomes include:
- Creative attractive, thriving places for residents and visitors
- Improve internal and external access within and to the Urban Village areas
- Encourage Shared Spaces
- Encourage trust and relationships
- Create welcoming places where people feel safe and connected, regardless of religious or ethnic background
- Encourage and support communities to express their views and influence what happens in their areas
Find out more about the Urban Villages Initiative from the Executive Office here.
Park projects in Urban Village areas
We are working in partnership with the Urban Villages Initiative to enhance some of our existing parks and also to create new parks, play parks and open spaces. Some of the projects we are working on include:
- refurbishment to Reverend Robert Bradford Memorial Playground,
- enhancements to Marrowbone Millennium Park,
- enhancements to Ballysillan Park, and;
- a new park in the Colin area.
What happens next
Following consultation, we will refine the designs. We will feedback to the public with these refined designs before submitting a Planning Application.
Events
-
Drop in session at Marrowbone Park Pavilion
From 29 Nov 2018 at 17:00 to 29 Nov 2018 at 20:00Marrowbone Park Pavilion
Everyone is welcome to drop in to one of our sessions to view the proposals, talk to the design team and give feedback. -
Drop in session at Sacred Heart Parish Hall
From 30 Nov 2018 at 09:00 to 30 Nov 2018 at 12:00Sacred Heart Parish Hall
Everyone is welcome to drop in to one of our sessions to view the proposals, talk to the design team and give feedback. -
Drop in session at Ardoyne Community Centre
From 5 Dec 2018 at 11:00 to 5 Dec 2018 at 15:00Ardoyne Community Centre
Everyone is welcome to drop in to one of our sessions to view the proposals, talk to the design team and give feedback. -
Calling all 13-17 year olds!
From 5 Dec 2018 at 18:30 to 5 Dec 2018 at 20:00St Gemma's School
Come along for pizza and find out more about our plans for the park.
Areas
- ARDOYNE
Interests
- People and Communities
- City Development
- Environment
- Council Facilities
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