Last updated: October 2021
The restoration of Highfields Park was completed in Summer 2018 with path repairs and tree works to be carried out in winter 2018 to 2019. The five-year development journey of returning Highfields park to its former glory has included two rounds of public consultation. The views of park users and project partners such as the University of Nottingham, the UK's Environment Agency and the Highfields Park User Group identified a strong desire to see the park restored and improved (ref. 1), including improvements on heritage features such as historic walls, bridges and the old Boating Lake Ticket Office (ref. 2). In total, this project aimed to repair unused structures of the park including walled gardens, gardener’s cottages and historic halls and houses, converting them into volunteer and training centers, event spaces and community facilities (ref. 3). Highfields Park also provides valuable scrub and woodland habitat for breeding birds such as robin, sparrow and blue tit. The additional diversity of habitats provides important foraging and breeding opportunities for invertebrates and mammals. (Ref 4)
Highfields park restoration
https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/business/firm-help-transform-highfields-park-429284
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Grey infrastructure featuring greens
- Green playgrounds and school grounds
- Other
- Parks and urban forests
- Large urban parks or forests
- Community gardens and allotments
- Horticulture
- Blue infrastructure
- Lakes/ponds
- Other
Key challenges
- Water management (SDG 6)
- Improvements to water quality
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Habitat and biodiversity restoration
- Habitat and biodiversity conservation
- Green space creation and/or management
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Environmental education
- Social cohesion
- Social interaction
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Enabling opportunities for physical activity
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Cultural heritage and cultural diversity
- Preservation of natural heritage
- Protection of historic and cultural landscape/infrastructure
Focus
Maintenance and management of urban nature, Knowledge creation and awareness raising
Project objectives
“The restoration project has been designed to align with the targets of HLF and BIG's Parks for People programme and therefore has the following key aims:
Restore existing buildings, infrastructure and horticultural features restored; The heritage of the park will be better interpreted and explained; Restoration works present an opportunity to educate people about the park; Park Ranger/Lakeside led activities to educate users; Park Ranger-led volunteer activities to support site maintenance including engagement with University of Nottingham, students and businesses; The park will be restored to its former glory and will engage/involve more people enjoying the benefits of the green space; Environmental impacts will be reduced; Lake to be de-silted, contaminated silt removed and biodiversity potential thereby improved.” (Ref. 1, 2)
Implementation activities
“The restoration work which will include: Restoring buildings, park infrastructure, horticultural landscape and features; Creating a new adventure golf area; Improving putting greens; De-silting the lake and carrying out improvements to the waterside boating area; Creating new croquet lawns from the existing bowling greens.” (Ref. 1, 2)
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity conservation:
- Protect and enhance urban habitats
- Preserve and strengthen existing habitats and ecosystems
- Promote environmentally-sound development in and around protected areas
- Reduce negative impacts and avoid the alteration/damage of ecosystem
- Protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect native species
- Undertake specific measures to protect endangered species
- Undertake specific measures to protect valued species
- Means for conservation governance
- Manage biological resources for conservation and sustainable use
- Raise public awareness
- Public engagement
Biodiversity restoration:
- Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
- Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
- Public engagement
Main beneficiaries
- Local government/Municipality
- Non-government organisation/Civil Society
- Researchers/University
- Citizens or community groups
- Marginalized groups: People with functional diversities
Governance
Management set-up
- Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Local government/municipality
- Non-government organisation/civil society
- Private foundation/trust
- Researchers/university
- District/neighbourhood association
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Dissemination of information and education
- Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
- Co-management/Joint management
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
Nottingham City Council (the Highfields Park Leisure Trust which manages the site and which the NCC is the sole Trustee of) with project partners such as the University of Nottingham, the UK's Environment Agency and the Highfields Park User Group. Support also comes from Nottingham Croquet Club (NCC). (Ref. 1) Funding made available through the NCC, an NGO (money has been awarded through the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and the Big Lottery Fund’s (BIG) Parks for People programme) and the Highfields Park Leisure Trust. (Ref 1). The University of Nottingham also provided financial support for the project. (Ref. 1)
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Yes
(HLF’s report State of UK Public Parks 2014: Renaissance to Risk which revealed that the UK’s public parks are at serious risk of decline unless innovative ways of funding and maintaining them are found. (Ref. 3) )
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(‘Breathing Space’ – Strategic Framework for the Management of Nottingham’s Open and Green Spaces 2010-2020 (ref. 1))
Financing
Total cost
More than €4,000,000
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
- Funds provided by non-governmental organization (NGO)
- Private Foundation/Trust
- Other
Type of funding
- Earmarked public budget
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
- Donations
- Unknown
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of labour
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Water management and blue areas
- Improved water quality
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
- Reduced biodiversity loss
- Increased number of species present
- Increased protection of threatened species
- Increased ecological connectivity across regeneration sites and scales
- Other
Economic impacts
- Unknown
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved social cohesion
- Improved access to urban green space
- Increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples
- Increased opportunities for social interaction
- Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Health and wellbeing
- Improved physical health
- Improved mental health
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Protection of natural heritage
- Protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure
- Education
- Increased support for education and scientific research
- Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
- Other
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts, Achieved impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
Yes
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
References
1. Heritage Lottery Fund. (2015). Lottery funding in place to improve Highfields Park. Available at: Source link (Accessed: 17 July 2020)
2. University of Nottingham. (2015). Successful funding bid to improve Highfields Park. Blog Post. Available at: Source link (Accessed: 17 July 2020)
3. ProLandscaper. (2015). £20.6m Lottery boost for public parks. Available at: Source link (Accessed: 17 July 2020)
4. Nottingham City Council. (n.d.). Appendix 3: Highfields Park Activity Plan Outline Structure. Documents. Available at: Source link (Accessed: 17 July 2020)
5. BBC News. (2015). Highfields Park to be restored in £4.5m project. Available at: Source link (Accessed: 17 July 2020)
6. WbWire. (2018). Highfields Park reopens this week after £4.8 million restoration. West Bridgford Wire. Available at: Source link (Accessed: 18 July 2020)
7. Nottingham City Council. (n.d.). Highfields Park. Available at: Source link (Accessed: 18 July 2020)
2. University of Nottingham. (2015). Successful funding bid to improve Highfields Park. Blog Post. Available at: Source link (Accessed: 17 July 2020)
3. ProLandscaper. (2015). £20.6m Lottery boost for public parks. Available at: Source link (Accessed: 17 July 2020)
4. Nottingham City Council. (n.d.). Appendix 3: Highfields Park Activity Plan Outline Structure. Documents. Available at: Source link (Accessed: 17 July 2020)
5. BBC News. (2015). Highfields Park to be restored in £4.5m project. Available at: Source link (Accessed: 17 July 2020)
6. WbWire. (2018). Highfields Park reopens this week after £4.8 million restoration. West Bridgford Wire. Available at: Source link (Accessed: 18 July 2020)
7. Nottingham City Council. (n.d.). Highfields Park. Available at: Source link (Accessed: 18 July 2020)
Highfields park restoration
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Highfields park restoration
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Highfields park restoration
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