River Cole Community Commons
LOCATION: Birmingham, UK
APPLICANT(S): Emily Prestwood, Birmingham Energy Institute, University of Birmingham.
This is a collaborative project led by the University of Birmingham and part-funded by ERDF, with match funding from Birmingham City Council, the Environment Agency, The Active Wellbeing Society and Sport England. Delivering a programme of targeted environmental infrastructure improvements in a deprived part of East Birmingham across a 55-hectare river corridor, the project enhances habitats and biodiversity together with rehabilitating under-used areas to create an integrated active travel corridor and facilities for local communities.
JUDGES’ COMMENTS
· We were delighted to receive a project that re-invigorates this forgotten and neglected river corridor in Birmingham, and impressed by the multi-agency partnerships established to facilitate, and by the focus on promoting community and active lifestyles. ·The role of the University of Birmingham taking on the governance and delivery of an environmental project on publicly owned land is extremely innovative and could be seen as a model for future projects.
The project aligned well with the WMNP ethos, in particular prioritising quality of life and quality of the environment in a deprived and undervalued area. The project’s aim to revitalise the area’s identity, engage with local communities and provide new opportunities to experience nature in an urban landscape was also highlighted as aligning closely to the WMNP ethos.