Not only do they improve our mental and physical well-being, our parks, green spaces and public gardens also offer fun family days out, a sense of community, live events, historic buildings, heritage landscapes, rich biodiversity, opportunities for outdoor learning, plus sport and leisure facilities. Focus have been privileged to provide Funding, Quantity Surveying and Project Management advice on many landscape and public realm projects helping them fulfil their full potential. Our portfolio includes some key sites within the UK, from Regency style parkland at Staunton Country Park on the south coast to the Queens Gardens in Hull in the north.

As well as being nature highways for wildlife within the urban environment, green spaces provide safe corridors within our city centres for visitors and residents to navigate from one area to another, encouraging them to travel by foot and increase their length of stay within the city, as is the case at Hull Queens Gardens. The challenge on this £12m redevelopment project set to complete in late 2023, is to improve the visitor experience and accessibility whilst highlighting the maritime heritage of its surroundings that includes the Maritime Museum and North End Shipyard. As with many landscaping projects, careful consideration was given to developing a planting scheme that would improve the area’s bio-diversity, for example the selection of mature endangered trees.

Bio-diversity is also a key factor at Fairlop Waters Country Park whose large lake offers multiple opportunities for improving the area’s wildlife and, with the additional land acquired by the council, the masterplan that Focus and a team of specialists have developed, seeks to improve this even further through the creation of more natural habitats. Fairlop Waters Country Park is a vital community asset with popular leisure facilities so extensive community engagement work was carried out at the start of the process to ascertain the needs of local residents and businesses.

England’s historic parks are well known for their exemplary landscaping and earn their listed status based on their designs and historical importance. Staunton County Park is a perfect example of a listed garden that Focus have worked on where the gardens are restored to what they would have looked like in their prime whilst also incorporating modern technologies to improve visitor experience, security and access. As well as restored follies, walkways, and a Victorian Coach House, new visitor facilities and engagement activities were also delivered as part of the project.

Even though the surrounding gardens might not always be the prime reason to visit a museum, a well-designed outdoor space rich in wildlife attracts more families, encourages longer stays and improves the sustainability of the venue which is certainly the case at Horniman Museum and Gardens. The museum is seeking to highlight climate and ecological issues to a wider audience through redefined outdoor zones, a diverse activity programme, an accessible nature trail and nature-focused partnerships.

Restoring our country’s green spaces can also have more far-reaching, intangible effects. For example the restoration of the garden and grounds at The Highbury Estate is part of a much wider ambitious, vision (that also encompasses the Grade II* Listed mansion) for the Chamberlain Highbury Trust who are seeking to; develop the leadership skills of Birmingham’s diverse young people, act as catalyst for radical thinking and approaches, foster collaboration between micro-businesses, social enterprises and the heritage and creative industries, be part of a wider local and regional ecosystem, support skills development, quality of life, improved sense of well-being and place making.

The aims and objectives for these projects vary hugely and so, as Project Manager, we can support clients in developing their vision and brief to make sure that we can clearly communicate what is needed to the design team and other parties.  This also helps to make sure that the project is delivered successfully.  Seeing the client’s vision realised is immensely rewarding despite any challenges the team face.