Originating from the philanthropic legacy of the Holt family, this project embraces a permaculture approach, focusing on long-term listening and adaptation. Lottery-funded initiatives trained residents in low-carbon building skills, contributing to hempcrete insulation installations. Two hidden gems were refurbished: a council-owned changing rooms building into a Therapy and Wellbeing Centre, ensuring financial sustainability, and a walled garden transformed into an accessible therapeutic outdoor space. Community-led online design sessions were held during Covid, fostering inclusive development

Who is on the project team? (designer, consultants, etc)

Architect & Lead Consultant - Harrison Stringfellow Architects - Su Stringfellow, Jessie St Clair

 PDCDM - HSA

 Landscape Designer - Howard Miller

 Project Management (pre-construction) - Through and Around

 Structural/Civil Engineer - Elliot Bond

 Services Consultant - Rodney Environmental

 Cost Consultant - Quantum GN

 Transport Consultant - SK Transport Planning

 Main Contractor (Shell & Core) - Caldway Construction

 Hempcrete installer - Hempcrete Cymru

 Lime Renderer - Hammond Hemp Homes

 Describe the context of the community engagement. Why did the engagement take place?

Growing Sudley are a community interest company that grew out of initial engagement with local residents asking ‘how can we bring the Walled Garden back to life for the modern-day community?’ The listed garden sat within an estate that belonged to a wealthy Victorian shipping merchant, now a public park. The Holt family bequeathed the entire house, contents and land in the 1940s to be used ‘for the benefit of the people’. They were philanthropic Unitarians whose interests lay mainly in art, gardens and public health.  Over many years, the Friends of Sudley Estate and then Growing Sudley CIC have worked with local residents and park users to find out how people wanted to use the walled garden. The community told us the ideas they had for reviving and reinventing the space, and, by implementing many years of pilot projects in the garden, gradual consideration of what could be done if we were able to obtain capital funding emerged. Growing Sudley’s mission as a sustainable social enterprise is community health, wellbeing and play through nature. By refurbishing and developing two hidden gems - a council-owned dilapidated changing rooms building into a Therapy and Wellbeing Centre (creating an income stream for long-term financial sustainability); and developing the walled garden into an accessible and inspirational therapeutic outdoor space using horticulture, forest school, nature therapy and herbalism; they have engaged local people of all ages, improved physical/mental wellbeing, and encouraged urban connections to nature.

Who did you engage with and how?

Engagement has varied from regular community open days, to participatory sessions with user groups of all ages to co-produce the building design and construction. In 2012, HSA initially undertook design sessions which provided interactive and fun insights into the needs and desires of the community using the garden, as well as consultation with local charities and healthcare providers who provided outline guidance on measures required to make the space accessible. Feedback events and open days with local residents allowed us to connect to people and find out what they wanted, and didn’t want, and to generate support and momentum around the proposals. Pilot projects were undertaken, to test some of the ideas, including running a paid-for Forest School holiday club, and free funded nature therapy sessions for people with brain injuries. Both these groups are now permanent activities. In 2018, grant funding allowed a viability study to be undertaken to develop plans and costs which included converting the neighbouring dilapidated Changing Rooms building into a low carbon therapy centre, the income from which would support the delivery of activities in the walled garden. Challenges during Covid were overcome, with engagement events adapting, and children participating in online design sessions for the building.

Have you continued the conversation? Will the community stay involved? 

Income generated from The Changing Rooms therapy centre will be used to support ongoing community activities, volunteer support and maintenance in the wider walled therapy garden. The permaculture approach is such that ideas will always evolve and iterate in response to the people and environment, therefore engagement is part of the DNA and success of the organisation.The Changing Rooms refurbishment involved the installation of hempcrete as well as air source heat pumps as part of the approach to meet low carbon targets. This will be monitored as a learning activity with the community volunteers in order to understand how the building performs in use, and to learn lessons for future projects. Additionally, as a result of the HLF hempcrete training, one of the local participants went on to set up his own low carbon building company. HSA have supported Growing Sudley in connecting with other community enterprises around the region to share skills and instigate new pilot projects. Growing Sudley continue to collect both qualitative and quantitative data from participants and offer a wide range of activities for the community in response to feedback. Similarly HSA have run talks, open days and CPD sessions for construction professionals and students to share information and knowledge on the project, particularly in relation to the Hempcrete installation.