Dixon Road Community Garden

Dixon Road Community Group initiated and led the design of an underused section of green space within their sheltered housing block. With the help of their housing association they were involved in planning and building a communal garden with three seating areas linked by a winding path. The efforts of Dixon Road has led to the group winning the Britain in Bloom competition two years in a row (2008 and 2009).

Dixon Road Community Group is a small group of dedicated residents working in partnership with their housing association. The communal garden project makeover is part of an ongoing programme of improvements and use of green spaces in the area in conjunction with a large-scale housing project planned for in the near future.

The project had started to gather pace after members attended Spaces by Design and actively gathered opinions from other residents, setting up a bank account and forming a constituted project group. The group was successful in raising £57,000 from funding from New Charter Housing Trust, British Gas, Manchester Airport and Denton Partnership.

Two residents from sheltered housing attended the course, Spaces by Design, in 2008 to look at their options for developing an underused section of green space within their sheltered block.

The Glass-House encouraged the group, and helped them realise the potential of their project, defend their aspirations, and crucially, deliver on their vision in collaboration with the council. The project is clear proof of the value of Spaces by Design.

Shortly after attending the course, the residents made a video and attracted a wider participation of locals to get involved in the project.

The residents learned how to nurture their own plants for the garden, making the project more healthy and sustainable, and are now using this new facility. New features to the garden include beds and borders and the development of a wildlife area. They have also replenished their window boxes with bedding plants so the bungalows now look ‘blooming’ good at the front and back.

The group learned how to realise their project potential and gained the ability to defend their aspirations, and crucially deliver on vision in collaboration with the council.

Residents learned how to nurture their own plants for the garden, making the project more healthy and sustainable, with continued use of the new facility.

The efforts of Dixon Road has led to the group winning the Britain in Bloom competition two years in a row (2008 and 2009). The group has aired plans for future projects and aims to raise money for a new greenhouse.

“The consultation has moved from two residents to twenty participants who recognise the value of community” (Derek Smith). The design and implementation process was at times a challenge, fraught with disagreements and compromise with the housing association, but throughout, the model created at the Spaces by Design course was used as a bargaining tool with the housing association and reference point for our ambitions. Amazingly, most of the ideas generated at the meeting were eventually translated into the finished communal garden.

Spaces

Communal garden

Wider community involvement

Ability to realise potential

Spaces by Design