The first Pompey Parklet was opened yesterday, just outside of Southsea Cycles on Albert Road, with the Lord Mayor attending to cut the ribbon.
Pompey Parklets is Southsea Community project aiming to green our streets. Under the scheme, over £30,00 is being spent to build sustainable, ecologically conscious public amenities throughout Southsea. The aim is to encourage an increase in biodiversity by building micro-habitats, whilst at the same time reclaiming curb side space for pedestrian use. Not only does this provide local wildlife with a chance to flourish, but it will also help to increase bike and foot traffic along Albert Road and Highland Road, which in turn will help support high street businesses.
The first Pompey Parklet
The project is the combined effort University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth City Council, FORM+FUNCTION Regeneration UK CIC, and IDL: Architecture. Local businesses supporting the scheme include: Southsea Cycles, Herbies Health Store, Nicholson’s Tapas, Cileste Hair and Beauty, Hunter Gatherer, Goulds Jewellers, Broadway Coffee Roasters, Top Mark's Hairdressers, Southsea Nets and Curtains, The Clock Shop, Bengal Spice and RPM Records.
The designs for the parklets were provided by architecture students Jack Clark and Charlotte Hubbard from the University of Portsmouth, who submitted them as part of a competition. The students were unable to attend Thursday’s grand opening, but Labour councillor George Fielding remarked that they were “here in spirit”. The layout of each parklet allows them to not only be used as benches, but also as bike racks. They are fully accessible for wheelchairs and walkers. Reclaimed materials were used in the construction to make the parklets as sustainable as possible. Each parklet was also designed to be entirely moveable – a design feature which was not only an innovative concept to show reproducible and easy to install such parklets could be.
The opening ceremony was attended by two labour councillors who had been supporting the project: George Fielding and Charlotte Gerada, as well as the Portsmouth and Southsea Tree wardens, the team behind Pompey Parklets, the staff of Southsea Cycles and Lord Mayor Hugh Mason.
Portsmouth and Southsea Tree Wardens enjoy the parklet
The Lord Mayor gave a short speech, expressing his thoughts on the project. “I am often asked to open things. Big or small, odd or not so odd. This is quite small, but it is very important – because this changes the feel of this part of Southsea, this changes the feel of this part of Albert Road. It makes it a place where people can stay, can sit down – can take a cup of coffee from Hunter Gatherer or get some chocolate or get something healthy from Herbies, or even contemplate buying a bicycle. There are lots of things you can do sitting down here. You could read the morning paper. So, this will be a unique space”. With that, he cut the ribbon and declared the parklet open. Lord Mayor Mason then took a seat, becoming the first person to use the new amenity. He was closely followed behind by several attendees, all of whom were eager to test out the benches. It was a resounding success, with one person remarking that he “couldn’t wait to see what it was like in summer” and another passer-by stating that the parklet was “a brilliant use of space”.
Whilst sat on the parklet I spoke to Portsmouth and Southsea Tree Wardens Denis and Trish. They are heavily involved in the sourcing and planting of parks for the project. Elaborating on their plans for the future, Trish and Denis explained that they hoped to introduce fruit trees in some of the parklets as part of their community orchard initiatives. This would provide fresh fruit to the public during a cost of living crisis that has seen fruit prices increase by as much as 37%.
If you would like to keep up with the development of the parklets you can follow them on Instagram. Donations are also still open here.
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