Brooke Park, Derry

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Learning Moments

Strong leadership of the local authority
The local authority has overseen the project from inception to successful delivery with responsibility for the ongoing stewardship of the park, which is managed by a passionate and progressive team. The park is recognised as a strategic asset by the Council, with a strong emphasis placed on the importance of the green infrastructure agenda and the response to climate change.

Enhancement of community health and wellbeing
The park plays a valuable role in providing access to high quality greenspace in a densely populated urban area - surprisingly Derry has less parks and open space per head of population than many bigger cities. The range of community activities and initiatives in the park, including the Conservation Volunteers and the beekeepers greatly enrich the park’s offer and role within the wider community.

Quality of design and restoration
Every effort was made to ensure a distinctive sense of place and identity was incorporated into the park restoration, with a recognition of the importance of good design from the outset. Extensive historical research has informed the landscape and heritage restoration with sustainable design principles adopted for the new Gwyn pavilion.

Community engagement and reconciliation
The community engagement process overcame challenges from the large numbers of competing stakeholders. The use of a range of engagement techniques and the formation of a community steering group formed a key aspect of the project and has helped to foster a greater sense of ownership, allowing the local communities to reconnect with the space. Importantly the regenerated park also offers an area of ‘neutral’ space – as it originally functioned prior to the Troubles.

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