Few of us can help but notice the disruption that the new tram line has caused to the University Park campus during its creation, not only to our journeys around the campus, but the fabric of the campus and its green spaces.
The university’s Grounds Team have been working hard to restore the areas most affected back to their former glory. Lee Reed, Assistant Grounds Maintenance Manager Technical, with input from Grounds Manager Desmond O'Grady, has been instrumental in creating the restoration plans for Lakeside
Arts Centre at the South Entrance to University Park. As part of the tram negotiations, any areas which were affected had to be restored to their original state, however the Grounds Team have worked with the developers to create landscaped areas which will be an improvement on what existed before. The plans include detailed drawings and schemes which specify the materials and plants (including size, quantity and placement) that are to be used.
Lakeside Arts Centre is very much in the public eye and is the first thing visitors, students and staff encounter when they enter the campus and it is important to make this first impression count.
The original space was once a mini oasis with its own ecosystem. This area provided habitats for an abundance of wildlife, which included fish, small mammals, birds, amphibians, insects and other small invertebrates.
The area which the Grounds Team are currently reinstating is considerably smaller than the original site, however it’s the mixture of material that can make the difference to the overall appearance. The new site incorporates a cobbled beach area, pond and water feature. This will provide habitat for small amphibians (frogs, toads and newts), whilst aquatic plants will be planted in the water and at the water’s edge to provide a food source and shelter. The aquatic plants will help to oxygenate the water and the fountain will aerate the water. The soft landscape plan includes trees, shrubs and herbaceous species which are indigenous to the UK. The location and size of the plants have been specified to provide the correct mixture of food and shelter to the wildlife which is encouraged to utilise the space.
The Grounds Team want the new area by Lakeside Arts Centre to echo the rest of the landscape developments on campus, which are a mixture of new and existing schemes that combine to create the ever changing natural landscape of the university.
Posted on Thursday 2nd April 2015