Option H3
Original Document
Highgate Strategic Park. Highgate Park would be expanded and its range of facilities greatly increased in order to create another major city park to match Birmingham’s aspiration as a world city. The park would be of the highest quality design, with imaginative landscaping and a variety of functions which reflect the diversity of surrounding communities. The park would be promoted as a resource for people of all ages and abilities and would be used for relaxation, learning, sport and children’s play. Improvements would be made to the boundaries of the park, ensuing that buildings front onto the park, providing natural surveillance at all times of the day.
Plain English Translation
‘Highgate Strategic Park’
Highgate Park will be expanded with a greater range of facilities. This will create another city park to match Birmingham’s aspiration as a world city. The park will be of the highest quality design, with imaginative landscaping and a variety of uses to cater for the diverse local neighbourhood. The park will be promoted to be used by people of all ages and abilities. It will be used for relaxation, learning, sport and children’s play. The park boundary and the houses along it will be improved, providing better security at all times of the day.
This is the option that appealed to me the most personally. The phrase 'new Islington' has been banded about. At the last local Residents' Association meeting, everyone agreed the park needed serious work – it's a really unfriendly, unsafe, unattractive space which has a lot of concrete. I live in an apartment nearby and long for open green space but would rather cycle to Cannon Hill Park than spend time in the park on my doorstep, it's that bad.