Student-designed social area, Our Place, opens in Central Park

A new social seating area, designed by students from The Boswells School in Chelmsford, has opened in Central Park.

The area, known as Our Place, was created in collaboration with a group of female and gender diverse students. It is part of Chelmsford City Council’s award winning ongoing project with Make Space for Girls and Social Place, which aims to create more gender diverse provisions in our green spaces.

Addressing the imbalance of green space provisions

Research shows that, in the UK and internationally, recreation provisions in green spaces (such as multi-use games areas, football pitches and skate parks) are mostly used by boys and young men. As a result, 63% of young men regularly visit public parks, while only 31% of young women do.

The charity Make Space for Girls campaigns for more consideration of girls, young women, and gender diverse young people in the design of parks and public spaces. Imogen Clark, co-founder of Make Space for Girls, says the aim is to ensure that everyone can benefit from green spaces:

“

“At Make Space for Girls, our work is about designing more young people into parks and green spaces; designing in girls, gender diverse young people and boys who the current spaces don’t work for. We’re not interested in removing what works – it’s absolutely fantastic that so many boys and young men are using green spaces, and we don’t want that to change. We don’t want to design boys out. We want to design girls in.

“We advocate for thinking about green spaces differently, starting conversations early, and creating real engagement with young people to find out what they want and how we can create that for them, so that they can spend more time outside and reap all the benefits we know that to have.”

Imogen Clark, Co-Founder, Make Space for Girls

Inclusive project to enhance community safety

Our Place is for everyone and has been carefully designed to ensure that it is a welcoming area to anyone who may have previously felt unwelcome or unsafe in a public park. 

Councillor Donna Eley officially opened Our Place on Wednesday 7 May.

Councillor Donna Eley, who officially opened Our Place in a ribbon cutting ceremony last week, says she is looking forward to seeing people enjoying the area:

“

“When we think about gender equality, the provision of green spaces isn’t necessarily where our minds go. But, as Make Space for Girls has found, such areas have been designed for boys and young men for generations now. It’s great to see something that can appeal to everyone and particularly to teenage girls and gender diverse young people, like the wonderful students who designed Our Place.

“This is a fantastic project and the engagement from the young people involved has been inspiring. I hope the students, who sadly couldn’t join us for the opening today, are proud of their hard work and pleased with how their designs have been brought to life!”

Councillor Donna Eley, Cabinet Member for a Safer Chelmsford

The students designed a social seating area, with colourful flowers and lighting.

An area for socialising

Ahead of creating their designs, which they later presented in the Council Chamber, the students worked for weeks with Imogen (from Make Space for Girls) and Julia and Olivia from Social Place. The group visited Central Park to identify what they did and didn’t like about it, before moving on to consider the new provisions they would like to see.

What they wanted was an area designed for socialising, rather than for sport or similar activities. A social seating area, with colourful flowers and lighting, was what they landed on. 

When bringing the designs to life, Chelmsford City Council’s parks team worked with the project report to ensure that they were answering the students’ needs, particularly when it came to where in the park they felt safest. Julia King, director of Social Place, says location is a very important factor:

“

“A common theme we have found when engaging with young people, particularly teenage girls, is this idea of wanting to be seen but not seen. They don’t want to be too far away from the hustle and bustle of a busy area, because being around others makes them feel safe. But they also don’t want to feel exposed, as they often believe they’re being judged by the people around them. That paradox is a fascinating one and really fed into the students’ designs.

“Our Place is in a popular area, close to Central Park café and a well-used footpath, so that users won’t feel isolated. But it’s also sheltered by tall grasses and decorative panels, so they don’t feel observed.”

Julia King, Director, Social Place

Chelmsford City Council's parks team worked hard to bring the students' designs to life.

The area before works began.

The area under construction.

The area under construction.

The area during works: Plants were carefully selected and positioned.

The area during works: Panels were designed to create patterns with sunlight.

More Our Places to appear throughout the district

Central Park was chosen as the first location for this project, but more Our Places will be coming to green spaces across Chelmsford district!

Students from Chelmer Valley High School have already presented their designs for Angel Meadow in Broomfield, and Chelmsford City Council and Broomfield Parish Council are now working together to bring those to life. Soon, students from William de Ferrers School will begin work to ‘design themselves in’ to Compass Gardens in South Woodham Ferrers.

More information on our partners and ongoing projects

Our Place was funded by the Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner’s Safer Streets funding.

Updates on Angel Meadow and Compass Gardens will be shared on City Life, so stay tuned!

To learn more about Make Space for Girls, visit https://www.makespaceforgirls.co.uk

To learn more about Social Place, visit https://www.social-place.org/

If you are a Parish Councillor and would like to learn more about creating an Our Place in your area, please contact Community.Safety@chelmsford.gov.uk