Students present ideas for teen-friendly spaces in South Woodham Ferrers
Designs for inclusive, teen-friendly amenities have been presented to Chelmsford City Council Cabinet Members in the latest instalment of an award-winning project that’s diversifying our green spaces.
Students from William de Ferrers School have been working with council partners, Make Space for Girls and Social Place, to “design themselves in” to their local area. The group’s presentation included ideas for social seating areas, cosy rain-proof shelters and a community art wall.
Making green spaces more inclusive
The ongoing project, which won an Inspire Future Generations Award in recognition of its impact in empowering young people, aims to make our parks more inclusive to girls and gender diverse young people. Make Space for Girls’ research shows:
- 63% of young men regularly use parks, compared to only 31% of young women
- 50% of young men used football pitches/ball courts regularly, compared to only 6% of young women
- 92% of the teenage users of fenced pitches are boys and young men
- 84% of the teenage users of skateparks are boys and young men
By understanding and addressing the barriers that teenage girls, young women and gender diverse young people face in accessing spaces like parks, the council hopes to ensure that all young residents are comfortable and confident in making the most of the beautiful parks and green spaces our district has to offer.
So far, students from The Boswells School, Chelmer Valley High School and William de Ferrers School have taken part in the project.
Students encouraged to consider what public realm means to them
A group of 12 students from William de Ferrers School, who were in Year 9 when the project began and now in Year 10, spent six weeks working with Imogen from Make Space for Girls and Julia and Olivia from Social Place. The students were encouraged to think about: which public spaces they currently use, versus which are available to them; how they feel about the public realm and their place within it; how they would like things to change and; what a place “for them” might look like.
The students created zines about their perceptions of public spaces, visited and analysed their local area, and worked together to identify where they felt safe, unsafe, welcome and unwelcome in South Woodham Ferrers. They then reflected on their findings and came up with ideas for changes that could make them feel safer and more included.
The students went on site visits and recorded their thoughts and ideas throughout the project.
On Thursday 5 March, the group presented these ideas to councillors from both Chelmsford City Council and South Woodham Ferrers Town Council, their teachers, parents and guardians, including details of the process.
What comes next?
The group shared designs for various locations, including social swings and a book exchange in Compass Gardens, benches and tables with aesthetic lighting in the town centre, and a community art wall and outdoor cinema at the Village Hall. Their ideas will now be discussed by South Woodham Ferrers Town Council, with councillors deciding which will be implemented.
Some of the ideas students presented to councillors.
Next, Chelmsford City Council’s Parks team will create final designs to bring the students’ ideas to life and, once these are signed off, work will begin. It is expected that the new provisions will be in place by autumn 2026.
Councillor Donna Eley, Cabinet Member for a Safer Chelmsford, who attended the presentation said:
““It was wonderful to hear the students’ insight and to really understand what it is that’s missing for them in their local area. Working directly with young people is invaluable and I’m so grateful to all the students for giving their time to this project. You should all be very proud of the work you put in and the presentations you shared.
Cllr Donna Eley, Cabinet Member for a Safer Chelmsford
“I’m looking forward to finding out which of their ideas will be selected and to see what our Parks team create. Based on the previous designs we’ve seen for Central Park and Angel Meadow, I’m sure the students will be pleased with the results.”
Ongoing project making an impact across the district and beyond
Chelmsford City Council has been working with the charity Make Space for Girls and engagement specialists Social Place since 2024. The pilot project saw students from The Boswells School design a social seating area in Central Park, which opened to the public in May 2025. The second instalment was a collaboration with Chelmer Valley High School students, whose designs are currently being constructed in Broomfield Meadow. Works are expected to be completed this spring, so keep an eye out for updates!
As for the future of the collaboration, Full Council recently approved funding for four more projects, with locations selected based on analysis of crime statistics, antisocial behaviour and local need. These projects will be funded by the Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and CIL Cap. Previous work has been funded by the Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner’s Safer Streets fund (Central Park and Angel Meadow) and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (South Woodham Ferrers).
After receiving the Thornton Education Trust Inspire Future Generations Award for Youth Long-Term Programme, the model has gained traction outside of the Chelmsford district, too, with similar work now taking place across Essex. Imogen Clark, co-founder of Make Space for Girls, says she’s pleased to see the impact the project is having, in Chelmsford and beyond:
““At Make Space for Girls, 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
“Seeing the impact of the work we have done with Chelmsford City Council so far – on the local residents and on the professionals who have observed and learned from the project – has been fantastic, and I’m excited to see this continue to grow as we head to new locations!”
You can sign up to the Safer Chelmsford newsletter to hear more about the innovative work of the council’s Community Safety team here: https://pages.comms.chelmsford.gov.uk/pages/subscribe-chelmsford-council
If you are a parish councillor interested in facilitating a similar project in your area, please contact Community.Safety@chelmsford.gov.uk
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/
Molly writes stories about public health, community safety, leisure, community sport, parking and Chelmsford Market.