Allen's West and Preston Park

Two sites, two planning applications, worlds apart.  The Allen's West application is for a housing estate the size of a village - bigger in fact than Preston is, with perhaps its own shop and some allotments, maybe some unspecified community facilities and potentially bringing with it a mass of traffic problems.  Of course, the traffic problems could be reduced by careful road changes and designing in the ability to use public transport including committing substantial sums to increase the frequency of bus services, improving footways and cycleways and ensuring that pedestrian access to the railway station is improved.  Will it happen?  Who knows.  Meanwhile if you want to comment you have until next Tuesday to get your comments in.  Go to   http://www.developmentmanagement.stockton.gov.uk/online-applications/,  then clicking on SEARCH and putting in the application number, 11/2842.

The newest application for Preston Park on the other hand is for a sculpture set into the landscape which will act as a "gateway" feature for the Tees Heritage Park.  Children from Preston Primary school spent a lot of time with an artist looking at the park and the river and working on expressing their thoughts and their vision in models.  He took those thoughts and ideas as a springboard for a design to submit for approval.  The first attempt met with considerable public approval but some aspects of it were not considered suitable by the council officers charged with managing the park and museum.  Much discussion later a second  design has emerged and that design has now been submitted for planning approval.  It's described on the offical notification as:
Application 11/3088 REV.
 This scheme is part of the Tees Heritage Park Arts Project.  The works will consist of ridges of stone sculpted landform radiating out from a central interpretation panel in cast iron and behind this a curved stone bench recessed into the hillside.

The application can be viewed by going to  http://www.developmentmanagement.stockton.gov.uk/online-applications/,  then clicking on SEARCH and putting in the application number, 11/3088 REV.  Comments are needed by Dec 30th and should be sent to developmentservices@stockton.gov.uk , marked clearly with the application number for the attention of Mrs Fiona Bage.

There will be some issues around the maintenance of such a piece of sculpture in the landscape.  It's not something that's been done before in any of the Stockton Parks.  In my view it will be worth the effort.  It will add something to the park which we haven't had before and add to the unique qualities of Preston park in the North East.  But there's a lot of work to be done on it to get to that stage, and it'll be somewhat messy while it's being constructed.  Interesting times for the park.