Sarah Robinson House, Portsmouth

This urban regeneration scheme designed and administered by terra firma on behalf of Portsmouth City Council Housing Services, addressed the upgrading of the landscape around a landmark tower block adjacent to the naval dockyard.  The scheme included fencing, gates, entrance archways, seats and bin stores which were bespoke designed with local metalworkers.  Existing trees were protected and incorporated into the gardens, with new tree and shrub planting providing enclosure, privacy and subdivision of the gardens into separate areas for different sized groups and uses.  The development of the design involved extensive consultation with the residents, who took control of an area as a community garden, planting it with cheerful bedding plants and involving the old and young in its ongoing development.  Technical issues included heavily contaminated soils resulting from the area’s historic association with the manufacture of naval hats which involved the use of lead.  The city’s more recent history of intensive World War 2 bombing meant that the possibility of unexploded bombs had to be taken very seriously.