Empty Shop Fronts?

Would it be possible to use the empty shop fronts on London Road to display local artists work?

This could benefit the landlords by improving the appearance of the shops, yet not use floor space so that it is still in an appropriate state to rent out... This is not a new idea... http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2009/feb/18/slack-space-vacant-shops http://blog.ivanpope.com/awol/2009/02/art-into-recess.html

...could we liaise between the landlords/ their agents and local artists... this could even be through a lonely hearts/ lonely windows style website where windows are matched with artists...?

making space in the city: new blood

A strategy for utilizing marginal land around Toxteth, Liverpool, through the installation of benches.

A market and massive “continuous” picnic held to show how urban food production and public space can be combined advantageously in central London.

The city of Turin saved 30,000 euros by using sheep to mow lawns at three public parks. In Pasture in the City, cows were also used during the experimental first year, but because they produced too much manure they have not returned. Traffic is diverted for the herd of sheep to enter the city. After the animals are rotated through fenced-off parks for two months, they return to the Alps for the remainder of the summer. The sheep aerate and fertilize their temporary pastures.

A very short-term lease of a downtown parking space allows the autonomous creation of public space. PARK(ing) involved feeding a meter on San Franciso’s Mission Street to rent precious urban real estate for installation of an aquarium, a public bed, a brothel, or nothing at all, to increase available space on a car-dominated street.An Astroturf park was chosen and installed for two hours, providing an additional 2,230 square-metre-minutes of recreation space-time on a Wednesday afternoon.is a collective based in San Francisco who works within the domains of environmental installation, urbanism, and absurdity. PARK(ing) Day now occurs once a year around the world, usually on 19 September.

Toronto’s Urban Repair Squad grew tired of waiting for municipal authorities to create adequate bicycle lanes and began to install their own DIY infrastructure, encouraging others to take action. Found on: http://cca-actions.org/about

The Austrian civil engineer Hermann Knoflacher developed the Gehzeug, or walkmobile, in 1975 to allow a pedestrian to approximate the amount of space taken by a motorist. It is ideal for protesting against the primacy given to automobiles in the city, or just taking a walk in traffic. Knoflacher’s experiment has been repeated in cities from Austria to Thailand, illustrating the spatial possibilities of urban areas without automobiles.Hermann Knoflacher is a transportation engineer in Vienna. He has been the director of the Institute for Transport Planning and Traffic Engineering at the Technical University of Vienna since 1985.

In Designs for the Real World, Azra exhibited video, photographic documentation, diagrams, maps and quotations to show the behaviour patterns that make up the market and to suggest interventions. Azra put forward a way of keeping the market that would allow for self-organisation. One intervention she suggested was a system of 'provocateur poles', which would offer an infrastructure for accessing water, electricity and so on while also encouraging the shops to cluster in these areas. This would then free up other areas for leisure activities and parking. The exhibition included a prototype of one of the 'provocateur poles'.

Draft Action Group Agenda: 31st March 2009

Draft Action Group Agenda: 31st March 2009, the Old Junior School, 6pm

1. Apologies

2. Matters arising form previous minutes
2.1 Blog and broader promotion of the Action Group

3. Lloyds Corner
3.1 Presentation of brief
3.2 Feedback and analysis
3.3 Information we still require
3.4 Funding and Section 106
3.5 Next steps

4. Welcome to Sharrow Signposts
4.1 Explanation of project by Ryan Morley
4.2 Feedback and analysis
4.3 Opportunities for engagement

5. Any Other Business

6. Next Meeting

Flags Planning Application

The Planning Application for the flags project was submitted in February and is pending consideration. You can access it at http://planningdocs.sheffield.gov.uk/WAM/findCaseFile.do?action=show&appName=planning&appNumber=09/00294/ADV

The associated documents describe the details of the flag designs, sizes, and locations. Please feel free to view them.

Thoughts on Lloyds Corner Brief.

These are some thoughts, apologies for the lack of structure.

The brief drafts are great. They seem coomprehensive in getting accross our main agenda for the project, particularly the trio of regeneration, identity and engagement.

I also agree with CC that the toolkit is a really useful document and could be referenced. Perhaps we could consider the corner's position in relation to other key sites for future regeneration ? (Is it a point on the john st triangle?) and the lloyds corner project could be open to future links with other sites- a walk, a series of related designs/objects/installations.

Perhaps there is scope for an educational element within the project?

In terms of the way the space could be inhabited and used, the past problems with street drinkers/drug users etc need to be addressed. Many residents feel strongly that seating should not be reintroduced as many campaigned to have it removed. Is there potential for an active space that rethinks the use/function/design of the pavement? With additional objects or a structure (we discussed a tree?) to give the area a landmark and area in which to explore/develop identiy?

CM

Brief development: From LP

DISTINCTIVE SHARROW
Lloyds Corner

Context
Distinctive Sharrow context
Funding available
Action group
Why Lloyds Corner
Lloyds Corner has been identified as the potential site for ‘small scale intervention’ within the framework set in the Distinctive Sharrow document. Sharrow community forum? The community? Sharrow action group? Selected this site because:
- highly visible from London Road and could act as a demonstration site for further interventions in Sharrow
- small urban space , therefore manageable as the first community project to promote sharrow’s identity
- the existing space is of poor quality design and is a left over space with no proper function

We might need Julia’s help for this first part to gather all the facts and history of this project

Background information:

Community
The Sharrow Action Group has organised two informal public consultation events to consult the community and generate ideas for Lloyds Corner. The details of these events and comments/ideas collected are included in appendix A. The key findings can be summarised as follow:
- the function of Lloyds corner needs to be flexible to accommodate the wide range of the public preferences and address the great diversity of the community of Sharrow. (ref. list compiled after first event 4th October 2008). Suggestion included temporary exhibition spaces, temporary stalls.
- the space is mainly a through route rather than a destination. People looked while passing by during the two events but often remained on the edge of the space (see movement maps drawn on 24th January 2009). The proposals should make sure not to impede main existing circulation pattern.
- The edge along London road is particularly important as it is visible by the numerous pedestrians and car users on London Road.
- children/young people were instrumental is engaging adults in the activities proposed during the second event on the 24th January 2009. the proposals for the site should therefore take into account children needs and interests.
-

Technical constraints
To be agreed with local authority, site boundaries , services…etc
Any other sugestions
Project aims and objectives:
- regenerate this key public open space in London Road
- contribute to the development of the identity of Sharrow
- engage local people with their urban environment

Rationale:
General principles (see project objectives signpost brief)
- community led project in relation/collaboration with local designers and/or artists
- develop skills in Sharrow

Specific
- create a high quality functional urban place enhancing the experience of London road and Sharrow
- improve people’s movement and use of the space
- create a focal point in the streetscape and local environment
- design should be highly ambitious, playful and unique in relation to Sharrow identity

Proposed stages for this project

design proposals
- acquire a full understanding of the place (Lloyds Corner) based on previous research/events/consultations and designers’ own assessment
- engage with the ‘Distinctive Sharrow’ process with a good understanding of the specificity/character of the area and the needs of local people.
- Propose a process to ensure a continuous engagement of the local community with the design process
- Put forward strategies for Lloyds Corner and propose design/s accordingly, different options at a draft stage to enable the community to be proactive in finalising the proposal.
- Propose management plan for the site for example to accommodate temporary events, existing (lantern festival, Chinese new year) and potential suggested by the community (art exhibitions, educational events)

2. Public consultation
- exhibition of draft proposals (different options to choose from)
- feedback from the community
- vote on preferred strategies/design
3. Finalise design/proposals according to the public consultation outcome


Other information to include in the final brief at a later stage

Selection criteria

Commission panel

Process and timescale

Application process

Lloyds Corner

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=37.09024,-95.712891&spn=47.167389,92.8125&z=4&om=1&layer=c&utm_campaign=en&utm_source=en-ha-na-us-google-svn&utm_medium=ha

Brief for Lloyds corner: initial ideas CC

I've never done this sort of things before so this is definitely more like ideas, to be thrashed about in the meeting next week.

• I think its very important to mention the Distinctive Sharrow Toolkit, I found it really inspiring when wanting to get involved, it sums up a lot about the area and gives a lot of really nice ideas that are the sort of things that have been positivly discussed and experimented by the action group

The Space...

Reasons why the space was chosen as one of the staring points for possible regeneration of Sharrow through the distinctive Sharrow action group:

• Prominent part of Sharrow, will be seen/passed by people from all over Sheffield who come to eat and shop on London Road and to come to football matches at Bramall Lane. A chance to show off Sharrow to people who do not realise how nice/exciting/distinctive and diverse an area it is. Possibly increase visitors to the area.
• Area that has had past controversy, previously frequented by 'street drinkers' mainly due to nearby position of late opening chemist. A lot of local people have concerns about doing anything with the space (benches etc) in case it encorages them back, an alternative opinion could be that with a lot of improvemnt to this unsightly 'non-space' a variety of people will be encoarged to the space at differnet times and it will take on a new feel/purpose.
• Route between London Road and Bramall Lane football stadium, Route to residential area, car park, poorly known green space etc
• A quite large area of paving that is under used, centrally located and therefore has huge potential!

What?

• Eye catching
• Unique (at least in Sheffield!)
• Increase usage of the space
• Change the usage of the space, differnt people, different ages, different backgrounds, different use at differnt times?
• Smarten up, improve 'look' of the space
• potential? to increase the actual space and change road layouts etc to have an even wider impact

Ideas...

• Paving
• Lightling
• Games
• Art
• Sounds

Footfall at nightime (on lloyds corner)

...it was an interesting experience...

...i stayed from 19:25-20:25....

3 street drinkers/men in 30s wi cans/ there all ti. others came and went, nobother.

just outside cremorne there was a violent incident, 2 police cars and ambulance, pavement cleaned etc..

i saw one child probably under 11 on a bike alone, several others under 14 with adults.

lloyds is open 6/7 til 10pm, Eylen supermarket opposite til 11pm...

...a lot of cars turned and several seemed to be using lloyds entrance as rendezvous, some cruising, a lot of BMWs..

...i counted those who crossed lloyds corner between phone boxes and lamppost:
121 men
32 women
9 children<14 est.

thought this looked fun!

Next meeting

Lloyds Corner Brief Writing Group: 24th March, 6.30pm at the Old Junior School

General Action Group Meeting: 31st March, 6.00pm at the Old Junior School

At the general meeting we will review the brief the sub-group have written for Lloyds Corner and also discuss the progress of the 'Welcome To Sharrow' signposts commission. It would be great to have as many people attend as possible.

Portland Works is under threat!

Portland Works is under threat!

A group of metalworkers, cabinet makers, musicians, artists, sole traders and others based in Portland Works, a grdae II* listed 'little mesters' works in Sharrow, Sheffield who are gathering to keep Portland Works alive and save it from development as bedsit flats...

Please visit the website if you are intertested in being involved or knowing more about what is going on: http://portlandworks.blogspot.com/

Flag workshops Jan- March 09

Creative Action Network have been going to local community groups and clubs to encourage the partciapants to put into pictures and words what they think makes a good community. We have been from the children's libraray to Abbeydale Grange, Highfields Adventure Playground to Sure Start and had a really lovely time meeting new people and getting an undertsanding of what people think of Sharrow.

There are lots of pictures of the park, the mosque and the library, but what was most interesting were the symbols people used to express their views. Hands, jigsaw puzzles and back to back houses expressed the unity and diversity that people feel gives Sharrow a great sense of community.

Lloyds Corner Brief: Initial ideas from LP

Background:

1. Distinctive Sharrow
2. Action Group
3. Why Lloyds Corner?

Aims and Objectives

-Regenerate this key public space On London Road District centre
-Contribute to the development of the identity of Sharrow
-Engage local people with their local environment

Rationale

General
-Community led project to develop relationshsips/ collaborate with SCC and local designers artists etc
-Develop skills and knowledge in Sharrow
Specific
-Create high quality urban space enhancing the experience of London Road and Sharrow
-Design should be highly ambitious, playful and unique in relation to Sharrow Community Forum improve peoples movement and use of this space and key surrounding places (such as Thorp Park, The John Street Triangle etc)
-Create a new focal point in the district centre

Sequence

Design
Acquire a full understanding of the site based on previous research/ events/ consultation and designers own assessment
Engage with the Distinctive Sharrow process with a good understanding of the specific character of the area and the needs of local people
Devise a process to ensure a continuous contribution of the community to design
Put forward strategies for Lloyds ciorner and propose xdesigns accordingly

Public Consultation
Feedback from the community
Vote on different ideas

Finalise Design

listed lamppost and 'chloe's

The 'drawing above is the Narnia' lamppost and chloes sandwhich shop sketched and displayed on site at out last event...

Yesterday on a 'walkabout' in Sharrow with the Distinctive Sharrow Steering Group (including the area planners and the chair of Sharrow Community forum) I was asked to keep a couple of things in mind: Chloe's Sandwhich Shop and the Listed gas lamppost... Could we get the gaslamp working again had we talked to the lady who works there...?

I know these are things we have discussed but thought it worth posting a note.