Grey To Green won the National Green Champion Award, Construction, category at an award ceremony held at the Houses of Parliament earlier this month. These awards are part of the International Green Apple Awards for environmental best practice.
The project has already won two Yorkshire in Bloom awards, the Gold Standard and Best Environmental project in Yorkshire 2016 and a brace of Sheffield Design Awards, for Best Open Space and Overall Outstanding Project Award 2016.
The Grey To Green Corridor has transformed Sheffield’s Riverside Business District, developing the former inner ring road into an eye-catching display of public art, benches, a new urban drainage system with planting design by University of Sheffield, Department of Landscape Professor, Nigel Dunnett, who acted as horticultural and planting design consultant for London’s Olympic Park.
The planted areas also provide an innovative ‘sustainable urban drainage system’ (SUDs) designed by the Council and leading national experts to help flood relief in this part of the city by soaking up run off to the river within the ‘flood zone’ and helping to reduce flood risk from surface water.
Councillor Leigh Bramall, deputy leader of Sheffield City Council and cabinet member for business and economy, said: “Our project team has clearly done a fantastic job on this scheme as seen by the number of very well-regarded awards it continues to receive.
“Grey To Green has completely transformed a rather neglected part of the inner city and links well with our wider vision for West Bar and Kelham Island, providing an eye-catching introduction to the city.”
Councillor Leigh Bramall
Deputy Leader, Sheffield City Council
“Grey To Green has completely transformed a rather neglected part of the inner city and links well with our wider vision for West Bar and Kelham Island, providing an eye-catching introduction to the city.”
Five eye-catching art features have also been added to provide new landmarks and to reveal some of the area’s colourful and unexpected history and associations – telling stories of when West Bar was the city’s party street.
Geoff Poyzer, Managing Director Highways for North Midland, who were jointly nominated for the Green Apple award for its work on Grey To Green, added: “It’s fantastic that this innovative scheme has been so highly recognised. The whole team worked tirelessly to deliver the scheme and this award is a credit to that hard work.”
The Grey To Green team is set to add to its prize locker at next month’s CEEQUAL awards. It is hotly-tipped to receive an Innovation award but is also shortlisted for the Water Management and Landscape awards.