Responce from LDA Design

Questions for LDA design

I spoke to Sally Prothero who handles parks for LDA and is an ex Greewich student (& only remembers Tom Turner)

Have members of the team (Client, LDA, the engineer and contractors) worked together on other projects, before or after the Northala Fields Project?

Not really though LDA wouldn’t mind working on more projects with these people again. Having said this, LDA are involved with Pryor again on some scheme.

How well did the team work together? How was it structured?

It worked very well. LDA tendered for the job and worked under the main contractor, Pryor.

Were there difficulties along the way and how were these overcome?

She didn’t divulge any to me or couldn’t remember

How was the design proposal compiled and were other players involved at the initial stages?

LDA, were not involved at the initial stages at all but they used the detail drawings of Peter Neal and Edel [I’m not sure if that’s a company]. And these designs got to RIBA stage E and to RIBA stage D [what Tam?]

The gate fees were originally intended to fund continuing work on the project.  How successful was this?

(A bit of a dumb question) Very successful it funded the park and simple stopped when no more loads were brought in.

To what extent have Phase 2 plans been implemented? Can you confirm that the Phase 2 plans included the creation of a new hill the aim of which would be to help raise £1.5m?  And that this money would then go towards funding the construction of a visitor and education centre, a bridge over Kensington Road, toilets, a café, community hall and offices for park rangers?  

Her comment to me was go and see the park. The building has been built but not a lot of Phase 2 has been built. & Will only be when someone with the energy from the council  like the main player in Ealing at the time, moves it forwards (not like likely with the council budgets being cut etc)

How did the change of the design team work, for example did it affect the copyright of the design? 

No, LDA were employed to produce detail designs of Peter Neals & Edel’s drawings. And later LDA come up with their own designs for the various features like gabions etc . The details were pretty scant [on the documents (tender doc’s?)]

LDA have a long history of working with Local Authorities, is this why you became involved?

No, LDA simply won the tender

LDA Design states on the website that it specializes in, “Public and Private Realm, Energy & Sustainability, Development Promotion, Regeneration & Redevelopment, Natural Environment, Infrastructure Delivery, EIA.”  Was it the specific expertise you have in these areas the reason LDA were invited to take over the project?

The main reason is that LDA had just finished the Gunpowder Park in the Lee Valley and were keen to get involved in further creation of ecological park along with a range of habitat etc.

How did the consultation process affect the design and the outcomes of the project? For example, were any of the schemes proposed by the public and then realised by LDA?  Or were most of the ideas initiated by the designers and then approved or ‘fine-tuned’ by the public/consultation process?

The consultation process was largely finished before LDA come on board. But there were certain things that LDA would not of thought of but were held as highly important [by the steering committee presumably] like the model boating lake. Sally had to learn all about what it takes to have a good model boat lake.

Did Peter Fink continue to have a design role for LDA after it took over from A2A/Form Associates?

No. He arrived at various meetings and [by her tone sounds like he wasn’t very helpful] and wanted to spend a lot of extra money on some part of the project [?]

[my comments now – it’s not surprizing that he wasn’t involved, the council have changed he had fallen out with the council (though to hand it to him exposed a possible ‘sleight of hand’ by the council re’ where gate fees ended up). Then does he really look like a man who would get involved with the details & nuts & bolts of the project – I think the little yellow glasses, normally for just for little girls, says it all]

How complete was Peter Fink’s designs for the whole scheme and which parts were initiated by LDA?  For example, was the recycling of materials such as the timber, plastics, concrete and bricks used in gabion walls, benches and pathways part of Peter Fink’s original scheme? Or were some of the recycling ideas extensions from the main ‘re-use of earth’ concept?

Peter Fink’s concept was developed into usable drawings by Peter Neal and Edel. LDA were only given brief info and they then had to develop all the detail designs for all aspects [as mentioned Peter Fink was only at conceptual stage really]

What was the greatest achievement of the project?

Deliver a park for Ealing community, which is ecologically deverse, provides a mix of recreational uses restores a derelict area which was becoming anti-social into an area that can be enjoyed by everyone. Without costing the taxpayers anything!

Extras: (Sally mentioned a couple of extra points that are interesting:

Driving force was the councillor from Ealing (she could remember but I think is was maybe that Jason someone..)  According to her it was his idea about using muck from building project to form a park and pay for it [it is genius really]

All four hills have a slightly different make up of soils so as to create different habitats LDA worked with soil scientists and ecologists to get the mixes right. This was quite hard as they wanted to get acidic soils but they were dealing with London Clay (not acid).

 They were mixing crushed concrete, London Clay & I cannot remember (dead bodies possibly) into different mixes on the four hills to provide different habitats from different pH’s and drainage ranges.

Though she says over time these will all become more similar to each other