Name: Holly Hill Re-discovered
Date: 2025
Location: Fareham, Hampshire, UK
Client: Arkwood Landscape Architects & Fareham Council
Date: 2025
Location: Fareham, Hampshire, UK
Client: Arkwood Landscape Architects & Fareham Council
Arkwood Landscape Architects are working with Fareham Borough Council to develop plans to restore Holly Hill Woodland Park. It’s a unique and historic 35-hectare site, once a Victorian landscaped garden and todayhome to parkland, woodlands and a series of interconnecting ponds, lakes and water features made from Pulhamite stone.
I was commissioned to design and deliver an engagement process to understand how people use, value, and imagine the future of the park. I worked closely with members of the local community, hosting events and workshops, to capture a rich picture of what makes Holly Hill so cherished, and what might support more people to ‘Re-discover Holly Hill’ in the future.
Central to the methodology was in-depth involvement of people living with disabilities. Finding temporary ways to overcome access barriers (through the provision of adequate toilets, mobility aids and human support), I brought people on-site to experience it’s qualities and together take seriously what needed to be done to make the site more accessible in the future. This established task team has since been assembled and commissioned by the council to improve accessibility in other areas in Fareham.
The work uncovered clear opportunities to support the park’s long-term restoration: improving accessibility, creating gentle ways for people to learn about the landscape, strengthening connections to surrounding neighbourhoods and offering more ways for children, families, and volunteers to get involved. The findings will guide the development of a community-rooted restoration plan and hopes to build a local network of people who feel connected to, responsible for, and excited about Holly Hill’s future.
I was commissioned to design and deliver an engagement process to understand how people use, value, and imagine the future of the park. I worked closely with members of the local community, hosting events and workshops, to capture a rich picture of what makes Holly Hill so cherished, and what might support more people to ‘Re-discover Holly Hill’ in the future.
Central to the methodology was in-depth involvement of people living with disabilities. Finding temporary ways to overcome access barriers (through the provision of adequate toilets, mobility aids and human support), I brought people on-site to experience it’s qualities and together take seriously what needed to be done to make the site more accessible in the future. This established task team has since been assembled and commissioned by the council to improve accessibility in other areas in Fareham.
The work uncovered clear opportunities to support the park’s long-term restoration: improving accessibility, creating gentle ways for people to learn about the landscape, strengthening connections to surrounding neighbourhoods and offering more ways for children, families, and volunteers to get involved. The findings will guide the development of a community-rooted restoration plan and hopes to build a local network of people who feel connected to, responsible for, and excited about Holly Hill’s future.