I came back from a bank holiday away to watch the Park Hill BBC2 “Romancing the Stone” documentary on iPlayer (I can’t believe I’ve started using the iPlayer, blogging and joining Twitter all in the same week – the 21st Century has finally has caught up with me!).
So what did I think..? No doubt it was good television. It certainly got a few laughs and raised the profile of Park Hill, giving the public a greater insight into what these projects involve! I’m not sure any of the protagonists came out particularly well – either from English Heritage or Urban Splash. And there was no mention of the people who really made this scheme happen, the HCA (maybe lucky for them!)
It’s disappointing that the programme stopped filming some weeks ago, before we finalised HCA funding and our development agreement, both of which have helped things really progress at Park Hill. It did, however, clearly illustrate the challenges and problems that beset a massive project like this. They’re never easy to deliver, even harder in today’s economic environment, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try!
Someone once told me that the definition of success is the difference between expectation and delivery… This Park Hill programme has undoubtedly done an excellent job for us in managing people’s expectations! More importantly though, it’s made me even more committed to ensuring that we deliver our vision for Park Hill.
There are plenty of sceptics about and although I’ve never made a TV programme, I think it’s probably easier to make a documentary than deliver a project like Park Hill. But we have already successfully completed several challenging schemes: Fort Dunlop in Birmingham, Royal William Yard in Plymouth, Lister Mills in Bradford, Chimney Pot Park in Salford, The Midland Hotel in Morecambe… given our track record I hope that the next Park hill documentary will be more positive.
Other reviews of the Park Hill programme can be found here: The Sheffield Star, BBC Look North, The Independent, The Sunday Times, The Guardian
Having lived on Park Hill flats as a child, good and bad was experianced by everyone. However, I think the flats should have been demolished a long time ago. A lot of money has gone into these flats, and in my opinon there will always be a stigma around them from when they were left to rot. Maybe Urban Splash may succeed where others have failed.
Two of the portraits are of my brother and myself, We were part of the migration from the poverty and poor housing of Pitsmoor in the late 1950s .The images that Gary Hindley used were from a BBC documentary Women And Children First broadcast in the early 1960s. Over the years clips from this program have been used in many programs involving Park Hill Flats and recently just after the death of my younger brother I made contact with English Heritage and a lovely person called Mellisa went out of her way to get me of a copy of the original documentary. In the program my family featured in a short clip in which my father spoke about his feelings about the flats as did my younger brother. Unfortunately both are no longer alive, but the video and Gary Hindleys portraits are a great comfort to my family and have given us something to remember them by.The lady in curlers? After speaking to some of the older residents that are still around It seems there are two names been suggested for this lady. I am trying to find out who she was and I am expecting more information this week in fact. I have every confidence in UrbanSplash delivering the finished article and once again the Park Hill Flats will be the outstanding building that it once was. The passion and understanding shown by Lee the site manager on the Park Hill Flats was amazing and comforting to hear, he is to be commended for his dedecation in making the Park Hill Flats once again a secure, comfortable place for many to live in. Good luck to UrbanSplash and the future of PARK HILL FLATS .
Hi Denise,
The paintings are the work of Gary Hindely, a local artist who has begun painting some faces of Park Hill. We’re going to be putting a new painting up every week so keep your eye out for new ones – some are of people who featured in the 1960’s archive footage of Park Hill who we don’t know the names of, so maybe you can help us identify them?
For more info see this article in the Sheffield Telegraph http://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news/Portraits-in-unique-frame.5631332.jp
Hi, in the office where I work we are watching the progress of the renovations with interest and are at the moment very curious about the paintings that have appeared in the facade of the first block to be renovated. Who is the artist? Why are they there? Is the subject the same in both?????
thanks
Hello,
Just watched the programme on IPlayer (worth the licence fee on its own !!)
As I’ve just returned from a hard days shopping (and drinking) in Sheffield I had the chance to speak to a lot of people about Park Hill and your project.
Almost all seemed supportive and are glad it hasn’t been a victim of the downturn and left as a shell.
However people did comment on the decision to ‘barrier’ the railway station effectively cutting off Park Hill from the city centre - any ideas what will be done about this ?
Did you get the chance to comment on this before the decision was taken as people were saying why didn’t you try to stop this happening ?
If you think you have problems in Sheffield try to be a developer in York - everyone has an opinion on what goes up (or not) in the city centre !!
Please keep going at Park Hill as I’m sure a lot of people are waiting for you to fail but this will be a prototype for other similar buildings all over the country - better to reuse them rather than knock them down and build something ‘better’ in its place.
I thought that the programme was the BBC at its Best. It left a profound mark on me - not much TV does that.
I studied Park Hill as a teenager at school for my Geography O’level. I remember it fancinated me then. It is very easy to belittle a project of this nature. The English Heritage series on the Park Hill Estate captured the essence of Britain in 2009, perfectly.
A Bold and forward thinking 1960’s design, revamped by a group (who had an inner reluntance to carry the idea forward) It at times seemed they were acting the part of Captain Blackadder in Blackadder 4 - those above know best.
Little was said, but the programme oozed the real lack of direction as a society/community that people now experience and the disparaging gaps between groups within our society. The hardest part to watch is how projects on this scale are compromised from the original design, to a point which bold becomes bland and pointless. Where fundamentals are forgotten, practical liveability issues become side issues for sake of money/position and status.
I loved the programme about Park Hill and was sad to see the project hitting hard times at the end of the programme, so I was really pleased to read that you are back on site. I went to Chimney Pot Park (ostensibly to see the Velfac windows) about 18 months ago and was amazed by what you are doing there. I just think that what you are doing is great and it is such a pity you weren’t in business when Leeds was pulling down one of its few great masterpieces, Quarry Hill Flats. And look what they have put up in its place - curse the DHSS. Yours, Liz from Leeds (sadly)
It did make good TV, such a change from the usual dull property related offerings. I am amazed that Urbansplash would involve themselves in any project where English Heritage also have an interest. ‘Very brave’ is the euphemism that comes to mind.
I do hope you make a financial success of the project - hate to see you brought to your knees by this one.
I live near the flats and chose to invest in the area due to it’s proximity to the city and the plans for the flats. As asked by James, are there plans to invest in the surrounding streets? If not, it’s hard to see how spanking new flats would sit well and sell. That said, I haven’t seen evidence of this in the publIshed plans other than plans for the hill.
Also, as the station has now been closed as a link from the flats to the city, are there plans to work around this?
Naturally I have high hopes for the renovation and hope the build can progress to the plan and vision.
Thanks for the vision and hard work
Thought it was a great documentary. The Urban Splash construction guy dealing with Tim Nice but Dim was great! You just know he spends time labelling things as spades. I have mixed views about this project, as I hate to see wasteful demolitions, but think more could be done with the immediate surrounding land to create a sense of community, than what was in the design plans.
PS I wont be giving up my day job for a career in TV just yet !