Broomhill Gardens

Culture & CivicCommunity

Jan 21

Written By Jordan Took

Scottish Design Award-winning, dementia friendly horticultural training and community centre

Broomhill Gardens | Greenock
Inverclyde Association for Mental Health

The project was conceived as a walled garden, with a green roof and densely planted courtyard, taking cues from Greenock’s rich history of terraced green spaces and parks. In this way, a new green space for Greenock is formed, advertised through the tree canopy and rooftop planting, which is visible behind and above the deeply textured brick wall enclosure. Entrances to the walled garden are formed within anterooms - landscaped thresholds, which help to mediate between the street and the quiet courtyard.

Accommodation comprises a walled garden designed to support people with cognitive impairments, community hall & cafe, seminar and meeting areas, roof top garden, offices, education rooms, workshops, greenhouses and accommodation for In-Work staff & volunteers.

The community centre and training facility is owned and managed by a local horticulture social enterprise. Access to the community facilities, growing gardens and walled garden is unrestricted to the community and in addition In-Work (a subsidiary social enterprise of IAMH) uses the growing gardens for commercial production of shrubs and soft landscaping. In-Work operate the community cafe (which will be served by the produce from the growing gardens) and provide training and educational programmes within the several seminar and teaching spaces. The mix of types of users ensures sustainability of the community facility over time.

The project is recognised by the Alzheimer’s Society as one of the few examples of a dementia friendly public building in the UK.

The importance of establishing a robust mechanism for providing community benefits through the project was considered early into the procurement stages. This was led by INCH, who prepared a bespoke Community Benefits Plan, Community Benefits clauses for inclusion within the contract and advised the Client on all aspects of ‘quality’ within the PQQ and ITT stages of the tender process.