Moving with the Flow: Recovering Brantham Plastics Landscape

The design aims to portray a “re-birth” of the site by providing the site with new functions, both ecological and economic, whilst incorporating features that act as monuments to the site’s previous condition. Ecology is an important element of the concept, with sustainable living in mind. Drawing links to the site’s history not only creates a strong narrative, but also guides the choice of ecological approach. The design aims to address both the contamination on the site and flooding, and to create more effective wildlife habitats that support the more critical species. At the same time, the landscape will serve as infrastructure to support a large SuDS system. The design incorporates agriculture drawing on the history of the site, aiming to employ the sustainable living approach to provide a new, strong economic source for the community. Tourism is another major source of economic benefit to the site. Plastic manufacturing was one of the previous uses of the site. The merging of this history with present function takes into account the environmental importance of re-use and recycling of plastics. The post-industrial site itself can serve as an example of the re-use of plastics within agriculture. In addition, there is a plastics art gallery, allowing artists to express the environmental importance of re-use and recycling through their art.