Rowland Byass – Landscape Architect

Project: Blackburn Meadows

Completion Date: March 2008

Design proposals for the creation of a new conservation landscape and flood detention zone on a former industrial riverside site, reusing large volumes of spoil generated by the excavation of new water bodies and imported rubble from demolition sites.

The site’s earth mounds have the deliberately geometrical forms of pyramids, ramps and barrows, reminiscent of ancient earthworks. These monumental forms create a variety of habitat opportunities ranging from dry grassland on top of the main mound; dense woodland on its north-facing side; to a mosaic of scrub and meadow on the sunny south-facing side. Below the main mound, pyramids of different materials from the site are left to colonise with spontaneous vegetation, providing an open-air laboratory on the effects of different substrates on plant growth.

The large mound provides a vantage point for visitors and is the location for a battery of wind turbines. The turbines pump water through a series of square ponds and reed beds below. After biofiltration in the ponds and reed beds, the water is released into a large lagoon alongside the river, which contains extra capacity for detaining flood waters. Sluice gates alongside the river control water flowing in and out of the system.