Leaf It To The People: Public Participation In Maple Park

The recent renovation of Maple Park (formerly Jubilee Park) has not only improved its appearance but its value. It has become the heart of the community and has brought people together. Today, the park displays the result of hard work, public scrutiny and the impact of public participation.

How It Started: The Power of Public Demand

One of the most significant aspects of the park's renovation is that it was driven by public demand. The park was known for gang and criminal activities which left the residents of Westgate and Gipping unsettled and unsafe. Therefore, local residents expressed concerns through surveys which more than 100 people of the area engaged in.

It raised an opportunity for them to express concerns about waste, noise, pollution and public indecency. This provided the council with a target as to what needed to be improved upon.

As a result, the authorities, Ipswich Borough Council, were encouraged to act. They fulfilled the public's wishes by revamping the former Jubilee Park with a £350,000 budget in 2019. 

The renewal of the park allowed for new and improved children's play equipment such as: a slide, swing, basketball court, football area and a community gym. This demonstrates how public influence can directly lead to positive change, as authorities respond to the needs of the people they represent and serve. 

We now live in a society where we are responsible for holding our government and local authorities to account, especially when it concerns us; we have a responsibility to use our voice to petition for good as it does not only affect us, but an array of people.

Because the public was involved, Maple Park now reflects: the needs of people being met, it reflects the power of the people and the ability of the government. The authorities bend to the people's needs and wants. Without us expressing our needs and wants, there won't be any change.

Clear, Hold, Build: What Happened Next

This is reflected in how there were further improvements made to the park even after the 2019 renovation. Issues over "seed husk" crimes and littering then prompted the launch of the "Clear Hold Build" initiative (Maple Together) which helped to tackle these issues. It was launched by Suffolk Constabulary and Ipswich Council.

Clear Hold Build is a three stage Home Office strategy used by the police in order to reclaim communities from crime.

It involves removing criminals (Clear), surrounding the area with patrols (Hold) and implementing long term community improvements (Build). This is a prime example of the power of public participation — without the hammering of these issues, it would have never been addressed. Despite the renewal, people did not deem the environment as improved and so spoke up more.

The paper focused issues have been effectively dealt with, such as renovating the park and changing the name of the area from ‘Jubilee Park’ to ‘Maple Park’.

A year 5 student I interviewed, named Shayla, was asked how she felt about the park’s renovation and she said: "I feel safe in this park and it's a lot more fun." Another Year 5 student named Eliani stated: "There are better swings and more things to do now and so I'm here more."

This is all positive and inspiring to hear, however, these children have no idea what the identity of the park is. They do not know it’s history or culture, because it’s been replaced with prettier walls.

What can we do about this? We can publicly participate. We can speak up more about the parks culture, its history and its value and not let it dissipate because of this branding.  

Speaking up about communal issues helps to create a safer space for not just the adults, but for the children as well.

Children are a reflection of the society, therefore, it is a collective responsibility for everybody to ensure that the society and environment they are living in is acceptable in helping them become the best versions of themselves.

Aside from this, creating a culture where the public speak up about key issues encourages faster and more effective results; the Clear Hold Build initiative was a response to people emphasising on an issue. The government didn't take it for granted that there had already been a renovation, they listened and they delivered. This is because the people of Maple Park have developed a culture in which they voice out their issues and seek results.

Progress — But Is It Enough?

While significant progress has been made in the "Clear Hold Build" procedure, it is noticeable that the 'Build' phase — which is supposed to improve the community's development long term — is still developing.

A press release was published by Ipswich Borough Council about the recent work that has been and is being done to Maple Park.

This information shows that progress is being made in the community and there is a reduction of crime activities. However, it lists all of the things that are going well — what about the ones that go unnoticed? Such as actually building up the environment after such cleansing. The clearing and holding are critically important parts of improving a community, however, they're not the only factors that come into play.

The 'Build' does as well. It's particularly significant because after all of the patrol, convictions and arrests, the 'Build' ensures that the community has a fresh start. It waters the growth of the community — that is what makes the 'Clear Hold Build' effective. 

Maple Park may be rid of criminal activities and delinquencies, but how about what the community means to the people? Or how it could be better improved? Yes, the facts and statistics of the police reports are great for proof that the police are performing effectively, but what about the impact it has had on the people there?

The Community Beyond The Crime Statistics

Jake Smith, Artistic Director and CEO of the Eastern Angles Theatre Company in Ipswich, gave his take on Maple Park. He described it as "rich in diversity" and "an inclusive community." He also went on to express that despite the recent renovations to the area, it has still been "overlooked."

The Eastern Angles Theatre Company is based in Ipswich and they produce dramas that are rich in the heritage and history of that area, they capture true stories and spread awareness about key issues going on. They also perform in other places like Norfolk and Essex. 

Aside from the dramas they perform, their building is often available for the community. It is cost free and they interact with people, often helping out with: after school clubs, curriculum and homework support, sport and creative activities. From the sound of this, one can derive that they are a community centre.

One of the ways in which the Maple Park community can achieve its 'Build' goal is to interact more with these community centres. As people who live in Ipswich, it is not just our responsibility to interact and better our own communities but other people's as well. Therefore, interacting and sharing posts or even attending certain events or publicising them can take the community very far. 

It's a method used to bring back the loose thread caused by the holding and clearing of Maple Park.

Bringing the community together through community centres like this can help the people of Maple Park to not feel stigmatised by their area being raided by police. It gives them a chance to move on and actually be a community outside of the renovation and provides them with the opportunity to rebuild their community in a way that resonates with them.

This is why public participation is important — people get to live their lives to the fullest, opportunities are provided for younger people and the environment is safer and sane. If people start to speak up about the 'Build' phase not being met in Maple Park, just as they did for the 'Clear' and 'Hold' phase, the people, especially the children, would feel as if they were living in a community again. What constitutes as a good community is not just low crime rates or pretty walls, it's about the unity, the activity, the memories that can be made there.

Conclusion

The impact of public participation does more good than harm because with a crowd of people fighting for a cause, there is always a high possibility of a meaningful outcome. Therefore, we should all start today.

In few words, the renovation of the park shows how powerful public participation can be in driving a positive change. By creating a culture where people feel comfortable to have a voice, we can reflect our needs better and push for change.

Maple Park demonstrates that when the public is involved, society can improve in ways beyond measure.