At 16 acres, the parkland at the Dowd’s Farm housing development will be the largest created in Eastleigh Borough for many years.

The site was sold to Bovis Homes after Miss White left it in her will to the Salvation Army in 2000 and 765 new homes are planned for the £100m mini-town, of which 350 have already been completed, along with a primary school and community centre. But having been a farm until the late 1990s and a home to farmers since the Iron Age, provision of a green space on the site is seen by the Council as an important element to be developed on behalf of the whole community.

The Council is keen for the parkland to be enjoyed by both adults and children and has encouraged community involvement in its planning, with local history emerging as a prominent theme to be followed.

Bovis’ landscape architect has produced a design with ‘zones’ connected by a series of pathways and separated by natural features such as trees and shrubs. A children’s playground, a picnic site, a lake and a youth kick-about-area are planned, and the Council has appointed artist Adrian Moakes to develop an overall public art vision for the park.

A sculpture trail and a bespoke youth shelter, a giant earthwork and a maze are some of his ideas.

With the site developer providing an initial £40,000, the Council hopes that the artworks planned for phase one will inspire further funding offers.

For more information on the plans for the parkland visit the Eastleigh Borough Council website – and if you have views on the public art vision at Dowd’s Farm, or on the development of the site in general, let Hedgeendpeople know!