Page 17 - RNT-C09

The HISTORY of REDDITCH New Town

‘The Arrow Valley Park was part of the Master Plan Proposal of 1964. The Park stretches
from the Abbey golf course in the north to Washford Mill in the south, relative to which
I must mention my friend, the late Michael Brown, Landscape Consultant for the New
Town Master Plan. The Redditch Development Corporation ran out of money to build the
Coventry High- way, which needed to be on a raised bed, but I was able to provide them
with the excavated soil from Arrow Valley Lake so that they were able to go ahead with
the Highway. I was left with a huge hole in the ground, however it was fed by a natural
stream and over a number of weeks, nearly a month, it filled up. The river Arrow used
to flood quite regularly and so weirs were introduced to control the flow. The Arrow Park
Lake could abstract excess water before it was released into the river.’
'My biggest obstacle was that many people could not see the need for a landscape
architect. I had to convince a number of other professionals such as architects, engineers
and estate managers that the profession of landscaping would be an asset to the new
town, because most of them hadn't got a clue about what a landscape architect could
do. The Chief Engineer, Bill Singleton, who has now retired to Australia, was initially one
of the many sceptics about landscaping. However, during the life of the Corporation he
became one of the strongest advocates of landscaping provision because he had seen
its results in his road-building. So he provided funds for many of the landscape schemes
associated with roads, particularly in the latter years of the Corporation. When he retired
we gave him a tree to plant in his garden - a larch.’

The “Hole in The Ground” left by excavations of soil for the Coventry Highway
embankments.

Page: 245