Urban&Civic, in collaboration with renowned play specialists Timberplay, hosted a thought-provoking study day titled Fostering Unity – Leveraging the Environment for Community Development. Held at Priors Hall Park, Corby, the event brought together landscape architects, developers, and housing professionals to explore how play, placemaking, and housing design can collectively nurture thriving communities.
The setting couldn’t have been more fitting. Priors Hall Park, recently featured in the updated Fields in Trust Standards guidance as a leading example of strategic community design. Attendees enjoyed a guided tour of the development, with special focus on four unique themed play areas. The tour culminated at the newly completed Village Green, a welcoming central hub in the heart of Zone 2, designed to encourage interaction and belonging.
Throughout the day, attendees engaged in rich conversations and insightful presentations under clear blue skies. Speakers from Urban&Civic, Peabody, Fields in Trust, Bradley Murphy Design, and Gillespies shared valuable expertise on integrating green spaces, inclusive play, and long-term stewardship into the fabric of new communities.
The event highlighted the importance of designing with people in mind - not just buildings. By showcasing how environments can foster connection, well-being, and resilience, the study day reinforced the belief that placemaking is about more than aesthetics; it’s about building unity from the ground up.
Bringing together professionals with a shared passion for community-led development, the day stood as a powerful reminder of the role collaboration plays in shaping places where people truly feel at home.
A fantastic day! I love that we are able to produce days like these. Great opportunities to bring people together (new and old contacts); share ideas, best practice, learning and hopefully inspiring each other to keep working towards the creation of better green and public spaces for all of us to enjoy - but particularly children.
Mark Grimshaw,
Associate Director at Timberplay
It was a really enjoyable day at Priors Hall Park to see first hand the interconnection of play spaces, both formal and informal. That, combined with Urban&Civic's model of delivering green infrastructure at the start and creating a community first - before the housebuilding - is why we feature it as one of our case studies in the Fields in Trust Standards.
Alison McCann,
Head of Research and Policy at Fields in Trust
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