Corner of paradise

Every resident in the small back street off Fernbank Road in Undercliffe, Bradford -- from children to pensioners -- has thrown their weight behind an ambitious new scheme.

Using just shovels and spades the community teamed up to clear six tonnes of accumulated rubbish from a disused site in the middle of their road.

The triangular area had been used as a shared clothes drying area, but was also the target for unofficial parking and fly tipping.

In June resident Ann Challenger, a former governor at Wapping Primary School, decided it was time to take action. She said: "I've lived here 18 years and I'm fed up looking out at it -- when it flooded it used to become a mire and people were always leaving rubbish on it.

"It seemed such a waste when we could have a safe place for our children to play instead."

She contacted the Human Neighbourhood Project charity, which provides financial and practical help to grass-roots schemes, and a 'street meeting' was called.

People from every house in the road held a meeting, literally in the street, to discuss what should be done with the long-standing eyesore.

The result was the formation of a neighbourhood association and a unanimous decision to create a green play area.

Speaking from the newly-cleared area, project co-ordinator Claire Fitton said: "Our project aims to build community spirit and get residents in the area to improve their own neighbourhood.

"This initiative to build a little pocket park is absolutely perfect in that respect because it's small, it's not massively expensive but it will make a big difference to everybody's quality of life."

The Triangle project is now seeking planning permission from Bradford Council so it can begin landscaping work.

The idea is to have two green areas, with trees, shrubs and benches, with a hard surfaced access path running through the middle.

It is estimated that the total cost will work out at about £6,000, and will be completed before Christmas.