Markham Willows (part of Markham Colliery)
The form er M arkham colliery is situated to the north-eastern com er o f the county o f Derbyshire, England, within the D istrict o f B olsover3. M ining w ork began at this site about 1882 and continued until its closure in 1993.
M arkham w as one o f the last three collieries closed w ithin the county ending m ore than 150 years o f deep mining in D erbyshire - an industry which, fifty years ago, had em ployed m ore than 60,000 at 100 collieries across the County. It w as estim ated at the tim e that tw o jo b s in coal industry related jo b s w ould be lost for every one lost in the m ining industry.
Markham colliery forms the heart o f the Markham Em ploym ent Grow th Zone (MEGZ), shown in Figure 6.13.
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Fig. 6.13 - M arkham Employment Growth Zone
(SOURCE: RESCUE (2004) - Regions and Case Studies. A vailable from:
http://w w w .rescue-europe.com /htm l/regions.htm l)
The construction o f the new junction 29a w ill give direct access onto the M l M otorway from the former Markham colliery. 50 hectares o f M arkham ’s N orth Tip will be used to produce biomass as a renew able energy resource to fuel heating boilers for buildings within MEGZ. M arkham ’s South Tip and part o f the North Tip totalling 45.6 hectares will be planted as sustainable deciduous woodland.
The concept o f the M arkham Em ploym ent G row th Zone (M EGZ) originated as a response to the Coalfields Task Force R eport "M aking the Difference - A N ew Start for England's Coalfield Com m unities" June 1998. A t the heart o f this proposal is the need to reverse the decline in the N orth D erbyshire/N orth N ottingham shire Coalfield resulting from the legacy o f pit closures and m ore recent jo b losses. In order to provide the social, economic and environm ental im provem ents needed the Task Force Report recognised the fundam ental need for im proved access to such areas and identified this project as a key coalfield regeneration schem e. In D ecem ber 2001 the Government also recognised the im portance o f the project w hen they gave financial approval, subject to the necessary statutory procedures, to the highw ay infrastructure through the Local Transport Plan.
One o f the objectives o f M EGZ is to create a sustainable developm ent. This w ill be achieved by the following methods:
- using renewable energy to heat buildings
- recycling waste produced w ithin the site
- planting w oodland as a carbon sink and sustainable resource.
- provide comm unity transport to service the site and local w orkforce.
- provide a direct link with the rail netw ork
M arkham W illows (see Figure 6.14) is a project w ithin M EG Z designed to utilise the spoil heap known as the N orth Tip o f the form er M arkham colliery to grow prim arily willow as short rotation coppice (SRC) to be used as a renew able energy resource.
The SRC will be used to generate biom ass to fuel boilers providing heat to industrial units within MEGZ.
The North Tip has approxim ately 300m m o f cover w hich can be described as top soil. The soil pH ranges from 1 through to 9 due to situations o f localised oxidisation and the tipping o f extracted lim estone bedrock spoil respectively. The N orth Tip falls away steeply on all sides consequently w ater availability for the w illow crop is a key issue. Sewage cake is being applied as a soil conditioner to im prove soil m oisture and nutrient content, to the benefit o f both the crop and beneficial soil m icro-organisms.
To visually integrate the N orth Tip into the surrounding landscape hedgerow s will planted emulating the surrounding field patterns. 3D visualisations have shown that using hedgerows to section the tip longitudinally will reduce the perceived height o f the tip to the viewer.
Fig. 6.14 - M arkham Willows
(SO U RCE: RESCUE (2004) - Regions and Case Studies. Available from:
The M arkham W illow s project is being undertaken by a consortium consisting o f - AEA Technology (Environm ental), R3 Environm ental Technology, exSite and Groundwork UK.
Gateshead Quay
Gateshead Quays lies at the heart o f T yneside next to the w orld fam ous Tyne Bridge. This site was a derelict land. In fact, it had been in decline since the Second W orld W ar and m uch o f it was occupied by a scrapyard or used as a site for travellers.
However, the site w asn’t alw ays an area o f industrial decay; indeed the site o f The Sage Gateshead was originally called R e c to r’s Field, an open area o f land associated with the nearby parish church o f St M a ry ’s. T he character o f the neighbourhood changed dram atically in 1835 w hen the industrialist John A bbot relocated the bulk o f his m etalw orking interests to its eastern side. T his rem ained a m ajor general & m aritime engineering works until its closure in 1909 and w as closely involved in the construction o f both the H igh Level B ridge and N ew castle C entral Station.
M ore than £250 m illion is being invested to create a cutting edge, w orld-class arts, leisure and residential destination4. G ateshead C ouncil and its partners are overseeing five m ajor projects - three funded by the N ational Lottery.
D evelopm ents include an international contem porary art space, a pioneering music centre and a stunning bridge. They are at the heart o f the new cultural quarter and will be com plem ented by a lifestyle and leisure quarter, and a luxury residential development. The area w as a m ajor contribution to the jo in t bid by N ew castle and Gateshead to be the European C apital o f Culture in 2008.
Fig. 6.15 - The G ateshead Quay
(SOURCE: R ESCU E (2004) - Regions and Case Studies. A vailable from:
h ttp://w w w .rescue-europe.com /htm l/regions.htm l)
The first part o f G ateshead Q uays (see F igure 6.15) opened for business in sum m er 1999. Tyneside's m ost offbeat nightclub - the Baja B each Club - opened along w ith a new restaurant in the Pipew ellgate area.
The Gateshead M illennium B ridge w as the first opening bridge to be built across the River Tyne for m ore than 100 years and has attracted w orldw ide attention because o f its unique design. The w orld-first design is the latest addition to the Tyne's famous collection o f bridges - w hich have given the area one o f the m ost instantly recognisable skylines in Europe. T he £22 m illion G ateshead M illennium Bridge provides a footpath and cycle-w ay linking am bitious new arts and cultural developm ents at G ateshead Q uays on the south bank w ith N ew castle Quayside.
The Baltic C entre for C ontem porary A rt, show n in Figure 6.16, is the m ajor new centre for international contem porary art, w hich opened in July 2002. Baltic has a prem ier site on the south bank o f the river Tyne and lies right at the heart o f the regeneration area o f G ateshead Q uays. This £46m project has transform ed the former
Baltic Flour Mill, a disused 1950's grain w arehouse into one o f the biggest temporary art spaces in Europe.
Fig. 6.16 - The Baltic
(SOURCE: RESCUE (2004) - Regions and Case Studies. Available from:
http://w w w . rescue-europe. com /htm l/regions. h tm l)
Baltic is a new breed o f public art space. W ith its sim plicity and flexibility reflected in the building design, Baltic shows new international art, offering exciting, distinct and unparalleled experiences. M ore like an 'arts factory' Baltic houses over 3,000 square metre o f art space (five galleries), plus artists' studios and cutting edge m edia facilities allowing artists to w ork and exhibit across a w ide range o f m edia from painting and sculpture to perform ance, installation and m edia/digital art. Baltic does not house a perm anent collection but invites artists for residencies and places a heavy emphasis on commissions.
The Music Centre Gateshead is at the heart o f the public and private sector redevelopment o f Gateshead Quays. The building w ill contribute to the regeneration o f Gateshead, providing a new platform for prom oting the north o f England and acting as a catalyst for further investm ent into the region.
M usic Centre G ateshead occupies one o f the m ost dram atic urban sites in Europe, looking across the Tyne gorge to the vibrant and exciting cityscape on the River Tyne's north bank. It is an outstanding facility for all kinds o f live m usic and for the work o f its resident m usicians, and a pioneering centre for m usic education and discovery.
The Centre makes a substantial, sustainable input to G ateshead's and the region's economic growth, bringing a w ide range o f local jo b s in tourism , m usic, teaching, construction and adm inistration, as w ell as contributing decisively to raising the region's national and international profile.
Baltic Quay is an im pressive £100 m illion residential and com m ercial developm ent. The first phase com prises 241 contem porary quayside apartm ents housed in seven towers situated adjacent to Baltic The C entre for C ontem porary Art. The second phase, the comm ercial aspect o f the schem e, is to be built adjacent to M usic Centre Gateshead, and will frame Baltic Square w ith a host o f exclusive bars, restaurants, cafes and leisure facilities.