Case Study | Broad Street, Oxford

Transforming a busy shopping street

Oxfordshire County Council’s Broad Street project is an exciting and ambitious scheme to create an urban park within this historical and culturally significant city centre location. The new, wider pedestrian area features planters and seating to provide space for people to meet, socialise and take a break whilst living, visiting, studying or working in the city.

The temporary scheme was visualised by Atkins Global and Milestone Infrastructure and includes a large number of bespoke WoodBlocX Moveable Planters, it will be monitored by Oxfordshire County Council to see how people interact with the street furniture in a busy shopping street, including transport habits such as increases in walking and cycling, changes to air quality and the amount of time people use the space.

Bespoke moveable planters

The key objectives for the project were sustainability, manoeuvrability, durability and inclusivity.

The project features 83 bespoke WoodBlocX moveable planters, each made from sustainably sourced FSC wood with guaranteed durability; and the innovative modular timber system provides the flexibility needed to accommodate accessible and inclusive design.

Three angular raised planter designs were constructed remotely at our sawmill and shipped to site, lining the streets with a mix of seasonal native flowers, trees and shrubs to provide displays that change with the seasons to create an attractive retail environment. Additional seating for the scheme was provided by local social enterprise RAW.

Feedback

Cllr Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council Cabinet Member for Highways Management: “I’m really impressed with how the Broad Street scheme has created an appealing urban park in a beautiful historic setting.

"Our delivery partners WoodBlocX and RAW have provided attractive, quality street furniture that commits to sustainability and responsibility. We are delighted with the results.”

Dan McLearnon from WoodBlocX said: “This was a great project to be involved in and the first of a number of projects to use our new moveable planters. We are thrilled with the outcome and looking forward to seeing how the space evolves over the coming months.”

The WoodBlocX Moveable Planter range consists of a selection of structures that can be moved around cities and urban spaces to create different landscapes, thanks to the specially adapted base and treated bearers allowing access for forklifts or pump trucks to create installations for busy shopping streets like Broad Street or any other public realm project. Each design can be adapted to suit different users; from different seating heights to allow access for users of different ages and abilities, to wheelchair accessible planters, creating functional and visually appealing spaces to promote social interaction amongst nature.

For more information on WoodBlocX moveable planters click here.