TK Associates has been awarded a contract by East Sussex County Council to run a six-month consultation and communications programme for the creation of a new countryside park.

The programme will support the creation of Pebsham Countryside Park from a huge (600 hectare) area of largely under-used open space, preserving it from urban development and providing a valuable amenity for the region.

Our brief is to discover what the surrounding communities want from a park and what concerns they may have, as well as to inspire people across the county about the possibilities.

Our programme will comprise a series of consultation workshops with diverse segments of the public, from residents to business people, councillors, land owners, farmers, arts groups, sports clubs and environmental bodies – as well as hard-to-reach segments such as the disabled, ethnic groups and young people. It will involve public exhibitions in the surrounding towns, a community-wide poll of views by questionnaire and publicity for the project via the media.

The possibilities for the park are broad, from nature conservation to alternative energy, education, wildlife watching, cycling, walking, riding, water sports, skate-boarding, concerts, sculpture parks – or all of these.

We won the brief through a competitive tender amongst five consultancies.

For more information on the project, which is part-financed by the European Union, see www.eastsussex.gov.uk/pebsham.