Introduction
The project team for the research, landscape investigation and outline development ideas for Colin Glen Forest Park and adjacent areas were Belfast School of Architecture (BSA,) École Nationale Supérieur d’Architecture Nantes (ENSAN) and landscape architects La Terre Ferme. The project was funded through University of Ulster HEIF Academic Enterprise award and EU Erasmus + funding.
A central part of the investigative approach of the BSA/ENSAN/La Terre Ferme team recognizes the importance of material and emotional legacies inherent in the landscape. Little of the landscape in the area of the Lagan Valley or Belfast Hills can be called ‘indigenous’, over the centuries it has been worked by man through agriculture, industry & manufacture and quarrying, though the incremental change associated with this can be a rich source of both morphological and cultural information attached to Colin Glen and its environs. In short, there is much draw upon and plenty of stories to tell.
The investigating team drew upon the breadth of local knowledge, rich local history, publications on the Glen and the research work carried out by the forest park’s Head Ranger. As part of the study the team looked at the natural landscape (topography, geology, flora), cultural landscapes (representation & meaning) and the built environment (historical and contemporary).
In establishing the parameters of the project and defining the aims and objectives, the project team worked closely with Colin O’Neill, Chief Executive of Colin Glen Trust, Brenda Burns, Deirdre McBride and Colin McCrossan of Strategic Investment Board.
