Open Country

Belfast's Alleyways and Orchards


Listen Later

Arts consultant Amberlea Neely and architect Aisling Rusk are on a mission to re-imagine Belfast's residential alleyways. Originally built over a century ago to allow access for coal deliveries, sewage systems and bin collections behind the city's high-density red-brick terraces, the alleys became neglected and derelict - spaces for fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour. In recent years, residents of some streets have got together and turned their back entries, as they are often known, into pleasant lanes, festooned with flowers and used for neighbourhood parties and even arts events. The movement grew during the Covid lockdowns when people became aware of the value of the fresh air in the open spaces just beyond their back doors.

There have been similar alleyway greening transformations in other British cities, like Manchester and Liverpool, but Amberlea and Aisling have a more ambitious vision. They're campaigning for these hidden thoroughfares to become a vital part of Belfast's green infrastructure - safe play areas and traffic-free walking and cycling routes. They set up a project called "9ft in Common" – the average width of a typical Belfast alleyway - and spent months walking the city's entries to draw up a digital map of the network.

In this unlikely setting for Open Country, Helen Mark explores the momentum behind the movement. She talks to Conservation Volunteers Northern Ireland about planting apple “orchards” in the alleyways and giving residents horticultural advice. She visits Wildflower Alley, one of the city's first and most successful neighbourhood projects, which now features in tourist trails, and hears from residents about what these once neglected spaces now mean to them.

Presented by Helen Mark and produced by Kathleen Carragher

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Open CountryBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8

4.8

83 ratings


More shows like Open Country

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,412 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,843 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,909 Listeners

Scotland Outdoors by BBC Radio Scotland

Scotland Outdoors

241 Listeners

Farming Today by BBC Radio 4

Farming Today

66 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

500 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,782 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,050 Listeners

Ramblings by BBC Radio 4

Ramblings

167 Listeners

Gardeners' Question Time by BBC Radio 4

Gardeners' Question Time

285 Listeners

The Food Programme by BBC Radio 4

The Food Programme

269 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,925 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,081 Listeners

Last Word by BBC Radio 4

Last Word

45 Listeners

The Kitchen Cabinet by BBC Radio 4

The Kitchen Cabinet

124 Listeners

Gardening with the RHS by Royal Horticultural Society

Gardening with the RHS

260 Listeners

The Plodcast by Our Media

The Plodcast

109 Listeners

Wild Tales | Nature Podcast by National Trust

Wild Tales | Nature Podcast

104 Listeners

Folk on Foot by Matthew Bannister

Folk on Foot

65 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

742 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

2,985 Listeners

BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Podcast by Immediate Media

BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Podcast

306 Listeners

As the Season Turns by Ffern

As the Season Turns

208 Listeners

Limelight by BBC Radio 4

Limelight

270 Listeners

A Life More Wild by Canopy & Stars

A Life More Wild

19 Listeners