Project Overview

Trinity Square in North Ormesby, Middlesbrough, has been home to a market since 1874. Over time, development removed trees and green space, leaving a largely paved setting for parking and everyday pedestrian activity. When Middlesbrough Council renewed the square in 2011, bringing lasting shade and greenery back to this historic community space was an important objective.

The ambition was to establish trees that could grow into substantial canopies, providing shelter for people using the car park and market. Tree planting around the perimeter formed part of a wider redesign that balanced an attractive public setting with the practical requirements of trading pitches, parking, and pedestrian movement. The goal was a working square with room for trees to become a meaningful part of daily life — and Silva Cell helped deliver on this objective.

Canopy Achieved

More than 15 years after planting, Trinity Square’s hornbeam trees have become a striking feature of the streetscape. Dense crowns rise above parked cars and extend over the surrounding pavement, with neighbouring canopies meeting to create a substantial green edge. Their scale and leafy presence show how much a paved urban setting can change when trees have the opportunity to establish and grow.

Supporting that growth required space below ground. Silva Cells were installed beneath the paving to accommodate planting soil in four shared zones serving the project’s 20 trees. These four connected rooting environments extend beyond the small tree openings visible at the surface. By supporting the hardscape above, Silva Cells protect the soil beneath from the compaction that can restrict root development, helping make soil volume available within the working car park.

Above ground, that provision for roots now supports impressive canopy where shade is particularly valuable. The trees cast shade across sections of pavement and adjacent parking, offering relief from direct summer sun in a setting dominated by hard surfaces. As the crowns have developed, the original planting has become an increasingly prominent source of shade, greenery, and character for the square.

Not a photograph. The above is a rendering of the parking lot demonstrating where Silva Cells were installed.

A Greener Market and Public Space

Trinity Square accommodates several overlapping uses: people park their vehicles, walk to nearby shops, browse market stalls, and meet others in the neighbourhood. North Ormesby’s outdoor market continues to operate on Tuesdays and Saturdays, maintaining the square’s longstanding role as a place of trade and community connection. The trees bring greenery to the edges of this activity while allowing the central space to retain its practical functions.

Shade plays a protective role in a space where people spend time outdoors. Tree canopy reduces exposure to direct sunlight and can help lessen heat stress during hot weather, making shaded routes and places to pause valuable features of the public realm. Alongside that protection, the trees soften the surrounding hardscape and create a more welcoming setting for everyday encounters — supporting the square’s identity as a place to spend time as well as pass through.

A Lasting Investment in the Public Realm

Trinity Square demonstrates the value of planning for the canopy that will develop years after construction is complete. The space allocated to planting soil in 2011 helped establish the conditions for trees to become substantial features of the square. Today, their leafy crowns give visible form to the council’s original ambition: lasting shade and greenery woven into a working urban space.