In 1991 plans were presented to and approved by the Horticultural Consultative Committee on behalf of the grounds team to develop the walled garden into a series of ornamental gardens, with the opportunity for students to design and build the different theme gardens themselves. At that time the walled garden contained a number of polythene tunnels and hardy nursery stock. Since then, the polytunnels, old tarmac paths and edgings have been removed, and Victorian rope top edgings have been installed in their place, with a new path across the central access being added. Students have been involved in designing and building several small theme gardens, including a Spanish garden, Victorian Knot garden, Dell garden and an Italian garden. A gazebo and ornamental gates are also major new features, recently erected.

In 1994 a par-three 9 hole golf course was designed and marked out on land redesignated from agricultural use to grounds. The first tasks involved moving the existing turf from each of the prospective greens and digging out some pools with a JCB, a drainage system and an irrigation system to all the greens also had to be installed. Steady progress has been made on the course with greens, tees and bunkers being added. In 1997 a grant for £10,000 was received from the Royal and Ancient Golf course in St Andrews, and this will be sufficient to complete this venture which will cater for training student greenkeepers and for the leisure of future students.

In 1997/98, our Golden Jubilee year, students have designed an Arboretum which will be located behind the floristry department, on the site of the old poultry unit. Several donations have been received, mainly from former students, to pay for the trees which will be underplanted with wild flowers. 1998 is also Broomfield's third year of exhibiting at Chelsea Flower Show, this years theme being 'A Quiet Retreat'. More developments are always in the pipeline, usually led and designed by students themselves, ensuring that the gardens and reputation of Broomfield continue to grow to meet the needs of the next 50 years as well as the present.

Farm and Estate

During the 1990's Broomfield Farm became the home of some different teaching resources, the largest being the Amenity Animal Unit. Several buildings contain a range of animals including: chinchillas, ferrets, caged birds, guinea pigs, snakes, spiders and cats. Courses in Small Animal Care began with 12 students in 1989 and since then has been a major growth area for the College. There are now courses in Dog Grooming, Kennelcraft and Veterinary Nursing, as well as BTEC First and National Diplomas. In the beginning there were no animals on site for student practicals. Fortunately a good relationship with local boarding kennels and the RSPCA in Derby have enabled visits and practicals to take place.

An often overlooked area of conservation work is that of rare breeds of livestock. The 'old fashioned' or 'non-commercial' breeds have been largely superseded by more fashionable 'improved breeds' to the point of near extinction. A new venture at Broomfield Farm is the setting up of a Rare Breeds Unit which is being developed during the College's Golden Jubilee year. Its aim is to stress the importance of rare breeds as a genetic resource and underline and explore their commercial viability. A series of small paddocks are being created and it is hoped to keep a range of animals. The first of these, ten Woodland White Face ewes, have recently been purchased and have produced their first crop of lambs. This area with its representative display of fencing, walling, hedging and rural crafts will be an important future teaching and learning centre for the College. It will complement existing conservation work well and act as a hub from which future activities will radiate.