£2m Shoreditch Park revamp nearing completion
Young people from Impact FC and The Shoreditch Park Adventure Playground were the first to try out a new sports court and play area at Shoreditch Park - as they opened as part of its £2m revamp by Hackney Council.
The huge new play area and multi-coloured sports court - alongside a beach volleyball court and outdoor gym - are the first parts of the reimagined park to open ready for the Easter holiday, with a resurfaced grass sports area and wildflower meadows opening in phases this year.
The £2m investment in the park was informed by the views of 1,600 local people and park users, who all took part in Council consultations on Shoreditch Park before the project began.
Together with the new Britannia Leisure Centre, City of London Academy and the Colville Estate regeneration, it represents the biggest investment in the area for decades.
Improvements to biodiversity and climate resilience are also a key part of the park’s improvement project - with rain gardens, permeable surfaces, hedges, log piles, a wildflower meadow and planting all helping to encourage insects, improve drainage and mitigate against climate change induced flash flooding.
There are free drinking water fountains in the play area and by the outdoor gym.
Shoreditch Park was created 50 years ago this year on a site damaged during the Blitz, and where prefab housing had been built in the years following the Second World War.
Shoreditch Park is 50 years old this year, so it’s extremely fitting that this landmark project to secure it for future generations is finished this year.
I used to be a councillor in Hoxton, so Shoreditch Park has a special place in my heart, and I’m thrilled to see it looking as good as it does right next to the iconic new award-winning Britannia Leisure Centre.
We know our parks mean so much to people in Hackney - which is why we’re investing in improving them across the borough.
Shoreditch Park is at the heart of the community in Hoxton and Shoreditch, and it’s a joy to see these much-needed improvements take shape - from an amazing new play area to a place to sit and relax in Dorothy Thurtle Gardens, although even here we can see child friendly ‘play on the way’ designs inviting visitors further into the park.
Children have also brought their creativity to the design of the fence marking the boundary of the adventure playground, where visual artist Richard Wolfströme and local charity Ministry of Stories helped bring the imagination and power of their writing to life.
As you continue along the path, you arrive at the brightly coloured multi-use games area - or MUGA, which was co-designed with young people, with a new beach volleyball court on one side and the much loved adventure playground on the other.
Continue on and you come to an outdoor gym, ‘chatty’ seating area, and then to the exciting new play area. Seeing this open just as schools broke up for the holidays and children began to rush in is something I’ll never forget.
We’re now working to get all the parts of the park open as quickly as possible - but we do need to make sure that the grass and planting is properly established before we take down the last of the protective fencing. We know it’s been a long wait and thank everyone for their patience, and hope there’s something here for all to enjoy.
To find out more about the Shoreditch Park Improvement project, visit: hackney.gov.uk/shoreditch-park.