Aske Gardens in Shoreditch has recently undergone a mini facelift, which Hackney Council hopes will lead to more people discovering and enjoying these delightful gardens.  

The gardens are covered by large trees, and boast an already popular tennis court and multi-use games area. Now, after many years, the gates at the Pitfield Street, N1 entrance have been reopened making the gardens much more accessible.

The multi-use games area has been resurfaced; the tennis courts fences have been repainted and repaired; there are new double sided benches, great for watching sports; bird boxes; bike stands; signage and recycling bins. And, in the autumn the grass will be reseeded; a number of new plants, flowers and shrubs that support biodiversity will also be planted turning the area in a haven for urban wildlife.

Cllr Jonathan McShane, Hackney Council’s Cabinet Member for Health, Social Care and Culture said: “Aske Gardens has been given a new lease of life through simple things like reopening the gates and putting in new benches, and now we hope more people will visit and enjoy this urban oasis. Hackney has more green space than any other inner London borough and the Council is committed maintaining and improving it. “

 Hackney Council is committed to improving its parks and green spaces and as a result Hackney now has fifteen award winning Green Flag parks. Through the Aske Gardens project the Council wanted to encourage more children and young people to use the area by ensuring a local green space that was vibrant, welcoming and with open-access to sports and other activities throughout the year.

The improvements were agreed after local residents and stakeholders were given an opportunity to have their say on proposals at a ‘Vox Pops Park’ survey event on 30 June 2012. As well as this a series of four week-long creative workshops were held throughout June and July giving people further opportunity to get involved and find out more. Workshops included illustration, film-making, fashion, photography, exploring the urban realm and other activities The results of these workshops were displayed in the park during two weeks of events in August.

Daniel Elsa, who lives nearby in Hoffman Square said: “I love the park and I hope the plans do make it a bit more dynamic and friendly.”

The improvements are being funded by Nike through its ‘FlyKnit Collective’, and the Council has worked with Hackney based architecture practice, We Made That on the plans for the gardens.

To find out more about Aske Gardens visit www.hackney.gov.uk/aske-gardens  

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Notes to editors

Photographs are from events held in Aske Gardens during August. Please credit Nike. 

Hackney has the largest expanse of green spaces in inner London. It has a total of 62 parks, gardens and open spaces totalling about 330 hectares, ranging from the largest concentration of football pitches in Europe at Hackney Marshes to the beautiful and historic settings of Springfield and Clissold parks.