Park’s £8m facelift

Tuesday, 26 June 2012

PREPARATIONS are under way for the unveiling of an £8million park transformation that has taken 14 months to complete.

The 51-acre Burgess Park, which borders Walworth, Camberwell and Peckham, officially reopens on July 21.

Features include an over-fives playground and 5km route around the park for walkers and joggers.

It will also be the first park in Southwark to have a designated barbecue area, close to the lake.

The lake has been redesigned and expanded, and now has two 30ft high water fountains and a 90m wooden bridge designed to connect people living in the Albany Road area to other parts of the park.

It will also be home to hundreds of fish, as well as two new wetland habitats used by waterfowl, bats, swifts and house martins.

Fishing day permits will be available, as well as membership to an angling club.

Seven table tennis tables have been installed in Chumleigh Gardens in the heart of the park, which also features oriental, African, Caribbean and Mediterranean plants.

The council recently spent more than £1.2million on the Chumleigh Gardens open space, play area and cafe.

Some trees were controversially chopped down during the park redesign, but more than 300 new ones have been planted.

Planning permission has also been granted for an 400m international- standard BMX track, which is due for completion next year.

Councillor Barrie Hargrove, Southwark’s cabinet member for the environment, said: “We’re tremendously excited about Burgess Park opening.”

He said the redesign would improve connections between the communities living on different edges of the park.

Money came from a £2million City Hall grant, £4million partnership funding from the council and Aylesbury New Deal for Communities, and another £2million from the council’s own budget.

All content © of South London Press unless stated otherwise.

Be the first to comment using the form below.