New park opening creates a splash at Elephant and Castle

21 July 2017

Families were invited down to a free fun day to celebrate the official opening of the refurbished St Mary’s Churchyard Park at Elephant and Castle on Friday 21 July.

The Deputy Mayor of Southwark, Cllr Jamille Mohammed, attended the event to officially switch on the new fountains and welcome families into the refurbished park, which is right next door to the council’s brand new Castle Leisure Centre and new Southwark Playhouse Theatre.

More than £1m has been spent giving the park a complete makeover, fully funded by the council and its regeneration partnership with Lendlease.

Cllr Mark Williams, cabinet member for regeneration and new homes, said: “As well as delivering much needed new homes, including genuinely affordable homes, we are also improving local parks and open spaces for residents to enjoy.

“The health and well being benefits of having top quality public spaces like this are well documented. The new landscaping will encourage wildlife, and there is also lots of space for children to play and for people to relax.”

Improvements began in 2015 with a new children’s playground that includes a zip wire and trampoline, climbing frame and dedicated under 5s play area.

The latest round of works, which completed in the spring, introduced a new pond, paved plaza and new seating. New trees and plants have also been added, plus two new water features – and central fountain for the pond and an array of interactive water jets on the plaza for children to play in.

The pond has been fringed with wildlife planting and will make use of recycled rain water, captured onsite.

Page last updated: 26 July 2017

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