Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park playground

We are redeveloping and redesigning Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park (GMH) playground and would like to hear your ideas to help shape a new design for the space.

We have funding to invest in new playground equipment and landscape improvements. This will transform the playground into an exciting space for local children, young people and families.

The project will create:

• a welcoming, adventurous, safe and accessible playground, focusing on ages 8 to 15
• a better looking design to encourage more visitors
• new equipment to support a wider range of play and recreational activities for young people
• inclusive play for older children and a meeting place for teenagers
• a quality playground that meets the needs of local families
• more connectivity between the Imperial War Museum and the park
• less opportunity for crime and anti-social behaviour

Find more information about Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park. 

People involved

We have identified a wide range of stakeholders (people and organisations) who we need to engage with throughout the life of the project. This includes but is not limited to:

• local residents
• St Georges Ward councillors
• Friends of Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park
• Southwark Young Advisors
• Southwark Sustainable Growth team
• Metropolitan Police, Safer Neighbourhoods team
• Notre Dame Girls' School

Consultation

Consultation is now underway. Email leisureprojects@southwark.gov.uk to join our mailing list and get project updates. 

The first stage of the project to let people know what it’s about and to hear ideas from young people. It’s been important to involve children and teenagers aged 8 to 15.

By running local workshops, we’ve been able to speak directly with young people and get them more involved in a way that really matters. This approach will carry on as the project moves forward.

Workshop with Notre Dame Girls' School 25 March 2025

We organized a workshop with a class of 24 students who currently use the park's sports facilities. They gave feedback on the current space and worked with architects to decide on the features they wanted to see.

The workshop covered:

• what's missing from the local playground
• how safe young people feel in the park
• what other recreational spaces the students enjoy using
• what play equipment they would like to see in the playground

Of the students who took part: 

• 15 were aged 13 to 14 and 9 were aged 11 to 12
• 35% also visit other parks like Burgess Park, Leyton Square and Southwark Park
• 41% said GMH was currently a ‘boring’ playground
• 24% said that they feel unsafe, and that discourages them from using other local spaces

Facilities and play equipment 

A zip wire, trampoline, swings, tube slide and a teenage activity space were popular suggestions for the new playground. This feedback will be taken forward by the design team in developing the design proposals.

Tables and seating

The addition of tables and seating was popular with respondents and the design will take account of this. Natural looking tables and seating constructed from sustainable materials will also be explored.

Nature

A significant number of students were in favour of increasing planted areas in the playground.

Next steps

Further consultations will take place throughout the project, including: 

• design workshops
• community meetings
• online surveys
• postal questionnaires

Once we have worked with the community to develop a preferred design, it will be published on this page and on boards around the site.

We expect construction to begin in winter 2025.