Photos from the opening of Old Paradise Gardens

 

The fountains are turned on!

 

The new gates are opened! They includes inscriptions from gravestones in the park, and details of plants found in the Gardens.

A walnut tree is planted.

Grand opening of Old Paradise Gardens this Thursday!

GRAND OPENING!
OLD PARADISE
GARDENS

Formerly known as Lambeth High Street Recreation Ground

Lambeth High Street, London SE11

Thursday 24 October 2013 - 4pm – 5pm

Come join The Friends of Old Paradise Gardens as we celebrate the completed renovations of the park
Kate Hoey MP will turn on the new fountain

Adam Thomas Landscape Architect will open the new entrance gate

Randall Contracting will plant a Walnut Tree

Refreshments

Fabulous Raffle Prizes to be won donated by local businesses
(Tickets can be obtained at £1 from 3.30pm till 4.45pm on the day)
• EDF London Eye: Two Adult & Two Children’s Tickets
• Novotel Hotel: Weekend Stay including Breakfast
• Knights of Mayfair: Smoked Salmon Gift Box
• Finecrown Patisserie: Gift Box
• Zeitgeist Pub: £30 Meal/Drinks Voucher
• Embankment Grocery: £25 Voucher
• The Windmill Pub: £20 Voucher and others !

The Friends Group protects, enhances and promotes the park with the help of the local community. New members are always welcome. From £3 yearly membership. More information on how you can help:
Email: secretary@oldparadisegardens.org

Work starting next month at Old Paradise Gardens (the Rec)

 Lambeth High Street Recreation Ground will have £150,000 of landscape improvements completed by the end of summer 2013. Landscape contractors, Randall Contracting, were awarded the job in April 2013 and
are due to start works in May 2013. The funding has come from a section 106 agreement with a local developer. The improvement works were  prioritised in line with the refurbishment plan (shown in figure 1 below) which was developed alongside the Friends of Lambeth High Street Recreation Ground and from local consultation results. The works will include refurbishment of pathways, the central water feature, entrances, play area, park furniture and plantings.

Adam Thomas of Amazea Ltd is the landscape architect who designed the improvements and will contract
administer the physical works. The commencement of works has taken longer than anticipated due to the
discharging of planning requirements, as the site has listed features and is an ex-burial ground.

An opening event will be held in autumn 2013 to celebrate the improvement works and the renaming of the
park to Old Paradise Gardens.

The improvements that are included in the £150,000 contract are:

• Refurbishment of the path network (excluding the watchtower area).
• Refurbishment of the central water feature. This includes a water play pump, plantings and seating.
• A new entrance at the corner of Lambeth High Street (the north-east corner entrance to the park).
• Refurbishment of the existing play area and inclusion of a new natural play feature.

Improvement Items that maybe added to the contract depending on the remaining contingency budget include:

• Refurbishment of the Whitgift Street entrance.
• A new perimeter path on the eastern side of the park to connect to the existing perimeter path of the western side.
• Lowering of the eastern wall in the walled watchtower area to create safe sightlines.
• Additional planting works.

The work is due for completion in August.

Friends of Lambeth High Street Recreation Ground AGM - 19 September

The next Friends of Lambeth High Street Recreation Ground Annual General Meeting will be held on Wednesday 19 September at 7pm in 125 Lambeth Walk.

This will be an important opportunity to catch up on the plans to refurbish the park and question officers on the continuing delays to the work.

The Fire Station redevelopment appeal will also be an issue for discussion - as the proposed building will severely overshadow the park, especially in the winter.

Please come along and support one of our loveliest little parks!

Improvements to our local smaller parks

Pedlars' Acre
(between Opal Street and Cottington Street)

The older children’s playground at Pedlars' Acre has been refurbished and there is some funding available to replace some of the play equipment in the younger children’s play area. A consultation document has been put on the fencing to Pedlars' Acre and in the reception area of the housing office at 91 Kennington Lane. If you have any questions about the proposed works please contact Caroline Fraser Landscape Architect Programme Manager on 020 7926 4266.

Lambeth Walk Doorstep Green

Final consultation is going on about installing children's play equipment at Lambeth Walk Doorstep Green. The plans are for three play areas - one in the corner adjacent to the Adventure Playground building, one adjacent to Fitzalan Street opposite the stables, and one adjacent to Lollard Street and the Ethelred Youth Club building, opposite the steps to the nursery. We can email you the plans, or for more information contact Callum Brown.

Lambeth High Street Recreation Ground (Old Paradise Gardens)

We're disappointed that the plans for the refurbishment of the park which were agreed more than a year ago have been delayed yet again. We've made it clear to officers that these continuing delays are unacceptable. The plans include a brand new water feature, improved entrances and sight lines. A meeting of the Friends of the park had been scheduled for the Wednesday 19 September.

Tyers Street Linear Park

Secretary of the Vauxhall Gardens Estate Residents & Tenants Association Chrys has been working hard on early plans for a linear park along Tyers Street. The steering group has started consultation, set up a website, commissioned early ideas, and created a video. We're now working to incorporate the plans into the overall masterplan for Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens.

Cotton Gardens 


The current ball game area, flanked by the Cotton Gardens Estate is to get a major facelift to transform it from a run down ball area, into a new safe and modern multi-sports space. It will benefit from new surfacing and multi purpose football and basketball goals and new fencing.


Additional adjacent space has also been earmarked for development into an environmentally friendly, green and sustainable playground haven for younger children. Newly installed play equipment and play features will be built using natural products. This was approved at the Planning Committee on 31 January.


Ballcourt next to Ward Point, Ethelred Estate

At the same time, work will also take place to raise the height of the fencing around the ball court next to Ward Point - an issue councillors have been raising since the ballcourt was installed a couple of years' ago.

Planning Committee see Whitgift Estate's concerns for themselves

On Saturday morning members of Lambeth's Planning Committee made a site visit to the Fire Brigade HQ and associated buildings which are the subject of a major planning application. Dozens of concerned local residents joined the visit to make their objections to the scheme known.

Residents of Whitgift House showed how the proposed new residential slab blocks would overshadow their building, depriving it of almost all daylight during the winter months. The Friends of Lambeth High Street Recreation Ground explained how shadowing from the new buildings would affect plant and tree growth, and make the new play fountain prone to moss growth. And local councillors Steve Morgan and Mark Harrison explained how putting all the social housing for the scheme into a building on the other side of the railway tracks would contribute to social segregation in the area, and not create a mixed and balanced community.


The application is due to go to the Planning Committee tomorrow evening.


Pictured: participants in the site visit look across to the Whitgift Street site from the back of the Fire Brigade HQ.

See the plans for Lambeth High Street Recreation Ground

On Wednesday the plans for Lambeth High Street Recreation Ground were exhibited.

Visit the Friends' website to see them.

Plans for Lambeth Rec exhibited next week

The newly-formed Friends of Lambeth High Street Recreation Ground have been working hard during the year consulting park users and working with the Council's architect on the plans for a major refurbishment of the park.

The architect's proposals are now ready to be exhibited next Wednesday, 20 October 2010 at 125 Lambeth Walk from 8am until 8pm. 125 Lambeth Walk is the headquarters of the Whitgift Estate Residents' Association, next door to the SureStart office, facing onto the 'market square' off Lambeth Walk.

All are welcome to come and look at the plans and put forward their views.

The Friends would be keen to encourage people with an interest in the group to join as members (it's currently free!) and will be consulting residents on their plans to change the name of the park to 'Old Paradise Gardens'.

You can find out more about the Friends and their activities on their website.

Friends of Lambeth Rec on tour!

This afternoon a group of the Friends of Lambeth High Street Recreation Ground went on a bus tour of various parks around London, to get ideas for the renovation of the park.

The Friends visited Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park (Imperial War Museum), Myatts Fields (Camberwell/ Brixton), Potters Fields (London Bridge), Butterfield Green (Stoke Newington) and Paradise Park (Islington).

The photos and comments from the Friends will be on their website shortly.

Pictured: the Friends enjoy the water feature in Butterfield Green, one of the highlights of the tour.

Picnic in Paradise!

The Friends of Lambeth High Street Recreation Ground are hosting a:

Picnic in Paradise

Saturday 26 June
2pm - 4pm

Free, drop-in children's activities, bring your own picnic

You can tell us and the park's designer your wishes for the park and vote on whether to change the name to 'Old Paradise Gardens'

If you can't join us, you can still have your say - email friends.lambethrec@googlemail.com or comment here

Friends of Lambeth High Street Rec' launch their website

The newly-formed Friends of Lambeth High Street Recreation Ground have launched their website. You can find it at: www.friendslambethrec.blogspot.com

You can find details about the park, how to join the Friends, and the results of the recent walkabout identifying issues that need addressing.

The Friends will shortly be launching an exciting consultation about changing the name of the park - keep an eye out for more news later this summer!

Pictured: Labour councillors Mark Harrison, Lorna Campbell and Steve Morgan at the park

Friends walkabout in Lambeth High Street Recreation Ground

Members of the newly-formed Friends of Lambeth High Street Recreation Ground held a walkabout in the park yesterday.

The aim was to identify problems, create a wishlist of improvements, and see how the Council's improvement plans might work in practice.

Particular issues identified included the state of perimeter walls and fences, several dark and underused corners, the unattractive workshop area next to the viaduct, and the poor state of the water feature and playground.

The next meeting of the Friends Group will be at 7pm on Thursday 18 February, at the Garden Museum.

Inaugural meeting of the Friends of Lambeth High Street Recreation Ground

Lambeth High Street Recreation Ground is a small park which was once the burial ground for nearby St Mary's Church, Lambeth Palace.

Local residents have decided to set up a 'Friends Group' for the park, so they can input into the park's development and defend the park and its users' interests.

Lambeth Council will be investing heavily into the park over the coming year, and more money from new developments in the area can be expected in the future.

The first meeting of the Friends takes place this Thursday, 14 January, at 7pm, at the Garden Museum, St Mary's Church, Lambeth Road. Anyone with an interest in the park is welcome!

Strawberry planting

Children, parents, and grandparents are invited to a special strawberry planting session, taking place in the Lambeth High Street park.

The session is organised by the Garden Museum and the Whitgift residents association.

It will take on 30 March, from 2pm to 4pm.