A new green lung in the heart of EC1

A refurbished park has opened in EC1, giving a green boost to the Finsbury area. 

Radnor Street Gardens boasts a new ball court, play area, lawn, seating and table tennis table.

The attraction was officially opened this week after five months of work costing more than half-a-million pounds, paid for by Islington Council, EC1 New Deal for Communities and other organisations.

The local community helped re-design the gardens - down to choosing plants, furniture and play equipment.

Cllr Ruth Polling, Islington Council’s Executive Member for Leisure, said: “This is a densely-populated part of London where few residents have private gardens so green spaces like this are incredibly important.

“It is fantastic that the local community got involved with the project and the redesign of the gardens - so it’s something that they will use in the future.

“This is just one of many projects the council is investing in to improve Islington's parks and really make Islington a greener place to live."

Local resident and EC1 New Deal for Communities board member Rebecca Cresswell said:

“The opening of the new Radnor Street Gardens was fantastic and the park was full of people of all ages enjoying what it has to offer.

“The successful transformation was all down to team work – with the architects, the contractors, the funders, local organisations and residents all playing an important part.”

£300,000 of funding has come from EC1 New Deal for Communities; £80,000 from the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund; £55,000 from Section 106 money; and £84,000 from the London Marathon Trust for the ball court.