Children get digging to kick off latest park transformation

Children from the St Luke's Primary School in EC1 celebrated the start of work to transform Radnor Street Gardens at the end of January.

The park in EC1 will be improved with new landscaping, play equipment, sports facilities, cherry tree grove with seating and new trees and hedges. Children at St Luke's Primary School, which is next-door to the park, are particularly enthusiastic about the new play area and have designed special bird boxes that will be installed in the gardens.

The improvements are funded by EC1 New Deal for Communities (£300,000), Islington Council (£80,000) and the Marathon Trust (£80,000).

Breeze architects designed the new park following extensive consultation, including workshops with residents in the surrounding Redbrick, Pleydell and Gambier estates.

Councillor Ruth Polling, who joined the children on site today, said:

“The investment in Radnor Street Gardens will leave a real lasting benefit for the local community. When finished in time for the summer, the park will look more attractive, feel safer and have better facilities for all residents.”

Rebecca Cresswell, local resident and EC1 NDC board member, said:

“Radnor Street Gardens is surrounded by flats where residents don’t have their own gardens. The new park will be a fantastic facility, offering a communal garden to be enjoyed by all.”

This is the latest in the series of improvement work to green spaces in EC1 including Spa Fields, which was highly commended in the London Planning Awards, Fortune Street Park and St Luke's Gardens.

The new improved Radnor Street Gardens will be completed and open to the public in early May 2008.