Parks and green spaces in Elephant and Castle and Walworth are set to receive a makeover after a splash of new funding was approved by Southwark Council.
A cash injection of £939,113 was approved by councillors at a planning committee meeting on May 25, to create a “network of high quality parks and open spaces”.
The first of six projects given approval was for a newly-landscaped children’s play and sports area for the Peabody Square estate in Blackfriars Road. Some £147,652 has been committed out of funding from the Blackfriars Circus development.
The committee’s councillors also approved funding for the Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park. A dilapidated former park keeper’s building at the St George’s Road entrance will be “brought back” into use and staffed become a staffed information point for visitors.
Victory Community Park, near the Bricklayers Arms, will be made bigger by joining up land between Rodney Place and Elba Place, and will see a “significant upgrade” in its sports and play area equipment.
The tenants and residents’ association in Lancaster Street and the Bankside Open Spaces Trust will receive £120,000 to spend on their chosen environmental projects.
Nursery Row Park near East Street has been allocated £47,754 for landscaping and playground improvements, to contribute to a £800,000 project. Council officers have agreed to work and consult with Friends of Nursery Row Park.
Elsewhere, works are currently ongoing for the pavement water fountains at the newly-opened Elephant Leisure Centre.