A section of a stunning new public park in Nine Elms is now open for locals and visitors to enjoy.
Designed by award-winning landscape designers Gillespies, Nine Elms Park, which will eventually cover 2.5 acres when it’s completed, joins Battersea Park to Vauxhall Cross via the American Embassy and provides visitors with a tranquil and lush winding linear park to enjoy all year round.
The park has been designed to support biodiversity, handle future climate challenges and provide an ecological sanctuary in the heart of the Capital.
What part has opened?
The easterly section of the park around Thames City, London’s newest neighbourhood near Vauxhall is the first part of the park to open to the public.
What facilities will the park have?
Once it’s completed, the carefully landscaped park will provide a car-free green ‘corridor’, making it easier for locals and visitors to commute, exercise or just relax in the fresh air. There will be multiple access points into the park via pedestrian walkways and cycle paths. And there’s plenty for all ages to enjoy including a nature-inspired children’s park, an interactive trail and lots of seating for quiet contemplation.
How about the flora and fauna?
As the area of Nine Elms was inspired by the nine elm trees that lined a nearby nineteenth century avenue, it’s only right that the park is full of hundreds of mature trees of various sizes that have been specifically chosen for their rich colours, and the area’s environmental conditions.
Underneath the tree canopy the designers have chosen a diverse mix of shrub and herbaceous plans which will ensure greenery all year round. While at the centre of the park will be the so-called Great Lawn, a sculpted amphitheatre, which will host pop up events. There will be a series of water features too, as well as bird, bat and insect boxes.
Importantly, the local authority, developers and landowners have worked together to ensure there’s a consistent look across the park, irrespective of the different owners, architects and different delivery phases. This has been achieved through the choice of materials, planting and colour palette to give the park a seamless and coherent appearance.
“The opening of the park within Thames City marks an important milestone for the Nine Elms masterplan, linking the Nine Elms Linear Park to Vauxhall. For the first time, local residents, workers and visitors to the area will be able to enter large swathes of green open space directly from the east to enjoy the open lawn, sweeping garden terraces, relaxing walks and playspaces. At the same time, the park offers a rich tapestry of plant communities and habitats for wildlife that, in time, will stretch from Vauxhall bridge to Battersea Power Station.” Armel Mourgue, Partner at Gillespies.
