Burgess Park Regeneration Project

Burgess Park officially opened on 2 September 2012. At 51 hectares, it is the London Borough of Southwark’s largest park and borders the Aylesbury Estate; arguably the most ambitions regeneration projects underway in the Capital. It was identified early on that Burgess Park would be central to the success of the wider regeneration efforts and would have a significant and direct impact on the Aylesbury Estate masterplan. It was conceived in the Abercrombie Plan that Burgess Park should become a significant green space for south London. With the first phase complete, this vision is one step closer to being realised.

The first phase construction value was circa andpound8million and delivered the following:

• 2 major entrances
• Improved footpaths and perimeter access, giving the park a recognisable structure and making the park accessible for all
• doubling the size of the lake and creating dedicated, allaccessible fishing platforms
• a 3000m2 imaginative children’s play area
• Re-profiling the park to create legible wayfinding and clear circulation routes. This structuring of the park included shaping sculptural landforms by moving nearly 90,000m3 of soil (enough to fill the Turbine Hall of the Tate Modern in London). These six metre high mounds have been planted and seeded with a specialist
meadow design, developed in collaboration with James Hitchmough at the University of Sheffield and included nearly 90,000 plants throughout the park.
• a 3000m2 imaginative children’s play area;
• Habitat creation and biodiversity improvements,
including two feature rain gardens, lake and wetland planting, wet woodland and site wide biodiversity enhancements;
• An ambitious garden project at St. George’s Gardens, implemented with the support of volunteers and the Friends of Burgess Park, will create horticulture displays throughout the year and provide important biodiversity and nectar stores late into the year
• A 5km running route throughout the park, demarcated by re-using existing materials salvaged from the park revitalisation works.
• A National Standard BMX track, where Olympic
hopefuls train.