London Development Agency (London): Ladywell Fields Re-Open After £2 million Makeover

Lewisham's Ladywell Fields officially re-open this weekend, following a £2 million makeover funded by the London Development Agency (LDA).

The makeover means the park now has a cleaner, healthier river, with new backwaters, wetlands, boardwalks and viewing platforms, steps and gently sloping banks. Other improvements include water pumps, a new play area, an orchard, new footpaths, cycle paths and lighting, new tennis courts and petanque pitches, as well as meadow areas with wildflowers, new riverside planting and an adventure playground.

The LDA's investment is part of 'London's Great Outdoors', the Mayor of London's overall vision for transforming the capital's public spaces. The programme, which will see the regeneration of over 50 public spaces across the city in advance of the 2012 Games, is an integral part of the Mayor's aspiration to improve quality of life for Londoners.

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: 

"Brighter, cleaner and greener parks are essential to the quality of life in London. The rejuvenation of Ladywell Fields means the area is now an oasis of calm for people to socialise and relax in.

"My Great Outdoors programme is transforming parks, streetscapes and squares right across the city, helping to regenerate tired and neglected spaces as we look forward to welcoming the world in 2012."

Lewisham Council has spent 18 months completing the park's transformation. Councillor Susan Wise, Lewisham's Cabinet Member for Customer Services said:

"Ladywell Fields has been totally transformed. It's now a wonderful place where people can go to walk, study nature, get fit or just relax. I'm tremendously proud of the tremendous work that's been done there and I'd encourage everyone to make the most of what's now on offer."

Design for London director Mark Brearley said:

"Well designed public spaces can define an entire area. The changes made to Ladywell Fields have opened up the river and created a fantastic park. Through their thoughtful design, the new paths, signs and innovations like viewing platforms and lighting will all enable and encourage more people to use and enjoy their great outdoors."

The LDA's £2 million investment in Ladywell Fields and Waterlink Way is as part of its support for the Thames Gateway Parklands Programme. Waterlink Way is a strategic riverside walking and cycling route that creates a 12 km link from the Thames Waterfront to outer London along the Rivers Pool and Ravensbourne and Deptford creek.

Notes to editors

1. Mayoress of Lewisham, Kris Hibbert,will be opening Ladywell Fields at a special event from 12.00noon-3.00pm on Saturday 28 May 2011. 
2. See Lewisham's website for more detailshttp://www.lewisham.gov.uk/LeisureAndCulture/ParksAndRecreation/Improving/LadywellFields/
3. The Thames Gateway Parklands Programme is a wider scheme across east and south-east London, backed by £10 million that the London Development Agency secured from the Department for Communities and Local Government's Parklands Fund.http://www.lda.gov.uk/projects/thames-gateway-parklands/index.aspx 
4. London's Great Outdoors - A Manifesto for Public Space' is supported by two practical guides, 'Better Streets' and 'Better Green and Water Spaces'. Together they set out the Mayor of London's vision for improving public spaces in London. This will ensure that our streets, squares, parks and green and water spaces are fit for a great world city, are enjoyed by everyone who visits them and most importantly, help improve the quality of life in the capital. 
5. The scheme will see more than £220 million invested in more than 50 public realm improvement projects, funding for which comes from Transport for London, the London Development Agency and London's boroughs as well as other sources. The measures include redesigned streets, which can be shared by both the pedestrians and vehicles, reclaimed derelict green spaces and underused waterways.

Contacts

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