Mountsfield Park goes edible in major makeover
Mountsfield Park in Catford is the latest park in Lewisham to be awarded funding from the Mayor of London’s ‘Pocket Parks’ initiative and will shortly undergo a major programme to transform the upper area of the park.
Lewisham Council, working alongside the Friends of Mountsfield Park, has been awarded £35,000 from the Greater London Assembly to help create a new community garden on the site of the former bowls green.
The community garden will include the creation of a number of distinct individual gardens, raised beds made with new oak railway sleepers where people and groups can plant, tend and harvest their own produce, fruit tree cordons with edible hedgerows and potentially an outside kitchen with large seating area - which will be used as an outdoor classroom or performance space.
The 13.4 hectare park, which was first opened in 1905, is also set to benefit from £450,000 funding from the Rushey Green Renewal Fund and will provide a new café with indoor seating, an outdoor gym, new fitness equipment, an improved children’s play area and better landscaping. The Council has also earmarked £35,000 of this funding to match fund the ‘Pockets Park’ funding for the community garden.
Council officers are currently working with landscape architects from Building Design Partnership (BDP) to draw up designs for the upper park and it is hoped works to the community garden will start in the New Year with works to the wider project beginning later in 2014.
Cabinet Member for Customer Services, Councillor Susan Wise, said: “Mountsfield Park is one of Lewisham’s flagship parks and attracts nearly half a million visitors every year. We are delighted to be a recipient of ‘Pocket Park’ funding which will help us create a much-wanted community garden."
