Designs for London’s newest 6 acre public park include event lawns, play spaces and river garden terraces
Battersea Power Station Development Company has unveiled the latest images showing the redevelopment’s new public park, designed by LDA Design.
The new public park, which secured detailed planning consent earlier this year, is due to open in phases from 2017. This new green space the size of nearly three and a half full sized football pitches will play a key role in the over-arching place-making strategy and will connect the Power Station, Circus West and Phase 6 to the River Thames, with a riverside promenade. The park will feature large event lawns, terraced river gardens and form a highly flexible, multi-programmable space for use throughout the year.
Rob Tincknell, CEO of BPSDC, said: “We are excited to see the plans for this fantastic riverside park progress. We have always worked hard with our development team to ensure that this river front, with the backdrop of the impressive Power Station was created as a public space for people to enjoy. The new designs offer space for wide ranging activities throughout the year alongside London’s prize asset, the River Thames.”
The park, designed by LDA Design combines industrial references, traditional park features and London street aesthetics. Two large lawns flank a north-south oriented central axis and a series of garden terraces run broadly to the river, forming the northern edge to the lawns. A riverfront promenade is located at the foot of the garden terraces and there are two lawn-level ‘belvedere’ spaces at each end of the park, plus gardens to both the west and east.
A site-wide furniture palette has been developed for the project. Large scale pieces of timber and corten steel reflect both the scale and materiality of the Grade II* listed building. This is supplemented by bleacher seats and steps cast in a coloured black concrete as an oblique reference to the coal which provided the fuel for the generation of power. Large pieces of timber will also be used in the deck areas for the riverfront promenade and reclaimed heritage items from the Power Station are being incorporated creating a unique setting by the river.
In contrast, softer materials more akin to a traditional park and strong drifts of herbaceous plants and grasses in the garden areas with specimen trees providing structure and texture. Movable chairs will be located throughout to allow the public to make the garden spaces their own.
The park will accommodate day-to-day recreation, informal play space, quiet places to sit within garden settings, riverfront promenading, large festival style events, theatre style events, smaller events, pedestrian and cycle movements along the river to the Power Station and facilitate future access to the Power Station Jetty. The space has already been the platform for a range of successful events including an outdoor cinema and street food event, and the Totally Thames festival where the façade of the Power Station was transformed with a spectacular “Fire Garden” in 2014 by internationally renowned French artists, Carabosse. All these events inspired the ideas for the park and will ensure it continues to be at the forefront of the community and a place to come and experience.
Robert Aspland, Board Director at LDA Design, which is involved in the first three phases of the development, said: “The park will play a critical part in place-making, bringing the site to life, serving as a key backdrop for the iconic Power Station, and hosting everything from weekly markets that are known round the world and outdoor cinema screenings, to more informal picnics and lazy Sunday afternoons.”
The 42 acre site is divided into seven main development phases, which will deliver nearly 4000 new homes as well as offices, shops, restaurants, bars, cafes, hotels, community and leisure facilities and over 18 acres of open space. The starting prices for homes still available are from £1.439m. Prospective buyers can register interest by telephone: +44 (0)20 7501 0678 or email sales@bpsdc.co.uk.
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