A new park with wild swimming ponds could soon open in east London

"To ensure that designs would be as inclusive as possible, ELWP carried out a 'Listening Project' in which it spoke to locals from historically underrepresented backgrounds, including young offenders, homeless people and women and girls from the orthodox Jewish community. From that research, the charity identified three main priorities for the park: feeling safe, wellbeing and belonging. Those priorities informed suggested design features like sensitive lighting, infrastructure to promote exercise, park wardens."

"Have you seen the campaign to turn an abandoned plot of land in Hackney into a brand new park? Right now the 14-acre site is pretty much just one big slab of concrete. ELWP's vision is for it to become a thriving community-owned biodiverse park complete with wild swimming ponds. And after four years of back and forth with the local community, the charity has revealed its latest 'inclusive design proposal'."

"'We believe the insights contained within this proposal hold resonance beyond our specific project, offering valuable takeaways for developers, politicians and policymakers at all levels of government. 'We extend our sincere thanks to all the volunteers, community groups and, most importantly, the participants whose voices are captured in the Listening Project report and challenged us to act.'"

East London Waterworks Park (ELWP) aims to transform a 14-acre former Thames Water depot on Lea Bridge Road into a community-owned biodiverse park with wild swimming ponds. The site currently consists mainly of a concrete slab between Hackney Marshes and Walthamstow Marshes. Since 2019 ELWP has campaigned to buy the land and carried out a Listening Project engaging historically underrepresented groups including young offenders, people experiencing homelessness, and women and girls from the orthodox Jewish community. The Listening Project identified three priorities: feeling safe, wellbeing and belonging. Proposed design features include sensitive lighting, exercise infrastructure, park wardens, activities to connect people with nature, and wildlife-friendly planting. ELWP crowdfunded £500,000 in 2023 but ownership remains unsecured.

Read at Time Out London