£2m Shoreditch Park revamp to be put to community

Shoreditch Park. Pic: Kunyu Wang

Plans to for a £2million overhaul of Shoreditch Park are to be put to residents in Hoxton and Shoreditch, though some residents have raised questions as to whether community suggestions will be acted upon.

A series of public events, workshops, information stalls and drop-in sessions will be held across Hoxton and Shoreditch during this month which will give people a chance to voice what they value in the park and help to design a ‘people-oriented’ park.

However, a Twitter group called Shoreditch ParkUsers has suggested the council is bad at listening.

In a tweet referring to an earlier development plan in the area, they said: “Decision had been taken and any comment from the community was seen as a threat rather than an opportunity to make the plan better.”

As one of Hackney’s largest and well-used parks, Shoreditch Park has a good reputation with its large open space, informal sports areas and playground popular among local residents. 

Feryal Clark, deputy mayor of Hackney and cabinet member for health and social care, said: “Shoreditch Park is one of our 27 green flag parks and is somewhere for people to relax in this busy, urban part of the borough.”

Local residents specifically highlighted their need for facilities such as coffee shops and public toilets, which have been planned as part of the new Britannia Leisure Centre development.

Munira Fazli, 27, a local resident, said: “I think the council should invest more and we need to change the overall style of the park.

“We expect the council could build this area into a more family-friendly environment. And it would be lovely if they develop an open gym for people, like other places we see in Hackney Marshes, because some people can’t afford to go to gyms.”

A public event will also take place in Shoreditch Park between 12-4pm on Saturday October 26 where people can come along and share what they would like to see improved. 

The council will work with appointed landscape architects afterwards to discuss the feasibility and design a detailed master plan.

This improvement work is expected to kick off in autumn 2020.

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