Release Date: 09/12/2011

Crane Park Christmas present for residents

Richmond Council has asked the Mayor of London to officially re-open Crane Park next year, after completing the vast majority of all the planned environmental improvements before Christmas, as promised last month.

Thanks to funding from the Mayor, the joint project between Richmond and Hounslow councils has improved the entrances to the park on both sides of the river, to make them more welcoming. New gates have been put in place, which are quieter for neighbours. The existing bridges over the Crane have been upgraded and painted, new bins and benches have been put in place and paths have been resurfaced. New wildflower meadows have introduced spectacular colour. The programme of works has been influenced by the views of local groups like the Friends of the River Crane Environment which has been helpful to the Council.

Cllr Virginia Morris, Richmond Council’s Strategic Cabinet Member for Environment and Planning, said: “We promised Richmond upon Thames’ people that Crane Park’s improvements would be finished by late December. To all intents and purposes, I’m very glad to say they are; this is a great Christmas present for everyone in the borough who loves the great outdoors.

“Our aim has always been to create one Crane Park for people to enjoy on both sides of the river. With the new features like the stag beetle loggeries and the outdoor classroom, I hope residents in Richmond and Hounslow will cross over the river and see what has been done throughout the entire park.

“We’ve listened to residents and working alongside the people is what helped us to win the biggest grant in London from the Mayor in the first place, so we can be sure local people will really enjoy the park in future. The project has benefited greatly from the help of local organisations like Force, whose members have given many useful suggestions, as well as other groups like the BCTV and the London Wildlife Trust.”

“The ideas we had from residents proved fruitful, and the funding from the Mayor has meant we’ve brought in many features we would not otherwise have been able to include. This has all come together to make it one of the most exciting of our open spaces for families to visit.”

Richmond and Hounslow Councils submitted a joint bid for funding for the improvement work to the Mayor’s Help a London Park fund and won £400,000 funding, after gaining more votes in a public ballot than any other borough.

A new outdoor classroom has been created for children to use during the week and which also doubles as a picnic area at weekends. New biodiversity features including loggeries, dead hedges and leaf litter sculptures have been created

Tree works have been carried out in partnership with the London Wildlife Trust on the banks of the Crane and on islands in the river to improve views from both sides, helping to meet the vision of creating one park on both sides of the river, which was the overarching aim of the project.

The last part of the project will see new signs and way markers installed. Once the park is officially re-launched, the Council will carry out ongoing tree planting and biodiversity improvements with support from the BCTV, as part of its continued maintenance of the park.

Following the opening, leaflets promoting the park’s new features will be produced and an outdoor education pack will be designed and made available for schools.


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