New Urban Park Unveiled in Acton
Bollo Bridge Park is in Acton Gardens and close to Berrymede school
Pupils from Berrymede celebrate Bollo Brook Park opening
A new, hi tech, urban park has been officially opened in what used to be the South Acton estate, to the delight of youngsters from a local primary school.
Acton Gardens is the 52-acre, £800 million redevelopment of Ealing's biggest council estate and promises to deliver 3,463 new mixed-tenure homes - 50% ''affordable housing'' and more social rent homes than previously existed.
Bollo Brook Park, in Acton Gardens, is a half hectare, urban facility with a multi-use games area (MUGA),children’s play area (including an interactive games arch that is the first of its kind in London), exercise equipment with a dedicated ‘senior fitness’ unit, an astro-turfed activity area and a footpath circuit for walking and jogging with timber distance markers.
There's also a new performance area with terrace providing seating around a small ‘stage’ area and a large paved seating area which acts as a meeting space for parents and pupils of Berrymede Infant School and Junior School.
The new Park was designed after consultation with local residents, and Berrymede School and Bollo Brook Youth Centre have been involved throughout the project. The motif cast into the concrete of the performance area stage was designed by pupils from Berrymede Infant School, and a new mural to be installed later has been designed by Berrymede Junior School pupils and members of Bollo Brook Youth Centre.
Daniel King, Managing Director, Partnerships West London and Thames Valley, Countryside, said: “The value of parks and green spaces has always been recognised at Acton Gardens and is evident throughout its design. We’re proud to have opened Bollo Brook Park, the second public park that has been delivered so far at Acton Gardens. We’re committed to building fantastic places to live, and so our focus isn’t just on the homes that we create, it is also on the parks, streets and other amenities that make places people love. Designed with the input of residents and situated in the heart of Acton Gardens, we expect the park will swiftly become a firm favourite of the local community.”
The park is between Berrymede Junior School and the community facilities of Acton Gardens (Phase 6.2), which include a nursery and doctors’ surgery, and is part of nearly 5 hectares of open spaces being created at Acton Gardens, with nearly 2 hectares dedicated to play.
Darren Parker, Director of Project Management and Development at L&Q, commented: “The importance of open spaces to people’s health and wellbeing has never been more evident. Bollo Brook Park is another great addition to Acton Gardens. Designed in partnership with the local community, this inclusive park will provide something for residents of all ages to use and enjoy for years to come.”
Julian Bell, Leader of Ealing Council said: “I’m delighted to have been able to work alongside L&Q and Countryside to officially re-open Bollo Brook Park. It is another important step in the ongoing development of Acton Gardens. The park now boasts much-improved facilities to help local people stay fit and active and enjoy green spaces on their doorstep. I am sure that these new facilities will prove very popular when current COVID-19 restrictions are lifted and sport and fitness activities can be resumed.
“When completed, the new Acton Gardens estate will host almost 1,300 socially rented homes, all of which will be well within the means of local people on low incomes. This ambitious development is part of our commitment to providing 2,500 genuinely affordable homes around the borough for local people, making us London’s most ambitious homebuilding council.”
Bollo Brook Park has been funded through Section 106 contributions from Acton Gardens (which has also contributed to future maintenance of the park), with project management by Ealing Council’s Leisure and Parks Service and construction by Ground Control Ltd.
Annemarie Flanagan
November 29th 2020