The playground at Frank Banfield Park
An educational garden for young people is one of the ideas residents hope can be built in a Hammersmith park after Hammersmith & Fulham Council secured more than £400,000 for improvements.
H&F Council’s Cabinet agreed last week to spend £412,000 of money secured from developers to re-vamp Frank Banfield Park, off Fulham Palace Road.
“We are excited to work alongside residents to make sure these funds are used to make improvements to Frank Banfield Park that will be popular with those who use it,” said Cllr Wesley Harcourt, H&F Cabinet Member for Environment, Leisure and Residents’ Services.
“Our green spaces are places that offer invaluable respite from the hustle and bustle of city living, so we look forward to making this valued amenity even better for residents and visitors.”
Chris Jones, of the Winslow Road Amenity Group is among the residents who have been working with H&F to help develop plans for the park’s improvements.
He said residents had a vision to create a small area of the park not for play or sport, but for education and quiet reflection.
He said: “We are delighted that H&F Council has set aside monies for the improvement of the area which used to be an adventure playground in the park.
“We are very proud of this Green Flag local amenity that is used by people from not only all parts of the local community, but also by visitors for recreation and relaxation.
“We think that the area should be a garden which has a special section for the education of young children to plant out, a wild area to attract endangered species of bees and butterflies, a mini-woodland section and peaceful sanctuary where office workers and locals can go to read a book or have some lunch.”
A key aim of the improvements is to bring the adventure playground, which has become a magnet for anti-social behaviour in the evenings, back into more general use.
Initial ideas for the park will be finalised, before going out for public consultation ahead of the start of any work.
