Park life is the good life, especially with these new Thames parks.
Given that 47% of the city is made up of green spaces, it’s well established that London loves a good park. So presumably, you’ll be positively brimming with excitement at the news that we’re set to get seven new ones. As part of the Thames Tideway project, the septet of Thames parks will appear on the riverbanks, creating new public places for you to marvel at a cleaner river.
A cleaner river? Truly, the dream is alive! This is just one part of a massive project, the centrepiece of which is building a huge new “super sewer” to run under the Thames, in a bid to clean it up – a project which reached the halfway mark back in February. Once finished, the sewer will prevent millions of tonnes of sewage from flowing into the river (gross, right?), as well as easing pressure on an antiquated system that brought you such delights as the Whitechapel fatberg.
But since sewers aren’t exactly sexy PR, the Tideway team have also taken the opportunity to build these new Thames parks, and we think they look rather swish. The new public spaces will be scattered along the Thames, meaning you’ll never be far from one.
From west to east, you’ll find them at Putney Embankment, Chelsea Embankment, Heathwall Pumping Station in Nine Elms, Albert Embankment, Victoria Embankment, Blackfriars Bridge, and King Edward Memorial Park out in Shadwell.
Expect them to be peaceful spots for a wander, with the Victoria and Blackfriars parks offering winning views over the Southbank. Art installations themed around the river will add a dose of culture to those views, and you might even learn something in the process.
In a laudably audacious move, the parks at Victoria, Chelsea, and King Edward Park will flood at high tides, encouraging passersby to dip their feet in a newer, cleaner Thames. It sounds unthinkable, but the Tideway team are confident of making it happen.
You’ll need to give them some time though – the project isn’t slated to finish until 2023 (and that was before the pandemic hit), meaning that both the fancy new sewer and the Thames parks are still some way in the distance. Hey, if they can clean up the Thames, you can handle waiting a little while!
You can find out more about the Tideway project from their website.
Featured image: Blackfriars Bridge, image courtesy of Tideway.