London & South East

Jubilee Gardens project blossoms

As the capital’s newest landmark, Jubilee Gardens has finally opened to the public.

Located on London’s South Bank, the £3.6 million project reached completion in May 2012, ahead of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations. The project has been implemented by the South Bank Employers Group and comprises the regeneration of 1.6 hectares of existing garden space.

The project began in September 2011, with Frosts Landscapes Construction as the main contractor and urban planning and landscape practice West 8 as the landscape architect.

The scheme has been managed by the Jubilee Gardens Project Board, which comprises Southbank Centre, Lambeth Council, the Jubilee Gardens Trust and Transport for London. Now that the project is complete, the ongoing maintenance of Jubilee Gardens will be managed by Jubilee Gardens Trust.

Work on Jubilee Gardens included the installation of new top and sub soil, the installation of 3,675 square metres of granite paving and the introduction of a new irrigation and drainage system. Approximately 1200 linear metres of curved white granite seating was also installed at the site, whilst new tree planting also took place.

Funding for Jubilee Gardens was provided by Transport for London and Lambeth Council, with additional contributions from a number of charitable trusts.

Frosts Landscapes Construction Contracts Manager, Martin Wiles, said:

“It is a privilege to have been part of the Jubilee Gardens project. We are very proud to have helped to create a high quality green landscape in a prime location in London over such a short period of time.

“During the course of the work we removed approximately 6,000 tonnes of concrete from the site and created a vast and expansive grass-covered area that is accessible to the public.

“Jubilee Gardens will be a major asset for London and will receive a phenomenal amount of attention throughout 2012. For London’s South Bank this project is something to be very proud of.”

West 8 Project Manager, Maaten Buijs, said:

“Jubilee Gardens is a quintessential English park with undulating lawns, large lush trees and boldly coloured flowerbeds. The wide granite pathways – with their generous flowing alignment – will meander in between the trees, providing constantly changing views across the site and over the Thames towards Westminster.

“The paths and granite seating will accommodate the many visitors who will come to the South Bank to discover the park and to enjoy this fabulous green space in London’s key cultural area.”

Lambeth Council Leader, Steve Reed, added:

“This is a really exciting moment for the borough – and for London – because Jubilee Gardens is one of London’s truly great green spaces, and a major new cultural centre to be enjoyed not just by Lambeth residents, but by visitors from across the world.

“Lambeth has undertaken a range of important regeneration schemes over the last few years and the Jubilee Gardens scheme is a fantastic complement to these.”

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