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Southwest London might be one of the greenest areas of the capital (we’re looking at you, Richmond), but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t do with another park. Green spaces are good for our general and mental health, after all.
A piece of land in Hampton that’s been unused for 10 years is getting a makeover, it’s been revealed. The brand new park will be opened by Richmond Council with a ‘micro-forest’, kids’ play area and footpaths. What is a micro-forest, I hear you ask? It’s a practice designed by Japanese biologist Akira Miyawaki which involves planting trees close together, so they grow quickly. The 0.6-hectare Oldfield Road Meadow, which is just south of St Mary’s School Hampton, will also become a nature reserve, with some areas left without paths to allow wildlife to flourish.
It’s not clear when planting will begin, or when the park will open.
A report by council officers said: ‘The site in its current state is not open to the public but there have been instances of unauthorised access through a hole that was made in the chain link fence.
‘By opening the site to the public and encouraging it to be regularly used by the local community in a positive way, the project will discourage crime and antisocial behaviour.
‘The proposals will align with the key aims of the Corporate Plan creating a greener borough through enhancements to the nature conservation interest to the site, a safer borough by discouraging crime and antisocial behaviour in the area and a fairer borough by improving access to public open green space for the local residents.’
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