Work starts on phase two of re-landscaping of Jubilee Gardens
The second phase of re-landscaping work on Jubilee Gardens on London’s South Bank started today and will continue until Friday 19 October. This follows the completion of phase one on Thursday 31 May which saw Jubilee Gardens launched as a new green landmark for London after a £5m transformation.
Phase two of the restoration will include many appealing new features. 25 new trees will be planted, adding to the 69 mature trees planted in May. The flowerbeds will be extended by over 60% to nearly 600m2. Twelve high quality benches made from iroko wood will be installed, adding to the elegant granite edges that currently provide extensive seating alongside the granite path network. Signage detailing the history of the site is to be installed. Some areas of the Gardens will have to be temporarily fenced off during the phase two works but the Jubilee Gardens Trust and the contractor, Frosts Landscape Construction Ltd. will do their best to minimise the effect on visitors.
The brief was to create a space which would be as soft and green as is sustainable, and completion of phase two will enhance the Gardens’ reputation as a wonderful new landscaped area, worthy of its Jubilee associations and reflecting the quality of the South Bank’s cultural organisations, tourist attractions and high profile businesses.
Jubilee Gardens re-opened on 31 May, in time for The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Since the opening, the Gardens have become a popular green oasis for millions of visitors, local employees and residents, with families enjoying the new playground. During this landmark year 2012, the Gardens have played host to several prominent events including being a prime viewing area for the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant on 3 June.
Other events have included the ‘Rain of Poems’ on 26 June, devised by Chilean collective Casagrande in collaboration with Southbank Centre, with 100,000 poems dropped over Jubilee Gardens by a helicopter; the Paralympic Torch Relay on 29 August; and The Mayor’s Thames Festival on 8 and 9 September. For the Thames Festival, Jubilee Gardens hosted ‘One Thousand Pans’, a musical tribute celebrating the passing of the Torch from London 2012 to Rio de Janiero 2016 and ‘Shishi-Odori’, traditional folk dancing and taiko drumming performed by the Oshu Kanatsu-Ryu Dance Troupe from Japan. The new high quality turf has stood up well to the exceptionally high footfall but with the numbers predicted to continue, the dedicated Jubilee Gardens Grounds Maintenance Team will be working hard to treat and maintain the turf and to keep the Gardens tidy – they are currently removing over 4,000 bags of litter each month.
Following completion of phase one in May, responsibility for the management and maintenance of Jubilee Gardens was transferred to the Jubilee Gardens Trust, a registered charity comprising representatives of neighbouring landowners, local business and community organisations. The re-developed Gardens were designed by Dutch landscape architects West 8 and constructed by Frosts Landscape Construction Ltd. The construction contract was let by Lambeth Council and overseen by the Jubilee Gardens Project Board comprising Lambeth Council, Southbank Centre, the Jubilee Gardens Trust and Transport for London. The contract was jointly managed by South Bank Employers’ Group and the Council. The £5m project was funded with contributions from Shell and the EDF Energy London Eye, secured under planning agreements with Lambeth Council, as well as £1.5m from the Mayor of London (via Transport for London) and contributions from several charitable trusts.
Ted Inman, Chair of the Jubilee Gardens Trust said:
“The Jubilee Gardens Trustees are delighted with the positive public reception to Jubilee Gardens upon completion of phase one in May and pleased that the Gardens have played host to several high profile events this year. Phase two works will serve to restore and enhance the Gardens after the busy summer, in line with our commitment to manage and maintain the Gardens in the best possible way for the benefit of the millions who use and enjoy them.”
Notes to Editors
For background information: www.jubileegardens.org.uk
The Jubilee Gardens project is remarkable in bringing together the very wide range of partners listed below:
- Southbank Centre which holds Jubilee Gardens on a long lease from the Arts Council, agreed to sub-lease the gardens upon completion to an independent Trust, to provide long-term management and maintenance and to work with Southbank Centre to present a cultural events programme on the new Gardens.
- Lambeth Council secured the Section 106 contributions from Shell and the EDF Energy London Eye which were the main funding for the scheme. The Council let the contract for the re-landscaping and, in line with its Cooperative Council policy, oversaw its delivery working in partnership with local stakeholders.
- Shell and EDF Energy London Eye contributed £3.6m via Lambeth Council with funds arising from Section 106 agreements, financial contributions from developers to mitigate the impact of their developments in the area.
- The Mayor of London contributed £1.5m through Transport for London to ensure that the quality of public space in this part of the South Bank was right for the South Bank’s role in the cultural festival that accompanied the 2012 Olympics.
- The Jubilee Gardens Trust, comprising Southbank Centre, EDF Energy London Eye, Shell, and representatives of local businesses, local residents and Lambeth Council, in taking responsibility for maintaining the gardens to the highest standards, both for day-day enjoyment and for cultural events.
- Kate Hoey MP and the local community in consistently championing the upgrading of the Gardens.
- the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, for supporting the project.
- the Shirayama Corporation (owner of neighbouring County Hall) for supporting the project.
- South Bank Employers’ Group, an association of 18 major organisations in the South Bank neighbourhood, which has championed and coordinated the Jubilee Gardens project throughout.
- Other donors to the project, including the 29 May 1961 Trust, The Gosling Foundation, The Hobson Trust, the Kirby Laing Foundation and The Veolia Environmental Trust, who award grants through the Landfill Communities Fund.
About
• Frosts Landscape Construction Ltd are specialists in landscaping, gardening, green roofs and walls, ponds, block paving and more. www.frostslandscapes.co.uk
• West 8 is a cutting-edge practice which delivers ground-breaking urban parks and public spaces. Set up in 1987 as an international team of architects, urban designers and industrial designers, West 8 designs landscape interventions, urban plans, squares, parks and gardens worldwide. www.west8.nl
● The Veolia Environmental Trust has been supporting community and environmental projects for 14 years. Under the Landfill Communities Fund, landfill site operators can donate a percentage, currently 5.6%, of their landfill tax payment to these projects. Since we were established in 1997, Veolia Environmental Services (UK) plc has supported us by contributions of over £49 million to 1400 projects.
We have helped fund a diverse range of projects, including the repair of woodland footpaths, the renovation of community halls and the installation of playgrounds and play areas. For more information, or to find out how to apply for funding, visit our website www.veoliatrust.org.
