News on Down Lane Park Improvement

Community-led plans to improve Down Lane Park have received a £750,000 boost from the Mayor of London’s Green and Resilient Spaces Fund (GRSF) round two. The project received GRSF development funding in round one.

Alongside Council investment, the grant award will fund delivery of Phase 1 of the masterplan co-designed with community representatives over the last year, focused on the north-east of the park. This will support the delivery of sustainable drainage; accessible pathways; improved connectivity; and woodland, wildflower, meadow, and tree planting, supporting habitat creation, biodiversity, and climate change resilience.

The funding will also enable a programme of local resident and park user engagement, capacity building and community-led activities. This will be delivered in partnership with Living Under One Sun and other community partners and will complement the physical improvements, tackling the barriers some of our resident’s experience to accessing greenspace and supporting the development a fairer, greener neighbourhood.

Cllr Mike Hakata, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Environment and Transport and Cllr Ruth Gordon, Cabinet Member for House Building, Placemaking and Development, co-chairs of the resident and park user Down Lane Park Community Design Group, said:

“We’re passionate about tackling the climate emergency and for our residents to have access to great parks, so are delighted to have secured this funding from the Mayor of London. It’s a real vote of confidence in our ability to build a fairer, greener borough.

“This co-designed programme of improvements to a vital open space at the heart of the Tottenham Hale neighbourhood will bring huge benefits for the local community and play a pivotal role in creating a healthier future for generations to come.

“It’s a fantastic example of us working in partnership with the community including Living Under One Sun, the Park User Forum, and others to address our shared priorities and strive together to reach the bold and necessary ambition of becoming a net-zero borough by 2041.”

Co-design and design development has been supported by Coherent Citiesand landscape architects Levitt Bernstein Associates.