The tastiest of Tottenham’s tropical fruit from local shops and the sound of steel drums marked the opening of a colourful new park on one of the area’s most popular shopping streets in a regeneration project.
Dozens of people dropped in on West Green Road’s new ‘pocket park’, at the junction with Houghton Road, to see the eye-catching new plants, trees and flowerbeds inspired by the street’s cultural diversity.
Among the highlights of the park, which has transformed a previously rundown cul-de-sac that had become a hotbed for anti-social behaviour, are a magnolia tree, new seating, and space for food growing projects by community groups and schools.
Residents and traders, through a dedicated West Green Road Improvement Group, helped design the new park, which is funded jointly by the council and the Greater London Authority’s Pocket Park Programme.
Councillor Alan Strickland, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Housing, who cut the ribbon to open the park, said: “It was fantastic to see so many people popping into this great new green space, which will give everyone a brighter spot to relax and unwind.
“This project demonstrates that regeneration is about more than new buildings – it’s about better public spaces that bring our community together and put the ideas of local people first.
“We know how popular West Green Road is, and this park, alongside work to bring better shop fronts and more public art on the high street, is another step towards making it a greener and friendlier place to be.”
One of seven key priorities in the council’s 20-year plan for Tottenham’s future – based directly on the feedback of local people – is creating better public spaces that make it easier to meet, shop and have fun.
The first three shops to see snazzy new designs installed as part of the council’s shop front improvement programme last year were on West Green Road, with around 20 more businesses set to benefit from the scheme this year.
