PUBLIC OPEN SPACE, LAND, BIODIVERSITY – Bow Common Gasworks

PUBLIC OPEN SPACE, LANDSCAPE AND BIODIVERSITY

St William prides itself on being a landscape-led developer, passionate about delivering exceptional places for both people and nature. We start with the design of the landscape and public realm on every site. This is a practical way to open up and reconnect places that have been closed to the public for decades; the best way to create welcoming, sociable, beautiful places to live, work and enjoy. Our aim is for Bow Common Gasworks to become an integral part of the surrounding green infrastructure, including Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, Ackroyd Drive Green Link and the councils wider Green Grid Strategy. In fact, over 50% of the site will be publicly accessible at all times. This includes a 1 hectare park at the centre of the proposed development – that’s approximately the size of Trafalgar Square or up to 2 football pitches. This will provide new and existing residents of all ages with opportunities to play, take exercise, or simply relax and enjoy nature. The landscape design has been inspired by the adjoining Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, and Bow Common Gasworks will create a wide range of habitats to support and further expand the rich biodiversity of this Local Nature Reserve and Site of Metropolitan Importance to Nature Conservation. The masterplan has carefully evolved in line with our key priority to positively impact the biodiversity of the site’s surroundings, adding to and supporting the ecology of the local area. The landscape proposals provide a flower rich grassland, hedgerows, green roofs and native trees to support a wide range of wildlife. This variety of landscapes will also help to connect even more existing and new residents to nature directly on their doorstep.

The masterplan will deliver 1 hectare of new public open space which will include: • Open grassland/meadow; • A raised heath area with seating and a terrace at the top with facilities for events; • A sculpted landform with mounds and slopes; • Meandering paths; and • Multifunctional spaces for people to sit, play and relax.