Cutty Sark Gardens in Greenwich to see another revamp
Cutty Sark Gardens in Greenwich is set to see improvement work after funding was awarded from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
According to a new council report procurement work is underway to secure a contractor to undertake the construction with works projected to take place early in the new year potentially from January 2025.
An area beside the former tea clipper will see “installation of illuminated handrails, improved visibility of the steps, enhanced lighting and signage to improve visibility and wayfinding.
It’s around 10-15 years since a multi-million pound project which saw a water feature installed. That lasted a short time before being permanently switched off.
It was supposed to ebb and flow by the tide. Unfortunately we failed to realise that they didn’t mean the Thames but an area of long-term drought.
In the council’s report they fail to list total funding stating:
“The scheme has been costed and is forecast to be within the available budget. Once the project has been out to tender, we will have better certainty on cost and can adjust the scheme to suit if required.”
Other projects are to take place at Arnott Place and Leslie Smith Square.
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund begun under the Conservatives and continues under Labour, with the government website stating:
“It provides £2.6 billion of new funding for local investment by March 2025, with all areas of the UK receiving an allocation from the Fund via a funding formula rather than a competition”.
The latest update states: “The UK Shared Prosperity Fund will be extended for a transition year in 2025-26 at £900 million, ahead of wider local growth funding reforms. We will update the prospectus and allocations for 2025-26 in due course.”
My God I’d totally forgetten about that water feature. A shame that the one in Woolwich positively thrived (and will again) while the Greenwich one was paved over. Cutty Sark Gardens is anything but. I do hope they cheer it up a bit, the empty flower beds by waterfront leave a lot to be desired.
Is this going to be akin to the much lauded “pocket parks” which lasted momentarily only to morph into oversized weed/litter/dog poo bins?
Sadly with water features and fountains people are not sensible enough and then ruin it for others.
With public realm including pocket parks and public spaces. Greenwich Council have a poor record of maintaining public realm..
Which is a shame as there some nice areas around the Borough. With property maintenance of public realm so many areas could be improved making them better areas to live and work in.
What the area needs is regular maintenance , ie daily cleaning , weeding of flower beds ,cleaning of the paved areas , emptying and cleaning of litter bins and removal of any graffiti from street furniture in the Gardens.
This other stuff sounds good but regular maintenance should be the top priority.
The place is the gateway to the World Heritage Site with thousands of visitors from all over the world.
Absolutely agree. Maintenance is key.
A few dome type shelters to sit in would be nice.when it rains there is nowhere to go.The stone slabs are no good in winter.
We need to fix the lifts in the tunnel and escalator s in the DLR station.