Wildspace Conservation Park
51°30′10″N 0°11′42″E / 51.5029°N 0.195°E / 51.5029; 0.195
The Wildspace Conservation Park, also known as London Riverside Conservation Park or Wildspace, is a major new conservation park under development. The conservation park is predominantly in London, within the London Borough of Havering, but also extends across the capital's administrative boundary and into Thurrock in Essex. It covers much of the land adjacent to the River Thames near to Rainham and Wennington. The RSPB nature reserve is the largest part of the park to be open to the public. Later phases include the reuse of a large landfill site as parkland.
History
It was identified as a flagship project for the Thames Gateway in 2003 and a feasibility study was undertaken. The project was a partnership between the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), the Mayor of London, the London Development Agency, Havering Council, Thurrock Council and the Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation.
Plans for the park were set out in 2005, in a document endorsed by Bill Oddie.[1] The land was owned by the LTGDC, the London Borough of Havering, the RSPB, the Port of London Authority, Oldrealm Ltd and Cleanaway Ltd.
The opening of the park was announced 2006.[2]
The Wildspace policy forms part of the London Riverside Opportunity Area Planning Framework adopted by the Greater London Authority in 2015,[3] the Thurrock Core Strategy adopted in 2015 and the Havering Local Plan adopted in 2021.
Park components
The conservation park is seen as a flagship new green space within the London Riverside section of the London Thames Gateway regeneration area. When complete, it will form a 6.4 km2 (640 hectares / 1580 acres) conservation, recreation and amenity zone twice the size of Hampstead Heath.[4]
The 2005 masterplan identified the following components:[5]
- Rainham marsh
- Silt lagoons
- Rainham landfill
- RSPB nature reserve
References
- ^ Wildspace: for a world city courtesy of the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation
- ^ LTGDC opens London’s biggest new park in more than a century
- ^ "London Riverside Opportunity Area Planning Framework" (PDF). Greater London Authority. September 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
- ^ 24dash.com 'World-class' riverside conservation park for Thames Gateway
- ^ "Wildspace Masterplan". London Development Agency. 2005. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
- v
- t
- e
- Ardleigh Green
- Beam Park
- Chase Cross
- Coldharbour
- Collier Row
- Cranham
- Elm Park
- Emerson Park
- Frog Island
- Gallows Corner
- Gidea Park
- Hacton
- Harold Hill
- Harold Park
- Harold Wood
- Havering-atte-Bower
- Heath Park
- Hornchurch
- Hornchurch Marshes
- Noak Hill
- North Ockendon
- Rainham
- Rise Park
- Romford
- Rush Green
- South Hornchurch
- Upminster
- Upminster Bridge
- Wennington
![Coat of arms of Havering](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Coat_of_arms_of_the_London_Borough_of_Havering.svg/100px-Coat_of_arms_of_the_London_Borough_of_Havering.svg.png)
![Location of the London Borough of Havering in Greater London](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3a/LondonHavering.svg/100px-LondonHavering.svg.png)
- The Brewery
- The Liberty
- The Mercury
- Romford Market
- Bedfords Park
- Cranham Brickfields
- Cranham Marsh
- Dagenham Park
- Hainault Forest
- Harrow Lodge Park
- Havering Country Park
- Haynes Park
- Hornchurch Country Park
- Hylands Park
- Ingrebourne Marshes
- Ingrebourne Valley
- Lodge Farm Park
- Pages Wood
- Pyrgo Park
- Rainham Marshes Nature Reserve
- Raphael Park
- St Andrew's Park
- Tylers Common
- Weald Brook
- Wildspace Conservation Park
- Dagenham and Rainham (part)
- Hornchurch and Upminster
- Romford
Category
Commons