First trees planted as Tooting's new 32 acre public park begins to take shape

Tooting's newest park is beginning to take shape as the first of its 700 trees have been planted.

The 32 acre park is being delivered as part of the Springfield Hospital redevelopment.

And this week the first of 700 new trees was planted by the hospital trust's chief executive Vanessa Ford.

More than 30 different British native species are being planted including birch, alder oak and beech.

She said: "We are thrilled to be working with our partners to develop a new 32-acre park at Springfield. This planting symbolises the very first steps in boosting local biodiversity - over the coming years more than 700 trees will be planted across the site.

"The park will include a pavilion café, play areas, an amphitheatre, community and sensory gardens, trim trail, ponds, a new footbridge, areas for informal sports and a youth shelter designed by local students.

"From exercising to picnics and spending time with friends and family, we know how important spending time outdoors can be for our mental health and wellbeing, and we are excited to share the benefits this new space will have for people across our communities."

The 81 acre hospital site is being redeveloped to create new state of the art medical facilities, plus more than 800 new homes which will be known as Springfield Village. The development is also providing funding for local transport infrastructure, shops, café and land for a new school.

Council leader Ravi Govindia said: "Because of our planning requirements we have been able to secure a wonderful new green space for all our residents in Wandsworth.

"It will cater for all tastes and activities. Parts of it will be quiet and offer tranquil spaces whilst others will lend themselves much more to sports and leisure activities.

"I'm delighted to see the first of many hundreds of new semi-mature trees now being planted. This is great news for Wandsworth and a key contributor to our plans to boost bio-diversity, improve local air quality and tackle climate change."

The park is expected to open to the public in three phases between the spring of 2023 and the summer of 2025.