HTA’s proposals include new landscaping and the creation of a tranquil space that it says will deliver significant benefits to nature, including plant species significant to Queen Elizabeth II’s life.
Andrew Scattergood, CEO of The Royal Parks, said: ‘This garden is a unique opportunity to transform grey to green and return two acres of beautiful green space to central London. The garden’s design will deliver horticultural excellence along with significant benefits to nature.
The Royal Parks charity, which manages eight of London’s parks, is aiming to re-use concrete, brick and steelwork from the demolition of a former plant nursery on the site, which was decommissioned in 2018.
Oliver Rock, landscape design director at HTA Design, said: ‘We are honoured to be working with The Royal Parks on the design of this beautiful new garden at the heart of Regent’s Park to commemorate the life of Queen Elizabeth II and to be transforming this brownfield site into a special, biodiverse, wildlife-attracting and climate-resilient new public garden.’
An accessible viewing platform created from a disused water tower and a pergola feature among several structures proposed for the garden.
The Royal Parks appointed the Hackney Wick-based practice to draw up plans for a two-acre slice of Regent’s Park alongside Tate + Co, which is working on architectural features, earlier this year.
The designs, which were made public on Wednesday (20 December) as part of a five week-long public consultation, show how the currently inaccessible site will be overhauled.
‘It will be a tranquil and reflective garden, the antithesis to the hustle and bustle of the city, and we hope that people will come and spend some quiet time there, enjoying the natural landscape and the wonderful year-round colour that the garden will provide.’
Hedges, a meadow and a new pond will feature alongside planting that will attract wildlife, HTA Design said. The planting will also be adaptable to the UK’s changing climate.
The consultation on the early designs runs until 28 January. The park us due to open in 2026 to coincide with what would have been the late Queen’s 100th birthday.