The Queen has visited Jubilee Gardens on London??s South Bank to open the new Gardens and to mark the completion of the Gardens?? £5million re-landscaping to create a new green landmark for London. The Queen was able to view the new Jubilee Gardens which have been transformed from what was a flat and featureless patch of grass into a soft, green and sustainable landscape of the highest quality, with new flowerbeds, high quality turf, elegant granite edges alongside a new granite path network, lighting columns, benches, trees and a brand new playground.
The £5million project was funded with a combined contribution from Shell and the EDF Energy London Eye of more than £3million via Lambeth Council, as well as £1.5million from the Mayor of London (via Transport for London) and contributions from several charitable trusts.
To celebrate the official opening of the new Jubilee Gardens, Her Majesty unveiled a plaque commemorating her visit, mounted alongside panels showcasing the site??s history, and also re-displaying the plaque The Queen unveiled in 1977. The Gardens were first created to celebrate The Queen??s Silver Jubilee in 1977, and it is particularly fitting that, 35 years on, The Queen returned to open the new Jubilee Gardens in this Diamond Jubilee year.
The transformation of Jubilee Gardens has been made possible by a close partnership of neighbouring landowners, local businesses and community organisations, which now make up the Jubilee Gardens Trust.
The re-developed Gardens were designed by Dutch landscape architects West 8 and constructed by Frosts Landscape Construction Ltd. The construction contract was let by Lambeth Council and overseen by the Jubilee Gardens Project Board comprising Lambeth Council, Southbank Centre, the Jubilee Gardens Trust and Transport for London. The contract was jointly managed by South Bank Employers?? Group and the Council. The new Jubilee Gardens has been supported by Kate Hoey, MP for Vauxhall, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and the Shirayama Corporation, owner of the adjacent County Hall.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said: ?This wonderful space boasting views of some of world’s most iconic sights has been transformed from an ordinary park into a must visit destination. It is another example of how funding from my Great Outdoors programme is breathing new life into different corners of our city. Following its transformation, Jubilee Gardens is an oasis for local residents, workers and tourists alike and will help attract investment into the surrounding area which is a regeneration priority for London.??
