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'Urban forest' will run from Elephant and Castle to Tate
Mark Prigg and Mira Bar-Hillel20 Aug 2008
Plans for a "forest" in central London have been unveiled.
The Bankside Urban Forest will run from Tate Modern to Elephant and Castle and from Blackfriars Road to Borough High Street. It will contain hundreds of new trees and green spaces.
Witherford Watson Mann, the architecture firm behind the plan, said it would bring environmental benefits to the capital and create new social areas.
"The forest idea introduces elements associated with 'greening' the city, largely determined by ecological imperatives - to counter CO2 emissions and avoid flooding," said a spokesman for the architects. "There are equally important social and economic imperatives." The architects are working with organisations including Tate Modern, Southwark council, Transport for London and commercial landowners Land Securities and GC Bankside.
"We are at very early stages, but a lot of work is under way," said Bankside-Urban Forest manager Valerie Beirne. Areas would be set aside to be planted with trees, including one to the south of Tate Modern, which will double as a playground.
A green space is proposed opposite the Palestra building, and viaducts along Union Street could create 25,000 square metres of new space for small shops or a market, along the lines of Camden Stables.
The intersection at Union Street and Southwark Bridge Road would be a new public area called Flatiron Square, with a paved area, new trees and café in the middle.
Reader views (3)
A good idea. Good for the climate; good for air quality; good for the soul!
- Peter Seekings-Foster, Muildenhall, Suffolk, 21/08/2008 11:07
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Sounds good to me, are we at last emulating our European neighbours in providing pleasant, sustainable and clean open spaces for residents and visitors.
They should take a leaf out of Biarritz's book, the redeveloped Place Clemenceau is fabulous for tourists and residents alike.
- Robert May, SouthWest France, 20/08/2008 14:51
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SE1 is already an urban jungle...
- Nobby Clark, Perth, Scotland, 20/08/2008 12:10
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