Redbridge Council has announced bold and exciting plans to preserve and expand Fairlop Waters, adding 250 acres of green space to the existing park over the coming years.

Fairlop Waters is one of the largest country parks in Redbridge, home to expansive green space, a lake, and a wide range of outdoor activities, including the Boulder Park and High Ropes.

Following the huge increase in visitor numbers to the park during the pandemic, the Council has launched an engagement exercise to find out what additional leisure, cultural and environmental facilities local people would like to see in Fairlop Waters.

In 2020, parks and green spaces have become even more valuable for our health and wellbeing, providing us with essential spaces to relax, explore, and discover during a time of restrictions, uncertainty, and loss.

Over the next three months, Redbridge Council will be working with the community engagement social enterprise ‘Street Space’ to engage with residents, businesses, and organisations to understand what the park means to them and begin to collectively create an exciting and inspiring vision for Fairlop Waters.

This vision could include wildlife conservation areas, wildflower meadows, additional walking and cycling routes, hospitality options, and a wild swimming area, to name just a few ideas.

Through a series of on-site conversations, online workshops, and unique collaborations with local groups, the Council will be seeking views on:

• How and when is the park currently being used?
• Who is using it, and who isn’t?
• What works well for visitors, and what doesn’t?
• What’s missing from Fairlop Waters?
• How can Fairlop Waters improve the lives of the local community?
• What could the future of Fairlop Waters look like?
• How can we protect and preserve the wildlife and biodiversity of Fairlop Waters?

The Leader of Redbridge Council, Councillor Jas Athwal, said:

“Our parks and green spaces are incredibly important to local people, and we’re so lucky in Redbridge to have so much open green space, especially at the moment while we navigate through the pandemic.

“Being able to go for a walk or a cycle ride through our parks has helped many of us through this difficult year, and so we’re now looking at how we can offer even more in Fairlop Waters, one of our flagship parks. We’re looking into expanding the green space and potentially even
doubling the size of the park, while making sure it’s protected for future generations.”

For more information and to get involved in helping to shape the future of Fairlop, please contact us at fairlop@wearestreetspace.org or check the dedicated Facebook and Instagram pages and online platform.