New York City's High Line elevated park has been such a success that the basic idea has been copied worldwide, with projects like MVRDV's raised motorway park also reusing old transportation infrastructure to bring new green space to inner-city areas. A slice of the Big Apple is now coming to the Big Smoke with a new raised park for London that will also include housing, retail space, and offices.
The project is named Bishopsgate Goodsyard and will be built on land in Shoreditch that's stood unused since the 1960s. It was acquired back in 2002 but plans to build on it have never been able to get off the ground, until now.
Once completed, it will measure approximately 4.4 hectares (10.8 acres), more than half of which will be dedicated to public open space, both at street level and on top of newly restored railway arches. Over 300 new trees will be planted on the site and new pedestrian and park space will be created. Additionally, more than 100 retail, restaurant, and leisure spaces will be added, as will new workspaces and 500 homes (half of which are designated as "affordable," though we've no word on pricing yet). Cycling will be promoted and cars banned, with some buildings including green roofs, water storage, and beehives.
"The Goodsyard site will be the jewel in the crown of Shoreditch," says Sean Mulryan, Chairman and Group Chief Executive of Ballymore, which is co-developing the project. "We bought this site almost 20 years ago when this area was a very different place. As the last opportunity for significant growth in Shoreditch, the time has come for what will be a great boost to the local area and London. The Goodsyard will be an exemplary neighborhood, fit for a revived London. With a mix of new homes, sitting alongside workspace, shops, cafes and restaurants, cultural buildings, new streets and one of central London’s largest new parks, this will be a place designed with wellbeing in mind, where people want to live, work, and enjoy themselves."
It sounds like a boon for locals, though Metro reports that some aren't happy, with the local council voicing concerns that the scheme will be overbearing. However, it's already sure to be a greater success than the previous London mayor's big park project, the ill-fated Garden Bridge. Additionally, another High Line-style park is also slated for London too, in the form of The Tide.
The Bishopsgate Goodsyard project is being developed by Hammerson and Ballymore, with the masterplan handled by FaulknerBrowns and landscape architect expertise via Spacehub. It has already been given the thumbs up by the London mayor Sadiq Khan, though we've no word yet on when it's expected to be completed – either way, this is a multi-year project, at least.
Source: Hammerson