The Royal Parks charity has released sketches of a new garden planned for The Regent’s Park that will commemorate the life of Queen Elizabeth II.

Local residents and visitors to the park are encouraged to view the proposals on The Royal Parks’ website and provide feedback via an online survey.

The new garden will transform a former plant nursery, previously inaccessible to the public, into a two-acre tranquil garden that will deliver significant benefits to nature. It is due to open in 2026 to coincide with what would have been the late Queen’s 100th birthday.

The new public space will deliver a huge boost to biodiversity in the form of hedgerows, trees, meadows, wildlife-attracting plants and a new pond. Plants and trees will also be selected that can adapt to the UK’s changing climate.

The Royal Parks charity has appointed London-based landscape architects, HTA, to design the space. The new garden will incorporate a series of structures that includes a pergola with climbing plants, and the transformation of a disused water tower into an accessible viewing platform that will provide elevated views of the new garden. The garden will include plant species that were significant to Queen Elizabeth II’s life.

The site once grew plants for London’s eight Royal Parks but following the opening of the Hyde Park plant nursery in 2018, it was decommissioned. The disused plant nursery, that had reached the end of its life, will be demolished in spring 2024 to make way for the new garden.

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. 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.”

The garden is designed to be welcoming to all, with wide, even paths and frequent places to stop, sit and reflect. The main path network has been designed to be fully accessible.

Sustainability is an important aspect of the new space, and The Royal Parks charity will aim to re-use a substantial amount of demolition material in the new garden, such as crushed concrete, brick and steelwork.

Deadline for survey responses is 28 January 2024.

Alternatively, representatives from The Royal Parks will be in The Regent’s Park on the following dates to collect feedback:

When: Saturday 20 January 2024, 11am-3pm | Tuesday 23 January 2024, 11am-3pm

Location: By the Espresso Bar, Broad Walk, The Regent’s Park 

For the latest information on the garden please visit A garden to commemorate the life of Queen Elizabeth II | The Royal Parks

There is also a short video on the new garden which you can view here: https://youtu.be/D9Rj6KxNMkE