Thames Barrier Park

Jan 2011. A visit Thames Barrier Park. A 9 hectare (22acre) site which opened in November 2000 on a London Development Agency owned site. To regenerate a former petrochemical contaminated land site amongst residential and commercial developments, in the Silvertown redevelopment area of the Thames. Just before you approach it by DLR at Pontoon Dock, you go passed a large undeveloped piece of land fronting the Thames, which shows what the site would have looked like. Alain Provost (Groupe Signes) won the design completion in 1995. This might explain why an important feature of the park is a sunken expanse of perfectly clipped yew hedging and flowering borders, representing a topiared image of the Thames rolling water, set in an avenue formation, whilst imitating a dock form. A cafe is positioned to the entrance of the park near the station, which would have been better placed closer to the water’s edge to celebrate the view, rather than a monument to War. The park is a very good example of dissecting paths crossing changing levels and incorporating varied surfaces, cutting through formal planting and edged in concrete. 500 trees are thoughtfully planted throughout the site, in patterns to accentuate vistas, incorporating coppiced beech trees, birch, common oak and hornbeam. The parks manager attempts to recycle as much vegetation as possible, and points out the diverse bird wildlife found in the sunken dock and resident bee colonies.