Worthing: £3million Restoration Project To Begin At Brooklands Park In January

Award-winning contractors will begin the task of transforming Brooklands Park at the end of January - a project that is likely to take most of next year.

Blakedown Landscapes will start work on January 24th, 2022. 

Worthing Borough Council’s restoration scheme includes a new lakeside cafe made of sustainable wooden materials, which they say will blend into the natural environment of the park and boast fully modernised kitchen facilities, indoor seating and outdoor meeting spaces for visitors, plus a new Changing Places accessible toilet.

The project will also include an adventure play area, outdoor space for events such as football and frisbee complete with seating, contemplative garden with sensory plants, pathways, fitness trails, as well as space to hold community and environmental  activities.

Chris Wellbelove, director at Blakedown, said:

“Blakedown Landscapes are very pleased to be part of the team delivering the scheme at Brooklands Park. We realise the value of the park to the local community and are excited to transform it into an inclusive public park promoting health and wellbeing.”

Cllr Edward Crouch, Worthing Borough Council's Executive Member for Digital & Environmental Services, added:

“We cannot wait for Blakedown Landscapes to start work on this exciting project next month.

“The plans for Brooklands are absolutely fantastic and will be totally worth it when completed as it will restore and develop this beautiful area of land that will benefit the whole community, as well as visitors.

"While there will be lots to do for all ages, the project very much has the environment and the natural habitat at the forefront of all the plans.”

The project began two years ago when the lake and stream were the subject of extensive restoration work with silt removed, free-flowing water channels created and windmill oxygenators installed so wildlife could flourish.

Blakedown Landscapes specialise in landscaping, environmental improvements, public park restorations, grounds maintenance and play area construction.

They have worked on a range of projects across the south east,  including London’s Natural History Museum, Crossrail Place, in West India Quay and Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens.

The work at Brooklands is set to be completed in phases, which will require some sections of the park to be temporarily closed.

A detailed plan showing which areas will be unavailable and when is due to be released in the new year

Among the new features for Brooklands Park will be:

•    a sustainable cafe close to the lake
•    an adventure play area to house 30 pieces of equipment, two of which are climbing frames more than 4 metres high
•    an outdoor space for multi use events such as frisbee, football or other activities surrounded by seating
•    a contemplative garden bordering the Teville Stream with new sensory planting
•    a new accessible pathway circumnavigating the lake with seating areas and shelters
•    a 1.55 miles (2.5km) fitness trail around the park
•    a number of glades on the old golf course, including Community Garden, Play and Build, Nature, Wind and Winter, discrete areas sheltered by planting allowing for different community activities including food growing, seed sowing, play dens, bug hotels and bird boxes
•    A new fully accessible Changing Places Toilet https://www.changing-places.org