Council and democracy

Wandle Park wins £400,000

The cash is part of Boris Johnson's £6m parks bonanza, which invited Londoners to vote on a shortlist of parks across the capital.

The top 10 winners were revealed on Wednesday - with Wandle Park gaining the second highest vote in London, with 5,371 people supporting it (Crane Riverside got 6,677 votes).

"In a fantastic show of people power, Londoners have voted in their droves to decide which of their favourite parks will get a makeover. Thanks to the loyal support of local people, 10 parks across the capital are now set to become much more pleasant places," the mayor said.

In Croydon the £400,000 will greatly contribute towards restoring the River Wandle, a long-term ambition of the community and the council, which will bring huge social and environmental benefits to the area and return surface water to the town centre for the first time in 40 years.

The River Wandle is a tributary of the River Thames and its restoration will include an adjoining lake. Other enhancements planned for Wandle Park are to spruce up the skatepark and the playspace, improve the gardens and add toilets so people can enjoy longer visits to the park.

The £400,000 brings the total funding for the park to £1.4m, as Wandle Park has already secured £1m planning gain funding from the Barratt Homes development adjoining the park.

Councillor Steve Hollands, cabinet member for culture and sport, said: "I am thrilled that Wandle Park has won this vote and the £400,000 from the Mayor of London.

"The local community's and council officers' hard work developing the plans for the park has been rewarded. This £400,000 will enable us to make improvements to Wandle Park for everyone that will enrich the lives of the people of Croydon.

"I would like to thank everybody who took the time to vote for our parks and give special thanks to the Friends of Wandle Park for all the time and effort they put into publicising the vote.

"I would also like to thank everybody who voted for Norbury Park with Thornton Heath Rec, and the Friends of Thornton Heath Rec for promoting the vote. On this occasion these parks weren't successful, but the council will continue to work towards improving the facilities in these parks."

Mark Thomas, chairman of the Friends of Wandle Park, said: "It's great to see that all the work we put into promoting the potential of our local park has paid off. We look forward to working with the council to make improvements in the park for everyone, which will go a significant way to restoring the park to its former glory."