Historic garden to benefit from Olympic improvements

Plans to improve an underused area in Museum Gardens, Bethnal Green, are taking shape.

A new public toilet, café kiosk , cycle parking and landscaping are part of the plans to spruce up the area ahead of London 2012. The works would see a disused toilet block removed to make way for the improvements.

As well as a new toilet and café kiosk , the cycle parking area will provide spaces for around 80 bikes. This will mean that chaining bikes to the park railings on Cambridge Heath Road will be a thing of the past – removing an unsightly hazard from the borough’s streets and improving the public realm outside the station.

Mayor Lutfur Rahman, Tower Hamlets said: “I want to maximise the benefits that the Games bring to this borough and its residents.

“This project is set to bring lasting improvements to the borough – returning an underused space to the community.”

An extensive consultation has taken place with local residents and park users to investigate the ways in which the funding can be used to improve the area and address the issues caused by the bikes.

Councillor Stephanie Eaton, has worked to secure funding and helped develop the plans with the community.

Cllr Eaton, said: “The proposals provide a safer, convenient storage for cyclists plus a café and toilet in the gardens. This will make the entrance to the underground station more open and attractive, whilst helping to make the historically listed park more welcoming to visitors and cyclists.”

Funding is being sought from Transport for London and a planning application is due to be submitted shortly.

January 18, 2012