Wandsworth Council have unveiled further details about their £5 million public realm renewal project.
The project will see a series of refurbishments and improvements to Wandsworth’s streets, green spaces and infrastructure.
Of the funds, £2 million will be spent on improving the borough’s pavements and roads, with a further £500,000 spent on improving the borough’s green spaces and footpaths.
A council spokesman said: “This money will help boost Wandsworth’s recovery from the pandemic.
“We all saw how working practices, socialising and travel habits changed during the pandemic. People spent more time in local parks, open spaces and in their neighbourhoods.
“As a council we want to ensure this public realm is as good as it can be with well-maintained roads and pavements, better lighting and improved safety for pedestrians and cyclists.
“We want to make sure that Wandsworth is not only a brighter borough but a smarter and more attractive one too.”
One of the most notable projects associated with the £5 million fund is that the council will be installing 115 new bike stands in various parks across the borough.
This is designed to improve security for cyclists, and to encourage more people to use bicycles for exercise and travel.
Nearly half the new bike stands, 52 in total, will be set up in Battersea Park.
Battersea Park is already one of the busiest and most popular green spaces in the borough, but is also one where a significant number of visitors chose to drive to.
This is something which the council is keen to rectify.
The council’s director of environment and community services Paul Chadwick said: “We are taking action across the board to encourage people to travel in a more sustainable way and have just published our new walking and cycling strategy to make these environmentally friendly forms of travel safer, easier and more convenient.”
Other projects include the refurbishment of the bridge at Wandsworth Town Station to make it better lit, as well as the installation of colourful new planters in Tooting Bec and Southfields.
Featured image credit: Paul Gillett via Geograph under CC BY-SA 2.0 license
