New park opens at old RAF base
A NEW 32-acre park at the St Andrew’s Park housing development in Uxbridge has been handed over to Hillingdon Council.
Thought to be the biggest new public green space in Greater London since the opening of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, St Andrew’s Park is built on the former RAF Uxbridge site.
As well as the park, which was handed over to Hillingdon Council on Monday March 12, the site is also home to John Locke Primary School and up to 1,300 homes.
Of that, 350 of the homes have already been sold, with 140 more and 240 rental apartments due for completion by the end of the year.
The new park runs along the banks of the River Pinn and opens up land which has never been accessible to the public.
The 32-acre includes: ■ More than 150,000 sq ft of new wild flower areas ■ 167 new trees ■ 60 new bird boxes, bat boxes and log piles to provide new habitats for wildlife ■ 7,500 sq ft of new sports pitches park ■ Over 3,000 new shrubs and herbaceous plants
■ 38,000 sq ft of new trails winding around the park and woodlands
■ A children’s play area
Tim Seddon, property director for the south-east at St Modwen, said: “This is a milestone in the project as, in addition to the 1,300 much-needed homes and new jobs we are delivering, we have transformed this parkland right at the heart of Uxbridge and are now pleased to pass it to the community as a whole to enjoy.”
RAF Uxbridge was closed in 2010 by the Ministry of Defence, nearly a century after it was turned into an RAF base.
The base was built on the site of Hillingdon House, an 18th century mansion which is being restored alongside the house-building project.