Fortune Street Park
As part of our work to make Islington greener and healthier, we are planning to make some improvements to Fortune Street Park.
Following consultation with local residents and working with Landscape Architects Davies & White, we have developed a final design in line with the budget and feedback to date. Warwick Landscaping have been appointed for the work, which will include:
- Relocating the growing garden to a sunnier spot.
- Refurbishing the play area.
- Additional planting throughout the park to enhance biodiversity.
- Additional benches and litter bins.
What happens next: work schedule and access
Work will start on site from 19 February, and last approximately 12 weeks. Work will be between 8am and 5pm, Monday to Friday only.
During this time, the play area, green spaces, and Fortune Street entrance will be closed to the public but access through the park and to the school will be maintained via the entrances at Golden Lane and Whitecross Street. Signs will be put up around the site and the contractor will be on hand to help safely direct visitors around the site if required.
The café in the park will remain open during the work. Please speak to the café staff for advice on opening times.
We don’t anticipate any road closures at this stage. The works will be limited to within the park boundary, however, the delivery of new materials and equipment will be made via Fortune Street.
The school can be accessed via the main path from the Golden Land and Whitecross Street entrances in the usual way.
The park entrances (with the exception of the Fortune Street entrance) will remain open throughout the duration. The contractor will be on hand to provide assistance if required during school drop-off/pick up.
You can view the final design on the Fortune Street - Let’s Talk Islington webpage.
Trees and plants on site
We won’t be removing any trees during the work. We will be planting a mix of semi-mature and dwarfing root stock trees (8 in total) in the café seating area and as you enter the park from Fortune Street. The works to the play area will take place around tree root protection areas (RPA’s) so we have commissioned an external arboricultural consultant to review the plans for Fortune Street Park and oversee works around RPA’s to ensure that the trees are protected.
A full planting plan is available for download at the bottom of this page.
Memorial benches
There are 3 memorial benches in the park that will need to be moved to a new location as part of the improvement works. This will be done sensitively, and with the families notified where possible. Some of the benches will be relocated following the feedback from consultation.
Community feedback and the design process
Between August and September 2021, we carried out an initial survey of local residents and park users to find out what kind of improvements to Fortune Street Park they would like to see. In March 2022, we also engaged with local schools. The key suggestions informed the proposed design that the landscape architects Davies White developed, which we then consulted on between November 2022 and January 2023. The feedback from this engagement can be found in the Useful Documents section below.
If you would like to receive regular updates on this project you can email fortunestreetpark@islington.gov.uk to join the mailing list.
Please check the website and posters on site for further updates.
