User:Nonabelian/Thames Barrier Park

The Thames Barrier Park is a 7 ha park in Silvertown in the London Borough of Newham. It is is named after the Thames Flood Barrier located to the south of the park on on the River Thames. Opened in the year 2000, it was London's largest riverside park to be constructed in over 100 years and the largest London park in 50 years. The park is intended to aid the regeneration of the area by creating an attractive public space alongside residential and commercial developments.

Allain Provost and Alain Cousseran of Groupe Signes with Patel Taylor won the international competition to design the park in 1995.

History
The site of the Thames Barrier Park was a former dock and factory site that had been in industrial use since the 1860's. The site was built the site of a chemical factory, PR Chemicals (Printar Industries). The land was said to be one of the most polluted in the world, taking almost 20 years to decontaminate fully before new soil could be laid.

The gradual closure of the London Docks in the 1960s left many polluted sites derelict. Nevertheless, the inception of the London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) in 1981 marked the beginning of redevelopement of the area.

Awards

 * Millennium Marque 2000
 * RIBA Award 2001
 * AIA  Awards 2002
 * Civic Trust Awards 2002
 * RPTI Awards 2002
 * Times Travel Green Spaces Awards 2008
 * Green Flag Award