Update on Ellington Park’s regeneration programme

Ellington Park, in Ramsgate, has secured a £1.8m National Lottery Heritage Fund grant for its regeneration under the Parks for People Programme.

Thanet District Council is working in partnership with the Friends of Ellington Park (FoEP) to complete the project which includes a new community cafe, toilets, a restored bandstand and landscape works.

The summer is officially upon us and nature is in full bloom in Ellington Park. While day-to-day the park seems largely unchanged, the regeneration project continues at speed behind the scenes to prepare the detailed designs for tender submission. We are ensuring the project gets best value for money and enhances the park for local residents. As per the master plan designs, works are scheduled to start in the park in the latter part of 2019.

Trees

One of the beautiful and historic aspects of Ellington Park is the trees. Both Thanet District Council and the Friends of Ellington Park have taken great pains to preserve and protect the landscape, trees and ecology as part of the Ellington Park project. Over three different tree surveys have been undertaken to identify the 392 trees in the park: this includes species, age and health of each tree. We have taken the advice of tree surgeons, arboriculturalists and landscape architects. The results showed that 20 trees are diseased and within the final five years of their lifespan. Many of these trees are at risk of storm damage, where falling boughs create a potential risk to life. These potentially dangerous trees have been marked for removal and younger trees will be planted across the park to replace them.

The four Norway Maples around the bandstand are some of the oldest trees in the park but unfortunately are the most heavily diseased and at risk of falling. One lost a large bough in storm Gareth, in March 2019. On further inspection the tree trunk was ‘spongy’, structurally unsound and at risk of falling even in moderate winds. To prevent a risk to the public this tree was removed in May 2019.  The remaining three trees are scheduled for removal in the coming months to avoid the bat roosting season.

Ecology reports have been prepared by experts including a bat survey on all trees, specifically the 20 trees diseased and marked for removal. Further emergent surveys will be undertaken on five trees to ensure bats are protected and roosts are undisturbed.

The project has been made possible by National Lottery Players, proceeds from the National Lottery fund the good causes administered by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Learn more about the Ellington Park regeneration project here.