Athlone Gardens co-designed masterplan

About the consultation

Athlone Gardens is a popular park between Portobello Road and Wornington Road in north Kensington.

The park is due to be enlarged over the next few years. This will happen as nearby buildings are removed. We will work together with local people and community groups to co-design a masterplan for the park to help shape its future.

What the community has said so far

We have already spoken to over 100 local people, including:

• park users on site
• young people from Youth Action Alliance
• residents at local meetings and one-to-one sessions
• Action Disability Kensington & Chelsea for advice and guidance

From this early consultation, residents told us they would like:

• more trees, plants and wildflowers
• more seating and shade from sun and rain
• activities for older children and teenagers, including space for ball games
• an improved dog exercise area
• a small park building with toilets, a café and shelter from sun and rain

We also took on board that people want to be involved in the design process but do not have much time. So we have created a public selection exercise to choose the park’s designer. This gives everyone an equal say in a quick and accessible way.

Athlone Gardens informal consultation results: 2024

Find out what people had to say about Athlone Gardens from our informal consultation in 2024.

What people like about the park

Number of comments	Type of comment: "I like…"
11	Park as a whole
6	Children's playground
4	Table tennis tables/area
3	Chess tables (often used for picnics)
3	Raised flower beds
2	Clean park
1	Dog exercise park
1	Fenced park - feel safe
1	Dog ramp in dog park
1	Big swings in playground
1	Trampolines in playground

 

What people do not like about the park

Number of comments	Type of comment: "I do not like…"
12	Surface and drainage in the dog exercise area, however there was no consensus for a preferred type of surface
7	Dog exercise equipment is not well used by dogs, except the ramp
6	dog area shelter leaks when it rains scary lads hang out there drug dealing and smoking dope litter left behind
5	Dog mess in park, or the mess in the dog exercise area is not picked up
4	Loose gravel paths
3	dogs in the general park outside of dog exercise area find some dogs intimidating, especially to children
3	Litter
2	Big dogs using the dog exercise area. Smaller dogs are intimidated and do not use this area when big or aggressive dogs are there
1	Dogs digging in the park, it leaves grass uneven and hazardous.
1	Dog park gets too busy at times

What people would like to see in the park

Number of comments	Type of comment: "I would like…" (two or more requests)
17	More large and small trees, including for shade, environment and wildlife value
15	seats and picnicking tables or a picnicking area more and bigger tables for large groups of people, some in shade or sheltered from rain accessible and round picnic tables seats with backs and armrests (ADKC)
13	Difference surface in the dog exercise area: 2 requests for rubber 1 request for astroturf 1 request for better grass 1 request for a different surface 1 request for fake grass 1 request for grasscrete 1 request for mound 1 request for not artificial grass 1 request for not hard surface 1 request for sand 1 request for surface dogs can dig 1 request for surface dogs can not dig Plus, nine also asked for better drainage
12	Multi-use game area (MUGA): 5 requests for football 3 requests for basketball 3 requests for a multi use game area (MUGA) 1 requests for tennis
11	shade or shelter more protection from sun and rain in the playground, dog area, or park generally
10	More swings, and for mixed ages, including big swings 'net' swings
10	More wildflowers, flowers, herbs or planters for wildlife, colour and edible herbs
8	Water park or splash park, like at St Mark's Park, but for all ages. 1 request for dogs
7	Slides (big and small)
6	Things for older children/ teenagers
6	More water fountains: 3 requests for people 3 requests for dogs
6	Activities in the park or free events like sports, coaching, exercise, music or parties
6	Public toilets, including a request for disabled access and Changing Places Room (ADKC)
5	Climbing frame or monkey bars
5	Café in the park or refreshments
3	Big zip wire
3	A big trampoline, like the one at Teletubbies park
3	Gym, outdoor gym equipment
3	Separate areas for older and younger children to play
3	Sand play: 2 requests for children 1 requests for dogs
3	Place to meet friends or seating under cover
3	Self closing gates
3	Tarmac or hard surface paths, but not loose gravel
2	Big roundabout
2	Tree house
2	Bigger dog area
2	Bandstand or gazebo
2	Hard surface under benches, as the grass gets worn and dogs will dig
2	Keep drinking fountains open throughout the year

How we will choose the park's designer

We have:

• invited expressions of interest from park designers
• shortlisted designers based on experience and ability to deliver the project
• asked shortlisted designers to share initial ideas based on community feedback

Read the Athlone Gardens co-designed masterplan brief that we gave to designers for more details.

Give your feedback
View the designer's ideas and give your feedback on the Athlone Gardens consultation page.

These ideas are not final designs, they show what could happen in the park.