The London Borough of Camden is embarking on a one year programme to explore new ways of managing and operating nine of the Bloomsbury Squares.
The Bloomsbury Squares play a fundamental role in defining the character and identity of this popular district of London. They are a valued and iconic collection of public spaces, and make a significant contribution to the quality of life of the area, cherished by many. However, the Council needs to rethink its approach to the funding and management of parks in order to protect their upkeep and ensure they are able to prosper in the long term for everyone’s benefit.
The Borough Council of Camden has been awarded funding from the Rethinking Parks Programme run by NESTA (an independent charity promoting innovation), the Big Lottery Fund and the Heritage Lottery Fund to take this work forward. The parks included in the current study are: Argyle Square, Bloomsbury Square, Brunswick Square, Queen Square, Red Lion Square, Regent Square, Russell Square, St Georges Gardens and Tavistock Square
In the longer term, it is hoped that the new approaches identified through this project will enable more self-sustaining management and improved quality of the parks in the future. If successful, these will also set an example which can be rolled out more widely to other parks in the Borough and further afield.
Shirley Blake, recently appointed as the Bloomsbury Squared Programme Manager, highlights the importance of this project as a step towards securing a high-quality future for each of the individual squares, which local people and visitors expect. She is looking forward to working with local residents, Friends groups, businesses and institutions as the programme progresses. Shirley can be contacted as follows:
Shirley Blake
Bloomsbury Programme Manager
Culture & Environment Dept
London Borough of Camden
5 Pancras Square
London N1C 4AG
Tel 020 7974 5030
E mail Shirley.blake@camden.gov.uk
Bloomsbury Squares & Gardens 