Kingswood Park Secures £2.6 million National Lottery Heritage Fund

Plans are underway to restore Kingswood Park to its former glory after receiving a grant of over £2.6 million from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the biggest ever grant-funded investment for a green space or park in South Gloucestershire.

The restoration plan has been a goal since the Friends of Kingswood Park formed in 2005, and the grant will form a large part of the total project cost of £3,360,857 to make the park and its heritage accessible to everyone, with work expected to begin this spring. The restoration plan also forms part of the council’s £25 million Kingswood Masterplan, a regeneration vision for Kingswood town centre to make it a better place to live, work and visit.

Park amenities will be improved including new centrally located accessible toilets and Changing Places facility, an improved and expanded play area with better equipment, an improved performance space, and a mobile refreshment facility, all combining as a hub for the park and local community.

There will also be improvements to signage around the park, restoration of walls, gates and railings and other heritage features, resurfacing of paths, additional new wildlife-friendly planting including native trees, hedges and fruit tree planting. A new ‘missing link’ footpath to create a full circuit of the park will also be built, along with new access ramps to make the park more accessible.

A three-year programme of community events and activities with a focus on health and wellbeing, skills, and training will also be introduced alongside the renovations.

Councillor Leigh Ingham, Cabinet Member for Communities and Local Place at South Gloucestershire Council, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that The National Lottery Heritage Fund has granted this considerable support to rejuvenate and improve Kingswood Park. The park is the most prominent green space in Kingswood town centre and has been enjoyed by generations of local people since 1934. We’re hoping the activities we put on will get even more people enjoying the park on a regular basis.

“The funding is a game-changer in terms of how we’ll be able to transform and update the park for the benefit of residents and the wider local community. As a ward member, I understand how much of a positive impact this investment into the local community will have and it wouldn’t have been possible without the help and support of the Friends of Kingswood Park. We would like to extend our sincere thanks for their continued work and commitment.”

Stuart McLeod, Director of England - London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “We’re thrilled to support Kingswood Park and their vision to create an accessible green space for the community. We believe that everyone should be able to access, connect with and enjoy nature on their doorstep – whether they are in urban areas or the countryside. It is thanks to National Lottery players that we can support projects like this which bring people together and transform the communities we live in, making them better places to be.”