Information on Loughborough

Floral gateway to create explosion of colour at Loughborough's Queen’s Park

Posted on 09/02/2012
Loughborough Newsdesk

A SPORT-inspired scheme is set to transform the entrance to Loughborough’s iconic Queen’s Park into a striking floral gateway for Loughborough In Bloom.

Charnwood Borough Council and its waste management partner Serco have joined forces on the planting scheme which will see an explosion of colour at the New Street entrance to the park.

The landscaping project has been developed by local company, The Cloud Factory, and has been finalised in consultation with the Friends of Queens Park group.

The project is designed to become a legacy that will last for years to come for Queen’s Park visitors and will feature beautifully crafted and interactive sculptures as well as a wide range of flowering plants.

Councillor Hilary Fryer (Conservative councillor for Barrow & Sileby West), Charnwood Borough Council’s Cabinet member for Cleansing and Open Spaces, said: “This project will make walking into Queen’s Park even more spectacular and inviting than it is already.

“Through exemplary partnership-working, this exciting scheme will revitalise the entrance to Loughborough's Queen’s Park. The design aims to impress the judging panels for both East Midlands In Bloom and Britain in Bloom, capture the imagination of visitors to the park and boost the sense of pride we have in Charnwood.”

The Council, Serco and the Friends of Queens Park together believe the newly designed area by The Cloud Factory will provide a more botanically interesting and colourfull planting background.

The first phase of the transformation will begin as soon as the current weather permits with the removal of the overgrown laurel hedge at the request of the Friends of Queen's Park group.

The hedge has been inspected by wildlife officers and is regarded as having limited wildlife value. By opening up and planting all the way back to the retaining brick wall in place of the existing hedge this will provide an excellent opportunity to improve the biodiversity of the area for birds, butterflies and many other creatures.