The largest park established in the capital since the 2012 Olympics has officially opened, contributing to the development of a new village in southwest London.
London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan inaugurated Springfield Park in Tooting, which is part of the new Springfield Village established by an NHS trust around the refurbished Springfield University Hospital.
Spanning 32 acres, the park features a pavilion café, an amphitheater, a fitness trail, play areas, ponds, and 700 newly planted trees. It has been gradually opened since 2023, with the entire park now accessible to the public.
At the inauguration on Wednesday, Sir Sadiq was accompanied by Tooting MP Dr. Rosena Allin-Khan, Wandsworth Council leader Simon Hogg, and local residents.
The park is located adjacent to two recently opened mental health facilities within Springfield Village, which were completed in 2022 and 2023 as part of a £150 million project to redevelop Springfield University Hospital.
The development includes plans for 1,288 new homes, with 33% designated as affordable housing, and is expected to be finished by 2028. Additionally, the public square will host shops, cafés, a gym, and a care home.
In 2012, South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust received approval for a master plan aimed at replacing the rundown hospital buildings on the 92-acre site with state-of-the-art mental health facilities.
According to the trust, the village is designed to dismantle barriers and combat stigma associated with mental illness, integrating the facilities with the new housing, shops, and park.
Vanessa Ford, the chief executive of South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust, remarked that the new facilities have already “made a substantial difference,” highlighting a 36% decrease in patient safety incidents since their opening, which indicates that patients are receiving “safer, more effective healthcare.”
“We’ve established new residences where residents have received mental health first aid training, in addition to a park where people can gather.”
“We’ve introduced hope benches for people to sit and engage in meaningful discussions, fostering natural interactions that lead to changes in conversation, culture, and stigma.”
Mayor Khan expressed that “Springfield Park is a fantastic new facility, an essential part of the revitalization at Springfield Hospital that is providing vital affordable housing and green spaces for the community.”
