A new chapter for Langthorne Park

Your park is changing

Langthorne Park is an important and well-loved neighbourhood park at the heart of South Leytonstone. During the South Leytonstone Area Framework engagement events and the Langthorne Park Festival you told us you want to see the park flourish, make it safer, celebrate its natural spaces, and offer more community activities.

We have taken your suggestions on board and commissioned Jonathan Cook Landscape Architects (JCLA) to help us develop an exciting vision built around five big ideas that came directly from you:

  • Making the park work better – removing the clutter and simplifying the park so everyone can enjoy the space more easily
  • Creating a safer environment - tackling antisocial behaviour and adapt how some of the park areas are laid out ensuring everyone in the park feels safe and secure
  • Celebrating nature - protecting and showcasing the natural beauty in the park, from its large pond to its impressive trees
  • Building community - opening up new ways for visitors to get involved with the park through activities and volunteering opportunities

The vision and early concept ideas for improving the park can be viewed in the Concept Design Report, which you can download from the documents list on the righthand side of this page. It provides a technical overview of opportunities for improving Langthorne Park and sets out guiding principles for potential future interventions within the park, subject to the availability of funding. The purpose of this report is to inform and guide the detailed development and design of individual projects the Council might be able to deliver in the coming years, subject to funding being secured.

The project so far

The first phase of park improvements was carried out in early 2026. The improvements, driven by feedback and involvement from residents, include:

  • a dedicated Forest School learning area, forming a local base for The Hive in the south of Waltham Forest
  • the transformation of the park's service entrance by Birch Grove into a welcoming pedestrian entrance
  • step-free access from street into the park
  • removal of internal fences, railings and an outdated pergola to create a more open and welcoming space
  • extended tree pits and planting beds
  • improved and expanded cycle parking
  • a compact car park and dedicated storage area for park teams

Biodiversity and climate resilience were an important part of the improvements, which included a new raingarden to absorb rainwater from the car park and entrance area; extended planted areas with robust planting capable of withstanding warmer temperatures and humidity; and larger tree pits to improve tree health and absorption of rainwater.

Blackhorse Workshop CIC worked closely with the Langthorne Park Youth Club and Wood Street Walls to refresh public art throughout the park, including new footway insets to replace the stolen cast-iron insets and broken mosaic, artwork on the storage containers in the maintenance area, and fence poetry.

There’s more to come later this summer, when we’ll see the installation of a café hatch in the Pavilion building, for the sale of snacks and refreshments during activities and events; festoon lighting between the street and pavilion building; new park signage including Toy Library and Forest School signs; bespoke board games attached to the seats of the amphitheatre; and the installation of the Langthorne Park community flag, created by Blackhorse Workshop CIC with the with the Langthorne Park Youth Club.

This first phase of park improvements was funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (Central Government), developer contributions (CIL and Neighbourhood CIL), and SANGS contributions for improving access to nature and greenspaces. Head over to our Green & Blue Space hub to find out more about how we invest in parks green and green spaces.

Next steps

We continue to seek funding to deliver the full suite of project proposals set out in the Concept Design Report for the park. As and when funding becomes available, the project proposals will be developed in more detail with local community and stakeholders.

If you are interested in getting involved in the next phases of the project, you can contact us by emailing regeneration@walthamforest.gov.uk, and Sign up to our newsletter for the latest project updates.

We also want to hear about any projects or activities people are involved with locally and explore opportunities for support and collaboration. We are particularly keen on hearing from local youth groups, sports clubs and garden enthusiasts who are interested in volunteering opportunities or organising activities in the park. If there is a project or something you're working on which you'd like to let us know about, please contact us by e-mailing: regeneration@walthamforest.gov.uk

Your park is changing

Langthorne Park is an important and well-loved neighbourhood park at the heart of South Leytonstone. During the South Leytonstone Area Framework engagement events and the Langthorne Park Festival you told us you want to see the park flourish, make it safer, celebrate its natural spaces, and offer more community activities.

We have taken your suggestions on board and commissioned Jonathan Cook Landscape Architects (JCLA) to help us develop an exciting vision built around five big ideas that came directly from you:

  • Making the park work better – removing the clutter and simplifying the park so everyone can enjoy the space more easily
  • Creating a safer environment - tackling antisocial behaviour and adapt how some of the park areas are laid out ensuring everyone in the park feels safe and secure
  • Celebrating nature - protecting and showcasing the natural beauty in the park, from its large pond to its impressive trees
  • Building community - opening up new ways for visitors to get involved with the park through activities and volunteering opportunities

The vision and early concept ideas for improving the park can be viewed in the Concept Design Report, which you can download from the documents list on the righthand side of this page. It provides a technical overview of opportunities for improving Langthorne Park and sets out guiding principles for potential future interventions within the park, subject to the availability of funding. The purpose of this report is to inform and guide the detailed development and design of individual projects the Council might be able to deliver in the coming years, subject to funding being secured.

The project so far

The first phase of park improvements was carried out in early 2026. The improvements, driven by feedback and involvement from residents, include:

  • a dedicated Forest School learning area, forming a local base for The Hive in the south of Waltham Forest
  • the transformation of the park's service entrance by Birch Grove into a welcoming pedestrian entrance
  • step-free access from street into the park
  • removal of internal fences, railings and an outdated pergola to create a more open and welcoming space
  • extended tree pits and planting beds
  • improved and expanded cycle parking
  • a compact car park and dedicated storage area for park teams

Biodiversity and climate resilience were an important part of the improvements, which included a new raingarden to absorb rainwater from the car park and entrance area; extended planted areas with robust planting capable of withstanding warmer temperatures and humidity; and larger tree pits to improve tree health and absorption of rainwater.

Blackhorse Workshop CIC worked closely with the Langthorne Park Youth Club and Wood Street Walls to refresh public art throughout the park, including new footway insets to replace the stolen cast-iron insets and broken mosaic, artwork on the storage containers in the maintenance area, and fence poetry.

There’s more to come later this summer, when we’ll see the installation of a café hatch in the Pavilion building, for the sale of snacks and refreshments during activities and events; festoon lighting between the street and pavilion building; new park signage including Toy Library and Forest School signs; bespoke board games attached to the seats of the amphitheatre; and the installation of the Langthorne Park community flag, created by Blackhorse Workshop CIC with the with the Langthorne Park Youth Club.

This first phase of park improvements was funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (Central Government), developer contributions (CIL and Neighbourhood CIL), and SANGS contributions for improving access to nature and greenspaces. Head over to our Green & Blue Space hub to find out more about how we invest in parks green and green spaces.

Next steps

We continue to seek funding to deliver the full suite of project proposals set out in the Concept Design Report for the park. As and when funding becomes available, the project proposals will be developed in more detail with local community and stakeholders.

If you are interested in getting involved in the next phases of the project, you can contact us by emailing regeneration@walthamforest.gov.uk, and Sign up to our newsletter for the latest project updates.

We also want to hear about any projects or activities people are involved with locally and explore opportunities for support and collaboration. We are particularly keen on hearing from local youth groups, sports clubs and garden enthusiasts who are interested in volunteering opportunities or organising activities in the park. If there is a project or something you're working on which you'd like to let us know about, please contact us by e-mailing: regeneration@walthamforest.gov.uk

  • This survey has closed. We are now reviewing your feedback and survey responses, which will help us shape designs. Please email regeneration@walthamforest.gov.uk if you have any questions.

    Improvements to Langthorne Park