Sitting pretty: how the proposed gardens would look
(Picture: Press handout)After the best part of a decade in the planning, a campaigner’s proposals for a new memorial park in honour of Queen Elizabeth II have been revealed.
First conceived by journalist Stefan Simanowitz as a way to mark Her Majesty’s 90th birthday, the plans involve turning a strip of Buckingham Palace Gardens — which are some 39 acres — into a public garden. The proposals retain the garden’s wall, but involve knocking arches through it so the public can access the area; a new fence would then be constructed to ensure the privacy and safety of the Palace grounds.
The park would be left in its natural state for the garden, with woodland, wild flowers and a butterfly meadow, but a new statue of the Queen would be erected.
“We had hoped this part of the Palace Gardens would be bequeathed to the nation by the Queen herself, but now — to mark her passing — the proposal is now to create a new Royal Park as a living legacy to our longest-serving Monarch,” said Simanowitz, founder of the Buckingham Palace Park Project. Despite the name, the project is entirely independent of the Palace itself.
“As this period of official national mourning comes to an end, our thoughts turn to how we will mark Her Majesty’s memory, we are hopeful that this project might act as both a fitting tribute to the Queen and as well a welcome new green space in a congested corner of London,” Simanowitz added.
The initial plans were politely rebuffed by King Charles — then the Prince of Wales — whose assistant private secretary Michael Whitehead wrote to Simanowitz in 2016: “Your reasons for writing as you did are very much appreciated and The Prince was interested to learn of your idea… Thank you once again, for writing to His Majesty who has asked me to pass you his very best wishes.”
Now, though, Simanowitz says he’s more hopeful, having attracted support from the chair of London's Environment Committee Zack Polanski, who is also the deputy leader of the Green Party.
As such, Simanowitz will be formally announcing the plans at 1pm by Marble Arch tomorrow, September 29.
