Located between St Joseph’s Primary School and the historic St Paul’s Church, the park is the result of Tideway’s work on London’s super sewer project.
The space was repurposed after a vital sewer connection was made to help reduce sewage spills into the River Thames.
Following eight years of construction, the site has now been returned to the community.
Mete Coban, Deputy Mayor of London for Environment and Energy, said: “This inspiring project shows how investment in vital infrastructure can go hand in hand with empowering communities in London – not only by cleaning up our rivers, but by creating welcoming, high-quality public spaces that people can enjoy every day.
“The Mayor and I want to make London’s rivers something that every Londoner can be proud of.
“It’s great to see that Tideway is leaving a positive legacy above ground as well as below it, strengthening neighbourhoods like Deptford while protecting the River Thames for generations to come as we build a better, greener London for everyone.”
An opening ceremony was held onsite, attended by around 100 people, and featured carols performed by a choir from St Joseph’s Primary School.
Tideway’s work on Deptford Church Street involved constructing a 48-metre-deep, 17-metre-wide shaft to connect the Deptford Storm Relief combined sewer overflow (CSO) to the new Greenwich Connection Tunnel.
Historically, the CSO discharged nearly 1.5 million tonnes of storm sewage into the Thames each year—a figure that will now be reduced by around 90 per cent.
Jim Avant, Tideway’s Deputy Programme Director, said: “This is a fantastic moment and an important milestone for Tideway, as we hand this civic space back to the local community.
“Delivering a major piece of underground infrastructure in the heart of a busy neighbourhood has not been simple, and I’d like to thank local residents for their patience throughout the works.
“Watching this site transform from a construction site into a new public park has been a real source of pride for everyone involved in the project, and I hope the community will enjoy this space for many years to come—all while the infrastructure beneath continues to protect the River Thames.”
Features of the new park include a play area co-designed with pupils from St Joseph’s Primary School during a 2018 workshop.
The area is described as a “playable landscape,” with natural elements such as a rock clambering wall, stepping stones, boulders, a slide, and wobbly sheep.
Tideway also commissioned Studio Weave to create permanent artwork for the park.
The four sculptural pieces are plinths that celebrate Deptford’s community values: heritage, resilience, variety, and liveliness.
J.J. Cliff from Studio Weave said: “We are happy to be able to contribute to the public realm of Deptford.
“These artworks are a small part of a contribution to a rich community, delivered as an invitation to the people of Deptford to make use of them.”
Bespoke wildflower turf has been installed to recreate the area’s original biodiversity, with botanists from Creekside Discovery Centre preserving a patch of the original grass during construction.
The site also includes 29 newly planted native and ornamental trees, with 87 more planted in nearby areas.
