Crabtree Fields to re-open after major refurbishment

Crabtree Fields public park will re-open after several months of refurbishment works are completed and will be unveiled this month at a special event.

The public open space has been closed since early spring while a contractor working for Camden Council has removed greenery including trees and climbing plants along with the central wooden pergola which was a distinctive feature of the park since it was first created.

Now the park has been redesigned by architects DSDHA with a new perimeter fence, children’s play area, a different style of pergola, and a low maintenance planting scheme.

It will be officially opened at 12noon on Friday 19 September at a public event with refreshments, children’s activities, and community information.

Local councillors from Camden will be in attendance along with representatives of Fitzrovia community groups and businesses. The event will run until 5pm.

The Friends of Crabtree Fields voluntary group intend to organise ongoing community events including gardening, litter picking, and children’s activities.

The works have been carried out by Ginkgo Landscape Contractors at a cost of around £271,000 after a public consultation on the new design was carried out during 2023 and 2024.

The public open space, on the corner of Whitfield Street and Colville Place, first opened in the 1980s and over the years the former car park has become a haven for wildlife.

A large amount of greenery has been removed from the park including all the ivy along the southern wall and a rowan tree. Some new trees are expected to be planted.

According to a council report published last year, a priority for the renovation work is to reduce the already low maintenance costs for the upkeep of the park.

“The replacement pergola at Crabtree Fields will also reduce the maintenance liability to the service. In recent years it’s become an ongoing liability to maintain and repair,” stated the report.

In 2023 local residents complained that the park was filthy, some park users were abusive, threatening and playing loud music, and they wanted more police and warden patrols through the public space and better and more frequent maintenance.

However, they were told by council officers that there was no money to step up police and warden patrols or improve cleaning and garden maintenance at the park but that the park would undergo a re-design.

According to the final designs, the “low maintenance planting plan” will help to “increase biodiversity throughout the park and surrounding areas” and the “increased visibility throughout the space will help to encourage more positive use and increase the sense of safety”.

Ginkgo Landscape is delivering the opening event as part of the refurbishment contract.

Crabtree Fields re-opening event: 12noon to 5pm, Friday 19 September 2025. The park is located on the corner of Colville Place and Whitfield Street.

Editor’s note: This article previously stated “An opening ceremony will take place at 1pm”. It will instead take place at 12noon.

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