The Royal Parks charity has announced that planning permission has been granted for a new café at Roehampton Gate in Richmond Park.

The charity, which manages London’s eight Royal Parks, will fund the project to replace the popular café and improve the landscape around it to help increase biodiversity.

The current facilities at Roehampton Gate are temporary structures erected 20 years ago after a fire destroyed the original buildings. They do not offer the capacity or modern amenities required to serve park visitors.

The new space, designed by David Morley Architects, will be transformed into an environmentally outstanding café in keeping with its landscape. It will be a more family-friendly part of the park, offering a wide range of fresh produce to meet increased visitor demand and expectations. The park landscape around the café will be improved and enhanced to increase biodiversity.

A new car park entrance and cycling infrastructure will also be created.

The ‘Roehampton Restored’ project will revitalise this part of the park by replacing the existing café with a new “BREEAM “Excellent”-certified café. BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) is a long-standing method of assessing, rating, and certifying buildings’ sustainability performance.

Paul Richards, Richmond Park manager, The Royal Parks charity, said:

“We are thrilled to receive planning permission for this excellent project that we know many have been looking forward to for a long time. The new café at Roehampton Gate will be a vital social space for many residents and park visitors, and the improved design will mean more people will enjoy the space for years to come. The significant landscape improvements being made will have a positive impact on the biodiversity of the park, fitting for a National Nature Reserve (NNR) and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

“This milestone marks an exciting step forward, and we look forward to sharing more details with everyone soon.”

The timescale of the project is still to be confirmed.

We covered the proposal here.

 

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