Corby park gets a makeover inspired by its history

Corby Borough and Kettering Borough councillors together with officers from the new shared service team and members of the Friends of Coronation Park group plant new trees as part of the makeover

After studying old pictures and the park’s heritage, the new Corby and Kettering Shared Service Ground Maintenance Team are undertaking work to make Coronation Park a town centre garden once more.

The main aims are to create a town centre space where people feel safe to walk, stop and enjoy it, and give visitors and Corby residents a green and colourful place to relax.

Corby Borough Councillor Mark Pengelly and Kettering Borough Councillor Ian Jelley plant one of the new trees at Coronation Park

The park's history shows it was a formal area with gardens and flower beds and this is what the shared service team want to recreate.

Corby Council’s lead member for environment, Cllr Mark Pengelly, said: "We are very pleased to see work taking place at Coronation Park.

"It has been a much loved green space in Corby for many years and it is exciting to see work taking place to bring it back to its former glory for residents and visitors to enjoy.

"Working with the Friends of Coronation Park the key priorities are to now really open up the park with clear sight lines through the park, increasing the sense of space, making it a more welcoming place to be and to improve the feeling of safety while in the park."

Work so far has included clearing out all old, poor quality woody shrubs and self-set trees and diseased, dead or dying trees to allow better quality ones to thrive.

A new tree management system will be introduced with a priority of focusing on the remaining high-quality trees and rebuild the parks tree stock around them.

The benefits of biodiversity will be enhanced come planting time by increasing the variety of species of new trees and flowers.

The follow-up enhanced maintenance will be under constant review and will include the community and the Friends of Coronation Park in further planting projects.

Cyril Sellars, a member of the Friends of Coronation Park group, said: "As a member of the Corby community who remembers Coronation Park in all of its former glory, the work being undertaken is very welcome news to myself and other members of the Friends Of group.

"Coronation Park is a beautiful green space that Corby is very lucky to have, so I look forward to residents being able to enjoy the park at its very best."