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Grosvenor Square to be turned into wildlife haven

Tony Grew
BBC News
Grosvenor An artist's impression of an urban square with colourful plants and mature trees. Some buildings are visible in the background and children are playing on the right of the image. Grosvenor
New trees and floral displays are set to transform Grosvenor Square in Mayfair

A central London square is to undergo a "radical reimagining" with the planting of 80,000 bulbs, 44 trees, wetlands and 70,000 plants.

The aim is to make Grosvenor Square in Mayfair "a place for visitors and residents to reconnect with nature".

The revamp of the area, known for being the former location of the US embassy, will be paid for by Grosvenor, a property company owned by the Duke of Westminster and his family.

It is due to open in summer 2026 and will be "the largest private investment in public green space in the West End for a generation", Grosvenor said.

Grosvenor An artist's impression of an urban square with colourful plants and mature trees. There is a curved path with benches and people sitting on the benches and on the grass. Grosvenor
The existing London plane trees will be retained in the revamped square

It will be the fourth redesign of the square in its 300-year history and is intended to pay homage to the original 1720s design, reinstating an oval shaped lawn, framed by a new footpath and a surrounding woodland garden.

Horticulturalist Nigel Dunnett, who is leading the square's planting strategy, said swapping grassland for flowering lawns and new woodland plantings beneath the London plane trees would create new wildlife havens and gardens "that will look fantastic year-round".

Getty Images Grosvenor Square as it looks currently - it is a rainy day with benches in the foreground and a low hedge with grass behind them. There are blocks of red bricked buildings in the background. Getty Images
The Duke of Westminster hopes the plans, which have been shaped by more than 7,000 people, will breathe new life into the square

Grosvenor Square was the location of the US embassy from 1912 to 2017 and became well-known for a number of protests held there.

The square has long associations with the US. The country's first ambassador to Britain, John Adams, lived in the square from 1785 to 1788.

He later served as the second president of the United States.

Grosvenor Square is also home to the UK memorial to the British victims of the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington in 2001.

The memorial will be retained in the new version of the square.

Alex Clarke OBE, a September 11 family member, said the Memorial Garden in Grosvenor Square "has been a highly valued place of peace and remembrance for the families of the 67 British victims of the September 11 attacks".

She said she was "thrilled that the square is set to become a place of natural tranquillity".

Ms Clarke added: "Its rich landscape and birdsong will enhance the memorial's setting and offer a calming retreat from the hubbub of daily life."

Grosvenor An artist's impression of an urban square with colourful plants and mature trees. A memorial pergola is in the right of the image and grand buildings are in the rear of the image. Grosvenor
A memorial to the victims of the 9/11 attacks will be retained in the revamped gardens

The Duke of Westminster said the transformation had been shaped by more than 7,000 people who shared their ideas and voted on the design, and he was "deeply grateful" for community for the plans.

He said: "Our ambition is for Grosvenor Square to once again become a treasured green space for everyone to enjoy and where people of all ages can reconnect with nature in the heart of the city.

"Through an innovative and ambitious approach to planting, we are championing sustainability and climate-adaptation."

Grosvenor An artist's impression of an urban square with colourful plants and mature trees. Some buildings are visible in the background and children are playing on the left of the image. Grosvenor
The redevelopment includes a new education building for people to learn about biodiversity and climate change

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