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29 December 2004
Diana Memorial work confirmed

The planned reinstatement work for the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain has been confirmed as starting on the 10th January 2005. The Memorial will be fully reopened on 1st May 2005.

The four month project will see the replacement of turf worn away by high visitor numbers in the summer; the extension of the existing path to facilitate visitor access to popular features; and the installation of an enhanced drainage system.

The need for such work was first announced on the 11th August 2004, when the Memorial reopened after two weeks closure for health & safety reasons.

The work has been scheduled to take in the low season for visitors to Hyde Park and will catch the critical growing season for the turf.

Greg McErlean, Head of Major Projects, said:

“Following the reopening in August 2004 this is the first practical opportunity we have had to do this important work. The programme of work has required expert input from soil scientists, stonemasons, landscape designers and many others. The Memorial has had its problems in the last six months but this work will ensure that it is truly a special place of relaxation and remembrance for years to come.”

The returfing will see the upgrading of the existing 12mm thick turf to 35mm thick wear-resistant rye grass turf. This turf, more usually found in sports grounds, will be robust enough to handle the high level of visitor interest at the Memorial, which saw up to 5000 people per hour at the site in the summer of 2004.

The existing pathway will be extended to run around the southern and western edges of the Memorial, taking in some of the most popular features including the tranquil pool, the mountain stream and the source. This path, which is subject to local authority planning processes, will reduce the pressure on the surrounding grass during adverse weather.

Drainage at the site will be enhanced, for example with the introduction of rootzone slits, to enable the area to cope with extreme wet weather, and there will be minor elements of work on the Memorial itself, including the introduction of under-bridge safety bars.

The current management system that asks people not to walk or run in the water and uses stewards to look after a fenced area around the Memorial site will continue into the summer.