Calvert Avenue Parklet, Shoreditch

Shoreditch Parklet

Located on Calvert Avenue, just off Shoreditch High Street, Meristem's Parklet installation is in the heart of the urban, bustling and inspiring design landscape of Shoreditch, East London. As such, our design has bought some calm and sanctuary to this busy road, and created an environment that passers by, and coffee shop goers can enjoy the greenery that the Parklet provides.

This venture is a joint partnership between Hackney Council, Islington Council and Tower Hamlets Council, with backing from the Mayor of London's office. The Parklet is part of a larger initiative to encourage green spaces, cleaner air, and promote cycling, under the LEN City Fringe initiative and the Low Emissions Neighbourhood programme.

Shoreditch Parklet

The design includes 4 bike stands, accommodating 8 bikes for temporary bike parking, seating for up to 14 people, 2 large tree's and a 12 metre long trellis of climbing and sprawling plants. The planting scheme is a soft and natural theme, incorporating glorious scents and some edible plants, including rosemary, cherries, and bay bushes. The design is also modular, so it can be moved to other locations over the 3 boroughs. The deck is split into 10 sections, and has a steel frame with adaptable height feet to suit a variety of curb heights. The planters are also designed as such to be taken apart and reassembled in an alternative location.

Maintenance for the Parklet is managed by SCT which is a local charity based in East London. The charity provides support and practical training to assist people who have been homeless and suffering from addiction, poverty or social isolation. As such, the Parklets maintenance and horticultural care is provided by those who are in a recovery programme at SCT. 

The SCT CEO Steve Coles said:

  • It has deprioritized polluting traffic and prioritised clean air

  • Our gardening training team look after the unit providing employment and financial assistance

  • We intend to expand the maintenance to new Pocket Parks so it is a game changer and will allow us to help recovering addicts.

  • The biggest benefit is that since it was installed our revenue from the coffee shop has gone up by 20%, that really will make a huge difference to our work!

Parklet Visual