Local Wildlife Site

Mile End Park is a long, linear site on the banks of the Regent’s Canal, stretching from Victoria Park to St. Paul’s Way. The park has been built up over many years, much of it on land gradually acquired from old housing and industrial areas. The park was rejuvenated at the turn of the Millennium, with new elements added and the previously separated parts drawn together and made far more accessible. The site is made up of linked areas of amenity and herb-rich grassland habitat, with numerous trees, discreet areas of woodland and scrub and formal planted beds of aromatic and nectar-rich herbs. Wetland features have been created in three sections of the park. There are a number of imaginative features which give it additional interest, including the Green Bridge, which provides a pleasant means of crossing the very busy Mile End Road, and the landscaped mounds which provide good views. The park is well laid out with formal and informal paths, including separate cycle paths, and has numerous seats. The park is always open and accessible from numerous points, including the canal towpath. The paths have a good surface and are well-graded, making it wheelchair accessible. The park is widely seen as an exemplar of how to incorporate large areas of wildlife habitat into a popular and well-used urban park. It won a Green Flag Award again in 2024. Tower Hamlets Healthy Walkers project uses this site as part of Walking the Way to Health (WHI) scheme.