A glorious autumn day for a walk in the park – not the Jardin du Luxembourg this time but a new park on an old industrial site in St Ouen.

 

The boundaries of the park are softened by planting of trees, shrubs and perennials extending out into the surrounding neighbourhood
Some boundaries are solid but moveable
Moat-like canals separate different parts of the park
There have been allotments on this site since the 1920s – they were closed for 5 years during the redevelopment
Rough grassland is managed as hay meadow to enhance biodiversity
Subtly coloured safety surfacing helps play areas blend into the park landscape
Some parts of the park, like the wetland area in the foreground, are out of bounds to human visitors – neatly managed but for wildlife only
I spotted two different species of heron along this canal as well as coots, moorhens and ducks

 

The Grand Parc des Docks is the centrepiece of a new ecoquartier of housing and business premises.  As with Parc Martin Luther King in Clichy-Batignolles the park was planted in the early stages of the project so it is already looking well established.

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