Cator Park in Kidbrooke is a new park built into Kidbrooke Village, a housing development by Berkeley Homes working with HTA Design and the London Wildlife Trust. Cator Park abuts on to Sutcliffe Park and stretches northwards on either side of the A2213. It is a complex and interesting site which is well worth taking time to explore.

Creating Cator Park

In many ways Kidbrooke Village embodies the spirit of Sir Ebenezer Howard and his garden city ideals. In the 1960s his ideas surfaced again in the writings of Jane Jacobs as ‘placemaking’.

The development aims to create a community with blocks of flats and houses, rather than freestanding houses. In the village there are offices and shops as well as green spaces. And for transport Kidbrooke Station is in the heart of the estate.

The village includes private gardens, landscaped public squares and streets, and podium landscapes – gardens above ground level inside a building, often above a car park. The aim of the layout is to allow people to connect with a diverse natural environment and in so doing enhance their mental and physical well-being.

Cator Park was Highly Commended in the Placemaking Strategy of the New London Awards 2020 and won the Sir David Attenborough Award for Enhancing Biodiversity in 2020.

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South Cator Park

The southern part of the park abuts on to Sutcliffe Park. It includes a lake, a grassy area under trees and a multi-purpose ball court. The OneSpace Cafe in this area will be demolished and replaced with new blocks of flats.

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North Cator Park

There are lakes and wetlands and a new chalk stream is the backbone of the landscape in north Cator park.

There are new wildflower meadows, hedgerows, meadows and open and varied play areas.

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Cator Park in Kidbrooke is both surprising and beautiful, truly full of delights!