Central Park, London's newest park opens in Beam Park, Rainham

Central Park, situated in the heart of the more than £1billion regeneration scheme in Rainham, officially opened to the public on May 31.

Vistry Group, through its Countryside Partnerships brand, and L&Q, one of the largest housing associations in the UK, are behind this new public green space.

The opening was marked by a free community event, including a Ferris wheel, games, face painting and music.

Councillors from Barking and Dagenham and Havering join Countryside and L&Q to open Central Park (Image: SEC Newgate UK)

Play facilities at the riverside park include a river-themed trail with wooden structures and rocks, a swing set, jungle gym, climbing structures, and an another playground.

Kevin Delve, managing director of Vistry East London, said: "With over half of the 29-hectare site set aside for open space, providing well-designed parks and green spaces is absolutely fundamental to our Beam Park regeneration."

He added that the park is expected to "swiftly become a firm favourite of the local community".

Open spaces and play areas have been a part of the vision for the Beam Park regeneration from the start, and plans are underway for more spaces.

The new park sits either side of the River Beam (Image: SEC Newgate UK)

More than 58 per cent of the previously inaccessible brownfield site will be open space when the Beam Park masterplan is complete.

Plans for the final phases of the site include an additional 2.5-hectare public park on the western side of the development.

John Lumley, strategic sales director at L&Q, said: "This is far more than a regeneration scheme, as we are not just in the business of building homes - our mission is to combine our social purpose and commercial drive to create homes and neighbourhoods everyone can be proud of.

The park is part of the Beam Park regeneration scheme (Image: SEC Newgate UK)

"And we certainly hope that Central Park will soon become yet another successful addition to the local community, which they can enjoy and bring to life."

Beam Park was once the site of a former Ford manufacturing plant.

The first two phases of the development have seen the delivery of 1,063 homes.

Community facilities such as a nursery, medical centre, retail spaces, and a primary school, which is currently under construction, are also part of the scheme.