A renovation of an underused town centre park will be opened by August next year, the council says.

Harrow Council announced in January it had won £1.28million from Boris Johnson’s Outer London Fund to landscape and regenerate Lowlands Recreation Ground behind Harrow-on-the-Hill Station, and will select a winning design in the next few weeks.

The grant is being used to create a designated ‘town park’, which will include an outdoor performance space, seating, a café kiosk as well as new shrubs and plants.

Five design teams will be shortlisted by councillors this month, with a successful candidate decided in September.

Portfolio holder for planning and economic development, Councillor Keith Ferry, said that it was important that the “economic heart of the borough” looked good.

He added: “We are looking for a bright, energetic design-led team that has flair and imagination to make a truly special project that is responsive to context yet bold enough to change perceptions of Lowlands Recreation Ground and the town centre. 

“The project will be high quality but will need to be intelligently and swiftly developed. It will require a team that can demonstrate professional and technical expertise alongside a strong design ethos and a commitment to engaging the community.”

The proposals are part of the wider Harrow and Wealdstone Area Action Plan, a 15-year strategy to regenerate the area with key schemes including the refurbishment of Headstone Manor, redevelopment of the former Kodak site in Wealdstone and Harrow Teachers’ Centre in Tudor Road, and to turn the former ColArt factory in Whitefriars Avenue into homes and offices.

The council hopes the project, which also includes a refurbishment of St Ann’s Road, will bring £400m of investment into the borough and create new homes and jobs.