The Town Centre Gardens were designed as an integral part of the masterplan for Stevenage New Town, the first New Town in the UK. The gardens were designed by Gordon Patterson, the landscape architect for Stevenage New Town, and constructed between 1959 and 1961. As the name suggests the gardens are located within the town centre providing amenity for the shoppers and workers of Stevenage as well as residents of the nearby flats and houses. The gardens are composed of two large open spaces with a lake, sensory gardens, play area and extensive tree and shrub planting and civic art.
In the second half of the 20th century, the Gardens suffered from a lack of investment leading to inconsistent maintenance and the degradation of the infrastructure of the grounds. It was seen as a location known for anti-social behaviour and criminal activity; culminating in a serious assault in the late 1990s. The project to regenerate the gardens commenced in 2006 with public engagement over the summer months. Subsequently the masterplaning exercise gained support from the Heritage Lottery Fund and ultimately secured funding from the Parks for People fund. Works to the park were carried out over two phases with phase one (Growth Area Funding) being completed in 2008 and phase two commencing in summer 2010 and completed in summer 2011.
