An array of 1930s archaeological artefacts have been unearthed close to the foundations of the old amenity building in Lesnes Abbey Woods Park, Belvedere.

Human remains were among the historical treasures found at the development site; they are currently being examined offsite by specialist professional teams.

In order to safeguard the find, the foundations and steel structure for the new Lesnes Lodge building have been redesigned.

This redesign has impacted on the timings for construction of the new building which is expected to be complete in early 2016.

The £7.7m investment project is in part funded by the Parks for People programme grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). The other £4.2m project is funded by Bexley Council.

Cabinet member for community safety, environment and leisure, Peter Craske said: "This is an exciting discovery that highlights the historical significance of Lesnes Abbey Woods which we want to preserve for the local community.

"We are continuing to work with specialists to manage and safeguard the site’s unique archaeology and will update the local community as things progress."

The construction of the new Lesnes Lodge on the site of the old amenity building is just one of a number of significant developments being made to Lesnes Abbey Wood Park.

The council hope their endeavours will encourage more visitors to the area. The improvement work is on schedule to be completed by summer 2016 but there have been set backs.

Coun Danny Hackett of the Lesnes Abbey ward said: "It is a fantastic find and I appreciate the stall that has had to happen. But there is a concern that this was known before the works started. On top of this residents have not seen any action on the site. We are at least three months behind schedule." 

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As the re-development continues, works to highlight the Lesnes Mulberry tree as a feature, are almost complete. New fencing and temporary information lecterns have been installed to share the tree’s special history with visitors. However, Coun Hackett has expressed councerns. 

He said: "The fence is nothing like the original design. It was meant to be something the people can come to and admire. Instead it's a few metal poles."

Landscape work will begin in the autumn on other new facilities which include a new trim trail, outdoor gym, table tennis and picnic tables.

Several outdoor learning experiences such as a heathland classroom, a Monk’s Garden and a new skyline viewing point, will also be created.

The Lesnes Abbey Woods Enhancement project team will be holding another of the regular Meet us at the Park sessions on August 28 to update the community on how plans to improve the park are developing.

The event is free and will feature activities such as medieval tile making, stone masonry and guided walks around the semi ancient woodland at Lesnes.

The session will also include demonstrations of parkour activities along with workshops to introduce people to the sport and enable them to make full use of the parkour zone at Lesnes - it will be the first of its kind in the borough.

Coun Craske said: "In the meantime we would urge people to treat the park with respect and refrain from metal detecting, in particular, as this is illegal and could cause irreparable damage."

For more information on the improvements at Lesnes Abbey Woods visit www.visitlesnes.co.uk