London mayor Boris Johnson has opened a new area of parkland on a site formerly occupied by the Aldgate gyratory traffic system in central London.

Braham Street Park - a 160m (525ft) long stretch of public space - boasts grassed and planted areas, a fountain and one of London's longest continuous wooden benches. The project forms part of Johnson's wider Great Outdoors initiative to improve parks, streets and public squares across the capital, as well as the High Street 2012 programme to improve key routes in time for the London Olympics.

Developer Tishman Speyer contributed £2m towards the creation of Braham Street Park through planning obligations to Tower Hamlets Council - a partner in the scheme alongside Design for London. The London Development Agency contributed £350,000. Johnson said: "The historic district in which this new park sits, where the East End borders London's financial hub, has long been in need of some love and attention.

"This is exactly the kind of transformation that we are replicating across London ahead of 2012 and beyond - improving the local environment, and bringing formerly disused or underused spaces back to life for Londoners to enjoy."