A NEW garden designed with the help of schoolchildren is now open to the public. 

The Rubble Garden, positioned between Colchester's High Street and the Rafael Viñoly-designed Firstsite visual arts centre, has transformed a disused site into a communal area.

Children from Colchester, aged between 11 and 14, co-created garden furniture now incorporated into the new space, alongside plantings by horticulturalists Beth Chatto’s Plants and Gardens and Darryl Moore Design.

The furniture includes a four-meter-long table with seating and a plant-worthy bench, crafted with local oak and painted metal.

Michele King is the community and social impact manager at Latimer, the development arm of Clarion Housing Group.

She said: "The Garden Community will be an integral part of the local area, with youth engagement and empowerment at the heart of our plans.

"Young people offer unique insights that shape development in original and creative ways.

"We’re very excited to see these insights come to life at the Rubble Garden and in the Garden Community’s continued evolution."

The site of the former bus station, which is owned by Essex County Council, had previously stood derelict for more than 10 years.