Mother of all London parks

It will be 10 times larger than New York's Central Park and will stretch from the Thames to the North Downs.

An enterprising plan to create an 8,000-acre "superpark" straddling four London boroughs could be created in the next two years.

The attempt to create a green swathe through the suburbs should end in a remarkable 13 square-mile enterprise called the Wandle Valley Regional Park.

It will link a patchwork of open spaces in Sutton, Merton, Croydon and Wandsworth as well as adopting new areas of parkland.

The park merges spaces including Poulter Park, Beddington Park and a landfill site near Hackbridge.

The proposal includes cycle paths, new wildlife areas and riverside walks as well as an information centre, the restoration of old water mills and the regeneration of all leisure and sports facilities. It is expected to cost at least £8 million.

Councillor Lyn Gleeson, executive member for planning and regeneration in Sutton, said: "This is a hugely exciting project that looks to enhance one of our great natural assets - the River Wandle - and upgrade green spaces across south-west London. We want to create a sustainable community, in which all can take part and take pride."

The project aims to improve the river environment and help reintroduce water voles "in a series of linked habitats".

Flood storage areas could be provided to lessen the risk of pollution from industries following heavy rain.

Thames Water was fined £125,000 after 7,000 fish died when thousands of litres of sodium hydroxide were released from Beddington sewage treatment works into the Wandle in September 2007.

The environmental charity Groundwork has drafted the superpark proposal - modelled on the Lee Valley Regional Park, site of the Olympic stadium - and it is set to be approved on 31 March after consultation.

Groundwork together with the Greater London Authority secured the initial EU funding to develop their plan but the group is still looking at how it will be funded, managed and maintained long term.

A spokesman for Saul (sustainable and accessible urban landscapes), which is leading a steering group on the proposal, said: "It is an immense project and there are 90 different organisations involved in the decision."

The development will form a key part of the Mayor's London Plan, which calls for the creation of "joined-up" green spaces in the capital. The plan proposed that parks and other areas along the River Wandle be developed as a "regional park for London".

Groundwork has launched a website, www.wandlevalleypark.org.uk, and visitors can add their comments to an interactive map before the end of the consultation period.