Leading London Greens visited Crystal Palace Park on Monday 14 April as part of their pledge to protect green spaces in London.
Green Assembly Member, Darren Johnson, played a leading role in defeating hugely controversial plans for a multiplex cinema there in 2001 and more recently has given strong support to local residents in fighting plans to build housing on the edge of the park.
Sian Berry, Green Mayor and Assembly candidate, along with Darren Johnson and Bromley & Bexley candidate Ann Garrett, have pledged to scrap London Development Agency plans to build on the park and to expand and protect London’s Green spaces.
Siân said: "It is impossible for Londoners to have a decent quality of life if the environment is polluted, noisy, poorly maintained and under threat locally and globally. Access to good quality green space is a justice issue – poorer areas have less, increasing risk of illness and depression.
"Green space defines the character of outer London, and we need to be vigilant against pressures to turn everything outside Zone 2 into a suburban sprawl. New developments should be on previously-used land – "brownfield" – only, with our green spaces preserved for the future."
The Greens’ policies for the protection and improvement of the London environment include:
- New development on "brown-field" land only – and then only subject to biodiversity audit.
- Use of planning powers to ensure provision of local sports and leisure facilities.
- Preservation of threatened, important historical, architectural and community buildings.
- All the Mayor’s planning meetings to be held in public. Objectors will have the same right to present their case as developers.
- Defence and expansion of London’s green spaces – by opposing environmentally damaging planning proposals and employing well-trained managers to improve biodiversity.
- A major tree-planting scheme to ensure street trees in every street.
- Work to remove motor traffic from London’s parks.
- Use planning powers to promote green/living roofs.
- A properly funded, established and fully protected Green Grid Network of linked open spaces in the Thames Gateway development as part of the basic infrastructure.