The Green Party’s candidate for Mayor of London has pledged to create ten new parks across London if elected.
In a policy pledge before the upcoming Mayor of London election, Zoë Garbett pledges to create ‘ten new parks’ across the city.
She would designate areas like Leigh Road Sports Ground in East Ham in the London Plan and put a plan in place to transform derelict and neglected green areas into vibrant community parks.
Zoë said,
“Parks are vital community spaces where residents can enjoy nature, children can play and people can exercise and come together in a safe environment. Study after study shows just how important green space is, but London has the lowest levels of green space availability in all of the UK (1).
“Well managed parks and green spaces provide habitat for wildlife, help protect our city from the impacts of climate change, and play a vital role in improving air quality.
“Across London, there are many examples of property developers ‘land banking’ large areas of green space – in some cases former community recreation grounds, neglecting them and hoping that local councils will grant planning permission to build incredibly unsuitable developments.
“I will make sure these areas are designated as park land in the London Plan and I will make sure funding is available to help local councils and community groups get started.”
Joe Hudson-Small, the Green Party candidate for City and East in the London Assembly elections highlighted Leigh Road Sports Groundas being a place that would be suitable for one of the new parks.
Joe said,
“Zoë and the Green Party have an ambitious plan not just to protect London’s historic green spaces but to reclaim green space back from unused and boarded-off development sites and open these spaces up for use by local communities.
“The ‘Ten New Parks’ initiative includes the Leigh Road Sports Ground in Newham which has been fenced off and inaccessible for years.
“Newham has the least publicly accessible green space per person of any London Borough (2) and developing this area as a new park would support local biodiversity and reduce the impact of air pollution from the North Circular for residents living in East Ham.”
On the announcement, Alice Roberts, Head of Campaigns from CPRE London said, “Too many green sites in London are fenced off and derelict. It’s a huge waste.
“That’s why we’re campaigning to bring them back into use and asking London Mayoral Election candidates to sign up to creating a minimum of 10 major new parks or nature reserves for London by 2030 – giving a new lease of life – and a clear identity – to large areas of neglected and dis-used or under-used land, turning them into attractive, welcoming destinations for all.”
Notes:
1 | Green Space Index, Fields in Trust, 2019.
2 | Two major new parks needed in Newham, say green space campaigners – CPRE London