Liverpool to protect all parks and green spaces

Liverpool City Council is set to protect and guarantee access to its parks and green spaces, forever.

The council’s cabinet meets today (19 March) to discuss legally protecting 100 much-loved parks and green spaces across the city.

Councillors will also set out the ambition that every resident will live no more than a ten-minute walk from a high-quality green space.

The commitment is part of a new strategic partnership between the local authority and the charity Fields in Trust.

As part of the wider city recovery plan, Liverpool’s acting mayor, Cllr Wendy Simon has committed to work with Fields in Trust and secure legal protection of Liverpool’s entire portfolio of green space.

‘Liverpool is blessed to have so many stunning green spaces, and this new initiative means we can ensure everyone has access to free, local outdoor spaces for sport, play and recreation, forever,’ said Cllr Simon.

‘The health, wellbeing and community benefits these locations deliver are priceless, demonstrated so clearly during this pandemic where they have become such a central and important part of our lives.

‘And the benefits aren’t just health related. Access to green spaces improves our neighbourhoods, tackles climate change, supports education and economic growth and they frequently become the stage on which we host many of our hugely popular cultural celebrations.

‘Our partnership with Fields in Trust is a ground-breaking, forward-thinking approach to protecting our parks and green spaces and we look forward to working with them to secure the future of these vital assets,’ added Cllr Simon.

Fields in Trust’s evaluation of Liverpool’s green space shows that there is around 25.3 square metres per person, around a quarter the size of a six-yard box on a football pitch. Yet only four hectares of Liverpool’s parks are currently protected leaving them vulnerable to loss or building development.

This new commitment will protect green spaces in every one of Liverpool’s 30 wards and guarantee they will remain as green spaces forever.

This is vital when one in six people in Liverpool (16%) have no access to a private or shared garden, compared to one in eight people (12%) across Britain as a whole.

‘We welcome this pioneering commitment by Liverpool City Council to recognise the proven physical and mental health benefits of local parks,’ said Fields in Trust chair of trustees, Jo Barnett.

‘These are valuable places; places where we can all move, breathe, run and play. We need to champion and support these precious spaces by protecting them for future generations to enjoy. Because once lost, they are lost forever.’

Photo Credit – Liverpool City Council