New major investment in London green spaces announced

The Mayor of London has announced a new £6m investment to improve green spaces across London, as part of London Climate Action week.

The £1.2m ‘Grow Back Greener’ fund will provide grants to dozens of community-led projects to help more Londoners access green spaces in their neighbourhoods, while the £4m Green and Resilient Spaces Fund will support large-scale green space projects.

The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the vital importance of London’s green spaces for the city’s health and wellbeing, with London parks seeing the highest increase in usage of anywhere in the country during the first lockdown last spring.

Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, said he wants all Londoners to live within a 10-minute walk of a green space.

‘As mayor, I want London to lead the way in tackling the climate emergency and for all Londoners to have access to great green spaces close to where they live. The new funding I am announcing today during London Climate Action Week is just the start of even more investment in green spaces, nature and projects to help tackle the climate emergency,’ he said.

The Grow Back Greener funding will focus on the most disadvantaged areas, by supporting community gardens, food growing projects, pocket parks and cleaner waterways, while the Green and Resilient Spaces Fund will aim to help tackle the climate emergency by reducing the risk of floods and keeping the city cool, through restoring rivers and creating wetlands and woodlands.

Cutting-edge data, such as climate risk mapping, will be used to highlight where Londoners are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and which areas have least access to public open space, in order to target funding at communities most in need.

The funding is being delivered in partnership with Thames Water, who has provided £500,000 to the Grow Back Greener fund.

Sarah Bentley, CEO of Thames Water, said: ‘I’m excited we’re partnering with the Mayor of London on the Grow back Greener scheme, which closely connects with our own aims to protect the environment and invest in the communities we serve. We kept Walthamstow Wetlands open during lockdowns, which meant over 650,000 Londoners could enjoy the fresh air and see the wildlife the site has to offer. It really mattered to us that we could share such an amazing space during that difficult time.

‘Not everyone has a nature reserve or waterway on their doorstep though, so the creation of more neighbourhood green spaces is something I strongly support and am proud we’re co-funding this inspiring initiative to create a positive legacy for generations to enjoy.’

Photo by Dan Tuykavin