The successful schemes were selected by a panel of experts and grant funding is being allocated as part of Mayor Khan's Greener City Fund. Features include developing cycling and walking greenways in Barking and Ealing, park regenerations in Barnet and Lewisham, river restorations in Enfield, and new wetlands in Harrow, which will help preserve a 14th century moat.
In addition, the improved spaces will also include new skate parks, football pitches, tennis and basketball courts, a new lake for wild swimming and kayaking, and a new space for parkour.
Mayor Khan has also announced today that he is allocating an extra £3m to the fund, bringing the total to £12m. In addition to today's winners (£2m), the fund provides grants for community green spaces and tree planting (£5m), greening the built environment (£800,000), trees and woodlands (£3m) and community engagement to help make London a National Park City (£1m).
Mayor Khan said: "London is the greatest city in the world and I want to make it one of the greenest too. That's what my Environment Strategy is all about: cleaning our air, reducing waste, and becoming a zero-carbon city.
-- Advertisement --
"For too many Londoners, nature simply doesn't feature in their daily lives. That's why we're aiming to become a National Park City, with more than half of our capital green. Today's funding will draw even more people into our outstanding parks by making green spaces more attractive and better for the environment."
The six successful schemes are as follows;
• Barking and Dagenham: The Ripple Nature Reserve and Greenway (£400,000) - A walking and cycling greenway and linear park to create new routes off busy roads, including for school journeys. The project will also link to a nature reserve, and includes a community orchard and natural play facilities
• Barnet: Silkstream Valley Parks regeneration project (£324,000) - Improvements to two existing parks, including new facilities for football, tennis, basketball, skateboarding, and parkour. The project will also deliver a new café, event space, and river improvements to support new trees and wildlife habitats
• Ealing: Brent River Park – Greenford to Gurnell Greenway (£325,000) - River improvements to transform underused green space to open up the riverside to Londoners, reduce flooding, and improve river biodiversity and habitats.
• Enfield: Albany Park restoration (£346,000) - Reducing flood risk to over 200 properties by restoring a river, creating a naturalised channel bringing the river into the park, and creating new wetlands and meadow habitats.
• Harrow: Headstone Manor Park (£300,000) - Construction of new ponds, reeds beds, and wetlands to help preserve a 14th century moat. The project will improve water quality, protect the river network, and increase biodiversity.
• Lewisham: Beckenham Place Park restoration (£440,000) - Transformation of south-east London's largest publicly accessible park, including the restoration of a Georgian lake and stableyard, the provision of a café and public toilets, and a work to improve gardens around listed buildings. The project will also include a volunteering centre, BMX track, skate park, upgraded footpaths and a new lake for swimming and kayaking.
Image: Beckenham Place Park.
(LM/MH)
