London green space funding allocated

Sadiq Khan has announced the six winners of over £2 million of grant funding for green space improvements, as part of his push to make London the world’s first National Park City.

Presenting his new Environment Strategy to the London Assembly, the Mayor of London established plans to make London the greenest global city and the UK’s first National Park City, by cleaning the capital’s air, planting trees, reducing waste, and becoming zero carbon by 2050.

The winning projects the Mayor’s Greener City Fund include 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. 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, a fast-paced obstacle-course sport.

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. 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.”

Khan has also announced that he is allocating an extra £3 million to the fund, bringing the total to £12 million.