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When you need a break from London’s grey concrete jungle and jam-packed roads, you needn’t walk very far. With more than 3,000 parks and green spaces, our city is one of the greenest in Europe and has so many trees that it’s actually considered one of the world’s largest ‘urban forests’.
Of course, it takes a lot of tender loving care to keep the city that way. Each year the Good Parks for London report by Parks for London recognises and celebrates all the behind the scenes work that goes into maintaining and developing our parks.
It ranks 25 inner-city boroughs based on how well they look after their green spaces and this year, the area that scored highest was was Lewisham, home to 47 parks and 15 nature reserves.
The report assessed areas against ten criteria, including public satisfaction, events, supporting nature, collaboration, community involvement and health, fitness and wellbeing.
Lewisham, which works alongside Glendale Grounds Management to look after its parks, was particularly praised for its efforts to improve its score since 2022, making it one of five ‘big improvers’ this year.
The boroughs of Hackney and Lambeth were the second and third best performers in this year’s report. Brent, Croydon, Haringey, and Wandsworth were the other big improvers of 2024.
The report isn’t just about celebrating. It aims to promote good practice, raise quality standards and help lobby to protect park budgets and resources.
Ed Stannard, the executive director of Parks for London, said: ‘Whilst I hope the report inspires and entertains, its value truly lies in how it drives incremental improvement in London’s parks management, supports strategic planning, and helps secure the resources needed to protect and enhance our cherished green spaces for future generations.’
Green London
Explore the city’s glorious forests, heaths and gardens with help from Time Out’s lists of its major parks and best hidden green spaces, featuring insider tips from locals that know them best. While your at it check out the prettiest walks that London has to offer and read all about the new ‘mini-parks’ that are due to open over the next year.
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