From the major Royal Parks and local favourites to hidden and secret gardens, London has so many fabulous green spaces that some have even claimed that the city is Europe’s greenest. That might be a bit of a stretch – but there’s no denying that the Big Smoke has a fair number of places that Londoners can escape to for a bit of calm, quiet and fresh(ish) air.
And now four of those green spaces are getting major makeovers. Thanks to funding from the National Lottery, two of London’s existing parks are getting glow-ups and two more wildlife projects will receive major funding boosts.
The first of those projects concerns a place we covered last week: Highgate Cemetery. The star-studded north London burial ground, which is home to the graves of the likes of Karl Marx, George Eliot and George Michael, is getting just over £100,000 to help conserve its heritage, improve public access and boost biodiversity.
Next up is Broomfield Park in Palmers Green, north London, which is known for its historic house and gardens. Broomfield will receive just over £500,000 to help it put together a long-term plan for its burnt-out house and restore its landscaping and water garden. Eventually, Broomfield is looking to get £3 million in Lottery funding.
The National Lottery will also be funding something called the London Blue Chain, which is a project by Froglife aiming to restore ponds and wildlife corridors for amphibians and reptiles. It’ll complement the London Green Chain, which consists of 50 miles of walking routes in southeast London, and get nearly £600,000 in Lottery funds.
The final London green space set to receive funding is the Roding Rises project, which intends to restore the River Roding – which runs from Essex into the Thames at Barking Creek – and improve public access to the waterway. That project is getting an initial amount of £169,000, with plans for nearly £1.5 million more at a later date.
Exciting, eh? And London’s recent park news certainly doesn’t stop there. This leafy, brand-new park opened in south London last year, Lewisham is getting massive new public gardens and Greenwich Park is getting a spectacular viewing platform, while the City of London’s biggest and oldest park is closing for an entire year.
Did you see that the world’s first ‘floating terrarium’ is in London – and you can stay in it?
Plus: this borough has been named London’s safest area to raise a family.
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