Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett is right to draw attention to the need for inclusive, better-designed public spaces (Locked playgrounds, broken paddling pools: it’s a heatwave, but where will our children play? 28 June). We, and the green-space owners and managers we work with, had also hoped that the renewed enthusiasm for public space during the pandemic would lead to lasting investment.
Green-space managers would gladly deliver more parks that “integrate children’s play with adult socialising”, but to do this they need funding – not just to develop these spaces but, critically, to maintain their quality long-term. In London, local authority parks budgets have fallen by approximately 8% since 2008, while the capital’s population has grown by more than 15% – that means more than a million more people needing access to quality green space. With the challenges parks are facing from our changing climate, ever-increasing costs, and pressures to generate revenue for vital services, it is testament to those managing our public green spaces that they still manage to deliver so many internationally respected and innovative parks.
These spaces provide year-round value by cooling the surrounding areas, improving air quality, reducing flood risk, supporting physical and mental health, and offering vital habitats for nature, that grey spaces like King’s Cross, however attractive, cannot match.
We currently have no minister for parks and no national strategy for green space, despite knowing how critical they are to our quality of life. So, rather than comparing our public parks and green spaces unfavourably to those that have the financial backing of large private-sector developers, let’s all get behind them and the people working tirelessly to improve them, and push for the funding and policy support they urgently need.
Ed Stannard
Parks for London
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