London Mayor Sadiq Khan has awarded £4 million of funding to help improve green spaces and safeguard the capital from the impacts of climate change.
A total of six projects will share £3.44 million under the Green and Resilient Spaces Fund to strengthen climate resilience, improve biodiversity and access to green space, build green skills and promote health and wellbeing.
The projects include new green corridors to link up green spaces, improving walking and cycling routes and tackle river and surface water flooding by creating more flood water storage in parks and planting new rain gardens.
A further £520,000 of development funding has been awarded to an additional 13 projects.
The Fund will improve the quality and climate resilience of more than 57 hectares of public green space, equivalent to the size of more than 2,000 tennis courts and restore nature to five kilometres of river in London.
Mr Khan said: “The climate emergency is one of the biggest global threats we face today. Here in London we are already experiencing first-hand the devastating impact of the climate crisis, with flash floods in the summer of 2021 and heatwaves in 2020, which led to almost 500 additional deaths.
“This crisis also exacerbates social and racial injustice. The effects of the climate crisis won’t impact all Londoners equally – with areas of London with the highest Black, Asian and minority ethnic populations much more likely to face the worst consequences of London’s climate emergency. Poverty, deprivation and health inequalities will also reduce people’s ability to prepare for, respond to and recover from overheating and flooding incidents.
“As Mayor, I want London to lead the way in tackling the climate emergency and for all Londoners to be have access to great green spaces close to where they live. The new funding I am announcing today and my Rewild London Fund are just the start of even more investment in green spaces, nature and projects to improve life in our city and help tackle the climate emergency so we can build a greener, fairer London for everyone.”
