Greater London National Park City Green Paper
1
London Deer photographed by Jamie Hall.
Greater London’s Green Places and Open Spaces
2
with my son. This was an extraordinary journey in which we went cliff
climbing in the Pembrokeshire National Park and discovered
temperate rainforest in the Lake District National Park. It was during
this journey, that I noticed that something significant was missing from
our beautiful family of National Parks.
10% of England is urban1. This distinctive kind of habitat and
landscape can be more ecologically diverse, rich and valuable than
countryside. It can also be better for outdoor recreation, access and
inclusion. Knowing all this, I began to wonder why a major urban
landscape was not included within our National Parks family.
As a landscape, London is truly remarkable. Our capital has a long
history of conserving, enhancing and celebrating its mosaic of green
places. Our centuries old Royal Parks are world famous; the Victorians
recognised the vital importance of parks for Londoners’ health and
more recently, the capital has been at the forefront of the
conservation of urban natural and cultural heritage. It’s the legacy of
this work that has made Greater London one of the world’s greenest
cities for its size.
Like millions of us, I grew up enjoying our National Parks.
Even as a small child, when passing a National Park entry sign I knew
that the place we were entering was special. The wildlife, habitats and
opportunities to enjoy the National Park would always be distinctively
different, but the aims were always the same; to care for natural and
cultural heritage, and to promote opportunities for understanding
and enjoyment of the place. From learning to navigate the Brecon
Beacons as a boy, to organising geography field trips to Exmoor as a
teacher, like millions of people, my life has been made richer for the
existence of these remarkable places. National Parks are simply one
of our best ideas.
While many people think of London as a concrete jungle, the reality is
quite different. Roads only occupy 14% of Greater London and
domestic buildings take up just 9% of the city’s footprint2. The reality
is that 47% of London is a patchwork of green spaces including 3.8
million gardens, 3,000 parks, 30,000 allotments, 300 farms, 1,300
sites of importance for nature conservation, 2 National Nature
Reserves and 4 UNESCO World Heritage Sites3,4. While 8.6 million
people live in the city, more than ever before, we also share it with
over 13,000 species of wildlife and over 8 million trees3.
As part of my work as a National Geographic Emerging Explorer, I
was recently fortunate enough to visit all 15 of the UK’s National Parks
3
Greater London faces a number of serious challenges. Our population
is rapidly growing and we desperately need to build affordable
housing. With more development we must ensure that we also have
more, and better, quality public realm. We need these places and
spaces for our mental health and wellbeing, environment, overall
prosperity and for our children.
This Green Paper is a proposition to make Greater London the world’s
first National Park City. It is not a proposal to create an additional
layer of administration, and does not call for any new planning
controls. It is a proactive response to the complex challenges of urban
living, which could radically transform how we think about and enjoy
the places where we live and work, while making our city even better.
A Greater London National Park City is one vision to inspire a million
projects and celebrates the great work that is already being done by
individuals, groups and organisations across the capital.
Our initiative to make London the world’s first National Park City
became public in April 2014. Since then, the idea has captured the
imaginations of both grass-root community groups and international
companies, politicians on both the left and right, and Londoners from
across the capital. Together we can unlock London’s natural potential
and make this vision a reality.
Please take a moment to show your support by responding to the
consultation that accompanies this Green Paper.
Daniel Raven-Ellison, Greater London National Park City Initiative
@DanRavenEllison
Children playing in the River Brent in Ealing, West London. Photo by stevekeiretsu.
4
Explaining this Green Paper
The purpose of this Green Paper is to test a potential model for a
Greater London National Park City.
Responses to the paper will directly influence the content of a full,
costed and detailed proposal that will be published in July 2015.
You are encouraged to reply with your views on this Green Paper via
the online consultation that is open from April 21 to May 19 2015.
The consultation is accessible at:
www.GreaterLondonNationalPark.org.uk
This Green Paper has been written following a year of campaigning
and consultation activities, including a major event that was attended
by over 600 people at the Southbank Arts Centre in London. In
February 2015 an initial online consultation received 75 responses
and generated 264 points. Overwhelmingly, contributors wanted
Greater London National Park City to promote, enhance and protect
the capital’s natural heritage by working in partnership with
Londoners. The responses from the online consultation and many
other stakeholder meetings directly inform the content of this Green
Paper.
The Green Paper has been co-created by the Greater London
National Park City Steering Group, with guidance from members of a
specially formed Advisory Board.
5
Green Nettle Weevil photographed by Luke Massey.
Introduction
The Greater London National Park City is a vision for a more beautiful,
enjoyable and prosperous city for us all. It will inspire us to create a
more liveable, fair and healthy London.
Increase visits to outer London by 10% by 2025
This year, The Greater London Authority asked the question;
“How can all the stakeholders in London help cultural tourists
get beyond the headlines, discover these lesser known gems
and experience the real London they desire?” identifying that
London’s top 20 attractions account for 90% of visits6. The
Greater London National Park City will champion tourism to
London’s alternative destinations, many of which are in outer
London.
Through galvanising public support and incubating, catalysing and
sharing great practices, the Greater London National Park City will
make a big difference to the lives of all Londoners.
It will have many aims, including to:
Connect 100% of Greater London’s children to nature
1 in 7 London parents have not taken their children to play or
learn in natural environments in the past year. Initiatives to
connect children to nature reach as few as 4% of London’s
children5. The Greater London National Park City will increase
how much people value London’s natural and cultural heritage,
and give 100% of London’s children the opportunity to benefit
from nature.
Make Greater London a Green “World City”
London’s population is bigger than ever before and the city
needs to grow. The National Park City provides a vision for
London to capitalise on its remarkable natural and cultural
heritage, empowering Londoners to secure and enhance world
class accessible public realm. The Greater London National
Park City will become a model that can be replicated nationally
and internationally.
Grow London’s green space from 47% to 51% by 2051
24% of Greater London is private gardens. It is estimated that
a third of these gardens are paved over, having a negative
impact on the capital’s biodiversity and resilience to flooding4.
The Greater London National Park City will inspire Londoners
to increase the quantity, health and diversity of London’s
wildlife by improving and physically joining up habitats,
including increasing London’s green space from 47% to 51%
by 20513.
Foster a new shared identity
Greater London’s cultural diversity is one of its great success
stories. Over 300 languages are spoken by the city’s 8.6 million
residents, and the capital’s towns and villages have their own
distinctive characteristics. The National Park City will create a
new layer of identity in the capital, that will bring Londoners
together on common ground, and with shared aspirations.
6
Purpose
The Greater London National Park City is one vision that will inspire a
million projects. Being a National Park City is a long term, and large
scale, challenge that we can all respond to through many small and
achievable actions.
The National Park City movement will catalyse individuals and
organisations to work together to enhance London’s environment and
economy, and to improve quality of life for all Londoners.
The Greater London National Park City will have four purposes that
are similar to rural National Parks in England and Wales. It will:
1) Enhance urban natural and cultural heritage
2) Encourage better understanding, enjoyment of, and care for, the
National Park City
3) Foster the wellbeing of communities
4) Inspire organisations and groups to share these purposes
The National Park City will be a “peoples’ park” empowered by the
decisions and actions that it’s people take in their everyday lives.
The Greater London National Park City will be a new dynamic kind of
National Park that sits outside of current legislation.
The National Park City will not have any statutory planning powers,
but will be able to influence decisions through stakeholder forums
and dialogue. It will be related to, and work in partnership with, the
current family of rural National Parks, but be distinctively different.
7
Woodberry Down East Reservoir in East London. Photographed by Simon de Glanville.
What will the National Park City will do?
Ranger teams will be carefully structured to support, co-design, grow
and celebrate the great work already being done by individuals and
organisations across the capital. City Ranger teams will include paid,
seconded, embedded and voluntary staff that represent all of
London’s boroughs and key stakeholder groups, with even the
youngest of children and visitors able to participate.
People protect what they value.
The Greater London National Park City will trigger a step change in
thinking about cities, nature and people. It will help more Londoners
appreciate their natural and cultural heritage, empowering new
thinking, joint action and nurture a new common purpose.
What presence will the National Park City have in London?
The National Park City will do this by helping us all to:
The National Park City will elevate, and add value to, what is already
happening in Greater London by providing a common vision and
identity that we can all be a part of.
1) Learn about the value and distinctiveness of London’s natural and
cultural heritage
2) Act to enhance and benefit more from London’s natural and
cultural heritage
The National Park City will be championed and represented by
people of all ages and organisations from across the Greater London
region, many of whom will use the National Park City to raise support
for their own aims and projects.
The National Park City will have an inspirational hub at the heart of
London. The hub will create space for learning, research, design,
dialogue and practice which will nurture innovation across the built
and natural environment.
The Greater London National Park City will have a visible presence in
the city through its volunteers, community hub, partner-run visitor and
satellite centres, a City Ranger outreach programme, projects,
campaigns, signage and National Park City badging and accreditation
for streets and organisations.
The hub will also grow, diversify and strengthen London’s offer to
residents and tourists through a dynamic visitor centre. This will
encourage and enable residents and visitors to enjoy, and make more
of, the capital’s under-visited and lesser known heritage destinations
outside of central London. It will also promote the UK’s family of 15
current National Parks and 46 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
An online platform will be used to enable members, the public and
visitors to engage with the National Park City community and be
inspired to make more of London’s natural and cultural heritage.
City Rangers will connect across communities and organisations to
share best practice, cross-fertilise skills and celebrate successes. City
8
How will the National Park City make a difference?
indicator and a pathway for improvement. Although the National Park
City will monitor progress, it will not always tie itself to targets.
The National Park City will identify a range of outcomes that will
dramatically improve London and life for Londoners.
The role of the National Park City will be to inspire and support both
individuals and organisations to make decisions and take actions, that
work towards achieving these outcomes. This will be done through
events, training, media, community building, self-organised groups
and accreditation schemes.
These may include to increase:
• How much Londoners value urban natural and cultural heritage
• The number of children playing and learning outdoors
• Wellbeing
• Social cohesion through sharing a common vision
• Volunteering
• Demand of services from natural and cultural heritage organisations
• Physical activity and participation in outdoor recreation
• Investment in enhancing London’s natural heritage
• Richness, diversity and connectivity of wildlife habitats
• The number of people who feel they can influence decision making
• The number and quality of wildlife areas
• The number and quality of food growing areas
• Access to nature
• The proportion of journeys made by walking and cycling
• Visits by tourists to outer London destinations
Whenever possible, the National Park City will dovetail with successful
projects, working to compliment, and not compete with,
organisations that are working to achieve the same aims.
A set of benchmarks will be developed which are relevant to
individuals, families, groups and organisations. For end users, these
benchmarks will list inspirational things they can do to enjoy or
improve London, and highlight the benefits their actions may bring.
For the National Park City and its organisational members, each
benchmark will relate to an environmental, economic or quality of life
9
Children learning in Nunhead Cemetery in South London.
The Organisation
Delivery
Members will form communities of practice, communities of
interest and project groups to work towards and deliver items
in the management plan.
Individuals and organisations from all stakeholder groups will be
actively encouraged to become members of the Greater London
National Park City. The National Park City will compliment existing
organisations, structures and positions, and create opportunities for
people to represent the National Park City within their own
organisation.
Public
Beyond the membership, millions of Londoners will be
engaged by, and benefit from, National Park City activities.
The Greater London National Park City could be established in a
number of different ways. It will be a not-for-profit organisation, with
the final formation depending on the nature of support for this Green
Paper. Details of how the National Park City could be funded will be
detailed in the full proposal that will be published in July 2015.
The National Park City would start as a small team and evolve as
required.
Next steps
Governance
The National Park City will be governed by a board of elected
trustees working closely with its members, and representation
from local groups.
When the full proposal for a Greater London National Park City is
published this July, individuals and organisations will be invited to
become members of the Greater London National Park City.
London Councils, the Greater London Authority and National Parks
UK will ideally become members before the Greater London National
Park City is formally established.
Management
A staff unit will coordinate a management plan and maintain
the National Park City’s hub, network and joint project
activities. The staff unit will include an outreach team of City
Rangers.
A possible timeline for a Greater London National Park City is:
July 2015 - Launch proposal, start recruiting members
July 2016 - Officially form the National Park City
July 2017 - The National Park City is fully operational
Membership
Members will include individuals, businesses, statutory bodies,
government and voluntary organisations.
10
Help to make London a National Park City
References
Help to make the Greater London National Park City a reality by
responding to the consultation that accompanies this Green Paper by
May 19 2015.
1. UK National Ecosystem Assessment (2011) The UK national
ecosystem assessment: Synthesis of the key findings. UNEP-WCMC,
Cambridge.
Steering Group
Daniel Raven-Ellison, Greater London National Park City Initiative
Tim Webb, Communications Manager at RSPB London
Judy Ling Wong CBE, President of the Black Environment Network
Mathew Frith, Director of Policy & Planning at London Wildlife Trust
Ben Smith, Director of Sustainable Development at AECOM
Beth Collier, Nature-based Psychotherapist at Wild in the City
Cath Prisk, Director of The Outdoor People
2. Communities and Local Government (2005) Land use statistics
(Generalised Land Use Database). Office of National Statistics.
3. Greenspace Information for Greater London (2013) GiGL.
[Online]. Available from: http://www.gigl.org.uk/our-data-holdings/
keyfigures/ [Accessed 19 April 2015].
4. Smith, C. (2010) London: garden city? Investigating the changing
anatomy of London’s private gardens, and the scale of their loss.
London Wildlife Trust, Greenspace Information for Greater London &
Greater London Authority.
Advisory Board Respondents
Professor Edward Truch, Lancaster University Management School
Steve Head, Chair of the Wildlife Gardening Forum
Dave Morris, Chair of London Green Spaces Friends Groups Network
Steve Cole, Policy Leader at National Housing Federation
Paul de Zylva, Senior Nature Campaigner at Friends of the Earth
Andrew Denton, CEO of the Outdoor Industries Association
Heather Ring, Founding Director of Wayward landscape architects
Jon McLeod, Chairman at Weber Shandwick
Tracy Firmin, Head of Geography at Langdon Park School
Stuart Brooks, CEO of the John Muir Trust
Sean Miller, Founder of Nonon
Martin Crabbe, Chair of the London Sustainable Schools Forum
Geraldine Connell, Hospitality Expert
Max Farrell, Partner at Farrells
5. Gill, T. (2011) Sowing the seeds: Reconnecting London’s children
with nature. Greater London Authority
6. Creative Tourist Consultants (2015) Take a closer look: A cultural
tourism vision for London 2015-2017. Greater London Authority.
Contact
[email protected]
www.greaterlondonnationalpark.org.uk
@LondonNP #GLNP
11
12
Ealing, West London.