Campaigners across London fight to save their community’s green spaces

Campaigners in Deptford and Canada Water are rallying against local councils’ plans to destroy community green spaces.

The Old Tidemill Wildlife Garden, in Deptford, south east London, is one of the community gardens under threat from development in the capital.

The garden is owned by Lewisham Council and has been explored by a group of volunteers for the past three years, but is now at risk of being destroyed as the council plans to build residential properties on the site.

“This is a vital green space. If it wasn’t for the community, the garden wouldn’t be here”, said Owen Hodginkson, from Save the Old Tidemill Wildlife Garden campaign.

More than 850 people have signed a petition to convince Lewisham Council’s to reconsider the current development proposals for Deptford and save the garden, which is used as space for the community, with gardening workshops and art events taking place throughout the year.

“If there are many of us [objecting the council’s plans], we might be able to dissuade the decision. The development could look different, but keep the garden as its main resource”, he said.

On Lewisham Council’s website further details on the regeneration plans for the area state that Deptford town centre has been undergoing a “major transformation”, with over 300 new homes, to help prepare for the “increase in population and additional demand on local services”.

The Evening Standard tried to contact Lewisham Council, but has had no response.

In Canada Water, “Ada’s Garden”, located to the western edge of the Surrey Quays Shopping Centre car park, is another green space that might be destroyed if Southwark Council’s decision to build a new leisure centre on the site goes ahead.

The leisure centre will replace the existing Seven Islands Leisure Centre, on Lower Road, and is part of the 15-year regeneration plans for the area. Nine hundred new homes, a library, a commercial plaza and a 3.5 acre public park are also proposed.

Campaigners from Canada Water West Residents Action Group fear the council’s plans will turn the area into a “concrete jungle”, without any green spaces for the community to use.

“We all have this fear of finding that what the council often means by green area is a little concrete square with a tree in it”, said Tom Holder, from Canada Water West Residents Action Group.

The group has proposed other locations for the new leisure centre – which will boast an eight lane pool and a 150 station gym – such as the shopping centre’s car park or somewhere next to Canada Water’s library. They also suggested that the council could redevelop the existing leisure centre.

Southwark Council has opened a public consultation to discuss potential locations for the new leisure centre and residents have until April 29 to get involved in the debate. A final decision should be made in the summer.

Councillor Mark Williams, cabinet member for regeneration and new homes of Southwark Council, said: “A small group of local residents have raised concerns about the preferred location for the new leisure centre and we are continuing to discuss this with them. I would encourage everyone living in the area to get involved and have their say.”

At the moment, 47% of London is considered green, with over 150,000 acres of open spaces existing in the capital - including parks, gardens, green corridors, cemeteries and outdoor facilities - data released by Greenspace Information for Greater London (GIGL) shows.

Different groups across the capital have been campaigning to save green spaces from development while politicians emphasize the importance of London’s Green Belt in their pre-election speeches.

In March, Zac Goldsmith, Conservative Party mayoral candidate, said that, if elected, he would create 200 new parks and ensure that every Londoner would live within 10 minutes’ walk of a green space.

He said in his “Living Environment” manifesto: “I will guarantee that all major developments add to the city’s stock of green space by planting more trees, building new garden squares or plazas, or by contributing to new parks in London.”

Sadiq Khan, the Labour candidate, also expressed his intention to turn London into a greener city: “I will protect wildlife and biodiversity by creating green corridors through the city”, reads his manifesto.

According to London Development Database, in 2013/14, just under 50 acres of protected open areas on London’s Green Belt were lost. In the previous year, the figure was just below two acres.

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