Stand up for the greenery that keeps London alive

Not many of us, cooped up in our one-beds, would be surprised by a new survey revealing that living in a green area can lengthen your life. Green spaces, classed by the researchers as "open, undeveloped land with natural vegetation", encourage both activity and relaxation, increasing wellbeing and reducing stress.

Hell-bent as this government is on making us healthier, you would think it might do more to preserve these green spaces. Close to my house in north-west London is Talacre Gardens, a 2.4-acre park with a playground for kids and an expanse of green grass for footballers, strollers, picnickers and dogs. It might not be the prettiest park in London but it is one of the most vital, serving as it does more than 11,000 residents, more than a quarter of whom are under 19, and live mainly in social housing.

What joy would they find in a seven-storey block of luxury flats? Yet this is what currently threatens Talacre Gardens. In order for them to be built, Camden council granted permission for a truck route to go through the park - literally slicing it in two. In terms of fresh air and safety, the kids may as well go and play on the M25.

Thanks to some tireless campaigning by residents this decision was overturned, although the alternative - the creation of a new access road which will require road marshals 15 hours a day - is not much better. The only way to stop the gardens from being encroached on in the future (and there have been many attempts) is for the council to grant it Town Green status.

Simple, you might think. But any readers with more than a passing acquaintance of the machinations of Camden council will not be surprised to learn that an application from residents was turned down. Instead, the council agreed that the request would go to public consultation: which means that anyone interested in preserving Talacre Gardens for future generations has to send off for a 12-page questionnaire and return it by 28 November. The whole process is weighed in Camden's favour: it is banking on hardly anyone bothering to request the form, much less return it. And so the future of this little green oasis hangs in the balance.

Boris, if you are reading: you promised much on being elected. Now here is your chance to deliver. All over the city, little pockets of London are becoming unstitched: torn asunder by the greed of local councils. London's parks are our lifeblood: please don't let them bleed us dry.

* Friends of Talacre Gardens: http://talacregardens.googlepages.com

* For the consultation: talacregardens@camden.gov.uk