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London's green spaces 'are being lost to developers'
Felix Allen9 Sep 2009
A horticultural expert has called for green spaces to be protected after revealing London lost 12.3 square miles of gardens and parks to housing developments in the past five years.
Dr Ross Cameron, of the University of Reading, said "garden grabbing" had a serious impact on quality of life.
Green spaces prevent the "heat island" effect in urban areas and also reduce stress, he told the British Science Festival at the University of Surrey.
Gardens, defined as "brownfield sites", should have "greenfield" status, he said, adding: "The attitude has been 'there's spare ground, let's build on it'."
Reader views (2)
Local authorities do not value open space. They have absorbed the Thatcherite ethos that everything must make money to be of value. This land, once lost, will never be returned to the public.
This process was greatly assisted by the Blair government which introduced changes to planning law, making it much harder for local residents to oppose such developments.
All the three main parties have a higher regard for property development than open space.
- Jon, London, 10/09/2009 13:07
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Build 10 million more houses for the mass ucontrolled immigrants with large families. What a joke this country is.
- Grim Reaper, Hell, 09/09/2009 13:29
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