Lewisham celebrates rating as top spot for parks in capital

Lewisham has been rated the best performing London borough for its parks service by a top charity.

Pupils from Downderry Primary school joined the Mayor of Lewisham, Brenda Dacres, deputy Mayor Louise Krupski, local MPs, ward councillors and residents at Beckenham Place Park on Friday to celebrate the good news.

Cllr Louise Krupski, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport and Climate Action said: “We love our green spaces in Lewisham and value them very highly. Many of our residents live in flats and need access to decent parks and nature reserves so we work very hard to make our parks the very best they can be. 

“Our valued staff are integral to this result.”

The Good Parks for London Report 2024, produced by Parks for London, is based on a rigorous assessment of how a council’s park services perform.

Lewisham, which has 47 parks and 15 nature reserves managed by Lewisham council and services provider Glendale, passed all 10 points of the criteria with flying colours. The criteria assess factors including quality standards, events, nature support and community engagement.

Lewisham was also commended for significantly improving its overall score from a previous assessment in 2022. 

The second and third highest scoring boroughs were Hackney and Lambeth.

Mayor Dacres, said: “We are so proud of our fantastic parks’ team, our excellent partners Glendale and all our amazing volunteers and Friends’ groups across our borough who work so hard to make sure that our parks and nature reserves are so special. 

“Their commitment and passion for championing excellence in our green spaces for our residents is truly outstanding and we really appreciate everything they do.”

The Good Parks for London Report aims to promote good practice, raise quality standards and help lobby to protect park budgets and resources. 

Headlined ‘Collaborative Solutions,’ the 2024 report featured nine case studies to emphasise the crucial role of partnership working.

Ed Stannard, executive director of Parks for London said: “Whilst I hope the report inspires and entertains, its value truly lies in how it drives incremental improvement in London’s park management, supports strategic planning, and helps secure the resources needed to protect and enhance our cherished green spaces for future generations.”

Lewisham recently won three gold awards for parks and conservation areas at the London in Bloom Awards 2024. 

The borough’s parks and green spaces successfully retained all 23 Green Flags this year, the awards given to the very best green spaces around the world. 

In addition, Beckenham Place Park achieved the prestigious Green Heritage Site Accreditation, supported by Historic England.

Find out more about Lewisham’s parks and open spaces and nature reserves here.

Pictured top: Pupils from Downderry Primary school joined the Mayor of Lewisham, Brenda Dacres, deputy Mayor, Louise Krupski, local MPs, ward councillors and residents at Beckenham Place Park on Friday (Picture: Lewisham council)