Millions of pounds invested to plant an additional 100,000 new trees and expand woodland in the capital

• Mayor invests further £3.8m into green infrastructure through second round of Green and Resilience Spaces Fund
• Grants awarded to sixteen projects to boost London’s climate resilience, covering an area equivalent to 1,500 tennis courts
• New funding will see the creation of 50 hectares of new publicly accessible woodland and the planting of over 100,000 new trees, taking the total to over half a million since Sadiq was elected
• Almost £30m now spent by the Mayor since 2016 making London a better, greener city

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today invested a further £3.8m to boost London’s climate resilience through the second round of his Green and Resilient Spaces Fund.

The funding will improve almost 30 hectares of green space in the capital – equivalent to the size of 1,500 tennis courts – and plant over 100,000 new trees, including creating 50 hectares of new publicly accessible woodland. It will also restore nature to over a kilometre of river.  

A total of sixteen projects are receiving funding to increase tree planting and make green spaces more accessible to Londoners, supporting the Mayor’s mission to future-proof the capital against climate change. 

In recent years, London has seen the impacts of the climate emergency first-hand. The extreme temperatures, devastating fires and flash floods of summer 2021 laid bare just how vulnerable London is to the consequences of climate change.

City Hall analysis has shown that if the necessary action is not taken and extreme temperatures and flooding continue to get worse, a quarter of London’s rail stations, one in five schools, nearly half of London’s hospitals and hundreds of thousands of homes and workplaces will be at risk of flooding in the future. [1]

The Mayor opened the second round of his Green and Resilient Spaces Fund for applications last December, and, in response to the 2022 heat waves, added a call for exemplar large-scale tree planting projects to create shade. The Mayor pledged to prioritise projects in areas of the capital that are particularly vulnerable to climate change, areas with low tree canopy cover, or areas where Londoners live more than a ten minute walk away from green space.

The Mayor has met this commitment, today awarding £2.55m in grants to four large-scale projects in Haringey, Harrow, Northolt and Southwark to improve biodiversity and access to green space in local areas vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

A further nine projects have received a total of £334,000 in development grant to create a pipeline of projects ready for implementation. Three additional projects have received a total of £944,000 from the Mayor’s Trees for London programme to create new areas of tree canopy cover to combat over-heating and flooding, including the creation of 50 hectares of new publicly accessible woodland in Enfield.

The Mayor is at the forefront of urgent climate action in London and has invested almost £30m in funding to green infrastructure projects to-date.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I’m delighted to announce nearly £4m in additional funding to increase tree planting and boost our resilience to climate change across the capital.

“Trees, green spaces and the natural environment have a critical role to play in tackling the climate and ecological emergency, and planting 100,000 new trees, including 50 hectares of new publicly accessible woodland will help make London a better, greener and safer place for everyone.

“I’m doing all I can to boost London’s climate resilience and have awarded almost £30m in funding to vital tree planting and green space projects across the capital since becoming Mayor in 2016. I will continue to take bold action, particularly in the areas of the capital most vulnerable to climate change impacts.”

Cllr Deirdre Costigan, Ealing Council’s Deputy Leader and cabinet member for climate action, said: “We are delighted that Ealing has secured this much-needed funding to support plans for developing Northolt Green Ring, adding to our existing active travel improvements in Northolt.

“The funding will help us to improve connections to six parks in Northolt, whether our residents are walking, cycling or scooting, which we hope will encourage more active travel. It will also allow us to make the area greener, contributing to much cleaner air, as well as add sustainable drainage to prevent flooding, supporting our climate emergency actions.

“Finally, there will be exciting opportunities for the local community to take part in volunteering, planting, guided cycling and even walking tours.”

Cllr Rick Jewell, Enfield Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “This funding from the Mayor will enable us to achieve another step in our plan to make Enfield the greenest borough in London. It will help us transform Enfield Chase into one of London’s finest green spaces, with a diverse combination of woodlands, wetlands and grasslands.

“This new accessible woodland will be integrated into 400 hectares of existing parkland, creating a linked and publicly accessible nature network, and will benefit the whole of Enfield and millions more Londoners that live less than an hour away.”

Cllr Mike Hakata, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Environment and Transport, and Cllr Ruth Gordon, Cabinet Member for House Building, Placemaking and Development, co-chairs of the resident and park user Down Lane Park Community Design Group, said: “We’re passionate about tackling the climate emergency and for our residents to have access to great parks, so are delighted to have secured this funding from the Mayor of London. It’s a real vote of confidence in our ability to build a fairer, greener borough. 

“This co-designed programme of improvements to a vital open space at the heart of Tottenham Hale will bring huge benefits for the local community and play a pivotal role in creating a healthier future for generations to come. 

“It’s a fantastic example of us working in partnership with the community including Living Under One Sun to address our shared priorities and strive together to reach the bold and necessary ambition of becoming a net-zero borough by 2041.”