London Environment Strategy consultation

Green London?

Oh, I suppose that they are actually referring mean to our central and local parks.

Despite the huge concerns of pollution and the continuing increase in mental illness nothing is actually being done to improve our environment. We all have the knowledge that nature is our greatest healer but still they refuse to plants trees, seasonal hanging baskets and various other evergreen plants in every singe part of London.

The visibility of Flora and Trees elevate the human spirits.

Even Trafalgar Square is bleak bleak bleak without Flowers, but do they care? Well, not really. These people who are responsible for our city are educated people and well travelled people but still they turn a blind eye to the importance of nature on human life. Even other city's in Europe have more flora in their pedestrian areas.

In Palmers Green N13 is a lovely residential area which is in great need of flowers and Trees, Enfield Council promised a few years ago that they will make the area ' Green' to concise with the wording of the area. Yet, nothing has materialized and I just as well that I never held my breath!

Those people responsible for our areas know full well that Evergreen Plants, Flowers, Trees are vital for a healthier living and we have plenty of garden centres that with just a call will fill the whole of this city with flora and trees (which includes local London areas of course) but their resistance is due to cost and always will be and it is not as if they is no money to spent even though they would have us believe otherwise,

What is the point of the government saving money if it is not for the benefit of it's citizens?

I just do not believe that those responsible for London love their Capital City enough. It could be that the person that will make the whole of London a real garden city has not been BORN YET!

8 million trees: LESS THAN 1 tree per member of the London population. Not very impressive. Trees are the lungs of the planet: we each have a set of lungs and we each need another set of lungs to help us combat the increasing toxicity of London air. More trees please.
In Lambeth, in response to the increasing toxicity of London air, the Council is withdrawing funding from, and maintenance of, it's green spaces. So any London Environment Strategy will need to overcome the opposition of local politics to a sensible approach to London's environment.
Fortunately there are 10s of 1000s of ordinary London residents determined to maintain, and increase, London's green spaces through befriending parks, restoring front gardens, gardening clubs, community planting, planting orchards, school growing schemes. The Mayor's strategy should include a database of all these groups so that we can join up, forming 'rivers' of gardening across the capital.
And any such gardening organisation registered with the Mayor's Office should be given access to free compost & unwanted plants: Lambeth Council makes residents pay for compost their contractor makes from OUR recycled food waste. How mean is that??!!??

It would be lovely to have a highline project like New York and Paris as well. One that would be good for walking and relaxing.

All outdoor Tube stations could have green projects on their premises, platforms or buildings (maybe maintained by volunteers, local schools and community projects?)

More waterways less concrete for drainage, aesthetics and attracting wildlife.

More green spaces in smaller concentrations. We have a lot of parks but we need more garden space where there is densely populated urban space.

More roof gardens and vertical gardens in new buildings. I get bored of seeing similar glass buildings going up without any architectural features and this would be a way to build interesting and useful high rises.

Well maintained water fountains in these green spaces and near bike docking stations. Free fresh water should be readily available throughout the UK and help cut plastic waste.

Lewisham Council want to demolish 73 trees at Tidemill Old Wildlife Garden in Deptford. They also have gifted a strip of land with several trees on it to a developer at a site nearby. The Council is ruining our environment! Both sites are next to one of the most polluted roads in London (Deptford Church Street) where NO2 readings are 62 (the EU limit is 40).

What can be done to stop Lewisham Council?

All public spaces within 'National Park City' should be included in the classification, including so-called 'Privately Owned Public Spaces' (Pops), legacy categories of 'public space' including Royal Parks and the numerous local borough 'green spaces'.

More broadly, the designation of National Park confers a consistent set of bylaws and rights on all public accessible land within the park boundary.

There are presently 15 National Parks in the UK and each one has its own authority, so the National Park City can have unique covenants, but it should fit rationally into the umbrella organisation 'National Parks UK'.

More trees would be brilliant and more birds even better but the two are only linked if the right species mix is used. For example the planting in the consulation illustration photo shows tough drought resistant grasses that are useless to wildlife in london. Most municipal planting is carried out by contractors minimising maintenance so that they can make a few quid more. Plane trees are londons most ubiquitous tree but near useless for wildlfe. Not much eats them (a couple of invertebrate as opposed to hundreds for oak or willow etc). Thickets are needed for songbirds to nest and hide from predators. Green gardens are needed to feed blackbirds ,thrushes,robins wrens, blackcaps which give us spring and summer song in citiies. Yet everyday a garden is paved over. My street had 16 singing blackbirds in 1992 -it now has two -all the front gardens and many rear are paved or gravled over. peopel need to be asked -what do you have against blackbirds and robins? parks don't fare particularly well in this regard either because they are generally not designed with ecosystems in mind.

For the past two summers my wife and I have walked the Capital Ring and the London LOOP. These are both TfL ventures. Our only comment, other than the fact that they are a good idea, is that the waymarking and signs leave a lot to be desired in places. This is mainly due to inconsistency from "no signs at all in key places" to " extra signs in places where they are unnecessary" like on a canal. Perhaps some money can be given to the local authorities to hire Trail Rangers (or even voluntary ones) to check the route and signs etc say monthly.

We need more greener spaces in all developments and the Mayor should include a minimum level of green (not just open) space in planning guidance.

This is not just for trees, which are important, but also green social spaces where people including children can meet and play. These should be at ground level. In addition, roof level (open to all residents) should become mandatory for all towers above 5 stories; and substantial balconies should be compulsary for all flats, of a size and design that allows flat dwellers far from the ground to grow plants.

More space should be provided to grow food at ground level as well as on balconies. Estate plantings can include edibles - such as community orchards and 'flower' beds planted with fruit and vegetables. These can be at ground level or in containers.

It is also now possible and easy to build in vertical plantings up the side of buildings (such as at The Oval). These to should be encouraged.

I have joined the 'Save Southwark Woods'/'Fiends of camberwell cemeterys' campaign to try to prevent southwark council cutting down trees to make way for more buriel spaces. I believe that trees/woodland should take priority over buriel spaces in London.