Key information
Request reference number: MGLA090523-6752
Date of response:
Summary of request
Request
Under an above request could I seek what costs have been spent in the last 12 months to reseed or maintain the grass on Parliament Square?
Further to that, were any costs incurred to assist the grass for the Coronation of HM King Charles III?
Response
I can confirm that the GLA holds information within the scope of your request.
Parliament Square Gardens is a Historic England Grade II listed park and garden, located near the Palace of Westminster UNESCO World Heritage Site. The GLA has a duty under the Greater London Authority Act 1999 to keep Parliament Square Gardens in a good order and condition.
The GLA spends approximately £24,000 per annum on horticultural and arboricultural maintenance of Parliament Square Gardens. As this is part of a larger contract we are unable to separate the spend to give you the costs for grass or lawn maintenance alone.
Due to the hot weather and hose pipe ban in summer 2022 and continued high footfall, the grassed area struggled to recover in the autumn.
The cost to re-turf Parliament Square once in the last 12 months (in March 2023) came to £182,978.91. Due to the complex logistics of working in a sensitive central London location, further logistical costs of £16,121.75 were incurred.
There were no grass-related costs associated with the Coronation of HM King Charles III.