Funding to boost public green spaces and plant more trees in London is being made available by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan to future-proof the capital against the climate crisis as the

COP15 summit is putting biodiversity firmly in the global spotlight this week. 

The second round of the Green and Resilient Spaces Fund is now open for applications from councils and other organisations, with £3m available for projects to create or improve green spaces and an additional £800,000 for large scale tree planting to boost London’s climate resilience.

The fund will 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 10-minute walk away from green space. The tree planting grants will focus on creating publicly accessible, species-rich woodland and planting large trees to provide shade, cool London’s streets, combat heatwaves and tackle flooding. 

The extreme temperatures and devastating fires that destroyed homes and businesses across the city during the summer laid bare just how vulnerable London is to the consequences of climate change. The flash floods of summer 2021, which also caused damage and disruption to homes, schools and the transport network showed that no city can escape the effects of man-made global warming. 

Increasing green spaces and the number of trees in London will help to protect and future-proof the capital, cooling the city and providing shade to Londoners, and will also make London more resilient to flooding. 

Access to green space and nature is not just an environmental issue, but a matter of health inequality and social justice, and Sadiq is determined that all Londoners live within a 10-minute walk of green space.

The first round of the Green and Resilient Spaces Fund confirmed this year is supporting six projects which will be completed by March 2024, which together are expected to plant over 2,000 new trees and improve over 57 hectares of green space.

The Green and Resilient Spaces fund is just one of the many ways the Mayor is supporting improvement of green and blue spaces. Since 2016 the Mayor has invested over £26m in greening the city in all 32 boroughs and the City of London, including £4 million through Grow Back Greener grants to over 130 community green space projects. 

In March 2021, to help City Hall target support to communities with the highest climate risks, Bloomberg Associates produced a series of citywide climate risk maps to identify areas within London that are most exposed to climate impacts with high concentrations of vulnerable populations. These maps have now been updated to include greater geographical detail, meaning support for communities can be even more targeted and tailored. 

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: “The climate emergency and loss of our biodiversity are two of the biggest global threats we face. In the past few years, we’ve seen some of the devastating effects of climate change, with flash flooding and extreme temperatures destroying homes, schools, and businesses. Sadly, these kinds of events will only become more frequent and, as the COP15 conference is making clear this week, biodiversity is crucial to climate resilience.

“Trees and green spaces have a vital role to play in tackling the impacts of climate change and we are already seeing some great work happening thanks to the funding invested in round one, which is helping to increase biodiversity and protect nature in our city. That is why I am pleased to be inviting bids for more exemplary greening and tree planting projects. Together we can build a better, greener and fairer London for everyone.”

Cllr Nesil Caliskan, Enfield Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, and previous grant recipient said: 

“With the help of a generous grant from the Mayor, Albany Park has been completely transformed with the river opened up and meandering through the park, creating a beautiful wetland landscape that brings people in contact with nature whilst protecting hundreds of homes from flooding” 

Richard Pearce, Partnerships & Expertise Manager:  London, Thames and Chilterns, Forestry Commission said:

“Increasing tree cover across London is really important to help the city adapt to climate change and to support biodiversity. This new grant funding for large scale tree planting in woodlands and in streets and public spaces will really help support the aims of the London Urban Forest Plan in growing and expanding London’s urban forest” 

Round one of the Green and Resilient Spaces Fund supported six projects which will be completed in March 2024. An additional 13 projects were awarded development funding of £40k each to create a pipeline of fundable projects. Photo by Libby norman, Wikimedia commons.