Green Guardian
New Mayor’s promise to protect capital’s gardens
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| New London Mayor Boris Johnson has promised to stop developments being built on the capital's green spaces NK4196 |
GARDENS will be protected under the new Mayor of London's watch.
Boris Johnson promised to stop new developments being built on green spaces during his campaign to become mayor.
Mr Johnson told News Shopper last month: "I'm going to make sure we stop the crazy garden grab which is destroying the garden city aspect of London by writing a protection for gardens into the London plan.
"We've lost garden space 22 times the size of Hyde Park in London over the past 20 years."
His team estimated in 2006 alone, more than a thousand London gardens were used for new buildings.
Private gardens currently make up more than a third of the capital's green space.
Mr Johnson feels they need protecting because they counteract the heat island effect' created by concrete and tarmac absorbing and retaining heat and then radiating it.
Gardens also absorb rainwater and reduce the possibility of flooding.
They provide a habitat for many wild plants and
animals.
Mr Johnson intends to protect gardens through the London Plan, which sets out a framework of how London will develop in the future.
The Conservative, who became Mayor after elections on May 1, said he would make an amendment to the plan to discourage building on domestic green spaces.
Mr Johnson wants to protect other green spaces too.
In his manifesto he said: "We are committed to
ensuring no development takes place on green belt and metropolitan open land and will use the Mayor's planning powers to refuse any applications to build on them."
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