London's parks to battle climate change

By John Hill on August 29, 2008 11:33 AM |

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THE capital's green spaces are to grow in a bid to stifle climate change.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson announced plans to protect parks and roof gardens in the capital, which he claims will help absorb rainwater and reduce the risk of flooding.

Mr Johnson was in Docklands on Friday, August 29, to launch London's Climate Change Adaptation Strategy at the Thames Barrier in Woolwich, the capital's major defence against rising water levels.

Mr Johnson said: "A total of 1.25million Londoners are potentially at risk of flooding.
"We're going to take specific measures which will allow us to meet the demands of big science, but also improve the quality of the urban landscape.
"By planting more trees and protecting parks and roof gardens we're going to be making London more absorbent to rainfall.
"We're going to be doing lots of things to make London better and make the consequences of climate change less baleful."

The new strategy aims to raise public awareness of flood risk, which threatens 15 per cent of London.
It promotes the introduction of compulsory water metering in all developments, with a billing system that provides incentives for efficient water use.
The reduction of leaks from water mains around London has also been singled out as a priority.

Mr Johnson claimed new developments - such as those in nearby Thames Gateway - would be expected to consider green space as part of their plans for the area.

He said: "If you look at some of the developments that went up in the late '80s, they didn't have quite enough provision for green space.
"It's one of the things I'll be considering when I look at big planning applications."

Plans are also underway to chill out London's tube network, with 40 per cent of the underground set to be air conditioned by 2010.