Islington Council is collaborating with charities and local communities to create greener, more walkable streets in light of concerning statistics.
In the Greater London Authority’s league table of green cover, Islington scored fourth lowest. The borough also ranked in the bottom 30% for health in all areas of the country in the 2021 census – and its lack of green spaces was the biggest contributor to this.
To combat this, Islington Council is running a wide range of programmes to preserve and expand its green areas.
Cllr Rowena Champion, Executive Member for Environment, Air Quality and Transport, said in a recent press release that the council is “improving our existing green spaces, establishing new ones and planting more trees” to make the borough “greener and healthier.”
Cllr Tricia Clarke, speaking at the council’s Environment and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee on 23 November, highlighted work to create greener pavements and improve green spaces on roads.
Kathe Jacobs of Living Streets, a charity which aims to get people walking and cycling as much as possible, said there had been “significant investment in cycling and walking infrastructure” in the area. Routes linking Finsbury Park to Highbury Fields and Holloway Road to Pentonville Road are made safer by the 20mph speed limits newly implemented across Islington.
Islington Council is also working with several other charities, such as Trees for Streets and Groundwork London. A total of 290 new trees were planted last year through community sponsorship. The Islington Greener Together Champions scheme, where residents are encouraged to help grow the borough’s green spaces, is currently ongoing.
