Property Articles | Real Estate Articles

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, today announced plans for a major scheme to revamp and revitalise some of the capital's unique public spaces and make London an even more attractive place to live, work and visit.

The Mayor's 'Great Spaces' initiative will champion existing public spaces that currently have poor access or are unwelcoming and unattractive. The aim is to help transform some of the city's better as well as lesser known streets, squares, parks and riverside walks into places Londoners and visitors will want to use and enjoy all year round.

The Mayor said:

"I am determined to do all I can to lead London through this recession and ensure it emerges stronger than ever. Key to that is improving our quality of life and environment, and it is the capital's public spaces that make London such a wonderful, engaging city and help attract millions of visitors every year. But we need to take a closer look at some of the hidden treasures as well as the well known spaces that abound – spaces that are currently difficult to use and unwelcoming - and turn them into something great.

"London is still a top destination for tourists and for businesses setting up shop here and I want to improve on our already unrivalled offer. This scheme is about building on what is already good and encouraging new ideas to create even more great spaces across the city for everyone to enjoy."

Projects at any stage of their development can be submitted by London boroughs for assessment by the Mayor's design panel, led by Deputy Mayor for Planning and Policy Simon Milton. Successful projects will be adopted and accredited as a Mayor's 'Great Space' and benefit from top quality, specialist advice from the London Development Agency's Design for London, which advises the Mayor on ensuring design excellence in all projects that are commissioned or funded by the GLA Group.

£200,000 has been set aside this year to enable Great Space projects to carry out feasibility or design work and to help in their promotion.

Architect and masterplanner, Sir Terry Farrell, CBE, said:
"I fully support Boris Johnson's latest commitment to revitalise some of the capital's unique public spaces. For too many years the focus of creating new urban spaces has been towards inner London. The vital role played by our town centres and communities in the suburbs has been overlooked and I would actively encourage local authorities in the suburbs to participate in the Mayor's initiative as these areas contain some of the most important drivers of London's future success."

Richard Rogers, Deputy Chair of the Mayor's Great Spaces panel said:
"A way of measuring the quality of life in the city is by the design of its public spaces. These people's places bring great vitality to a city. I believe that access to open space should be a public right. Everyone should be able to see a tree from their window, sit on a bench close to their home, or sit on the grass in the park.

"This is why the Mayor's Great Spaces Initiative is so important. We need to get London's pavements, squares and parks working for all. London has some wonderful public spaces but there is still much to be done."