Flash flooding protection for at-risk schools and other climate resilience projects are front and centre of Sadiq Khan’s Green and Resilient Spaces Fund investment for the UK capital.
Six large-scale projects have been awarded a combined £3.44m grant from the Mayor of London, with recipients chosen on the basis of their beneficial impact on areas deemed as vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Strengthening resistance, increasing biodiversity, improving access to green space, and building green skills are priorities.
Included in this is work to open up access to the West Reservoir, Hackney, including creation of new green space for the public and development of new reedbed habitats. Footbridges will be built to make it easier for people to explore the site. Other initiatives feature new ‘green corridors’ linking areas of nature together with cycling and walking routes, whereas some are focused on improving flood water storage in parkland and planting rain gardens.
Meanwhile, £520,000 will will support 13 projects, with work centring on design and community engagement. Overall, the Green Resilient Spaces Fund aims to improve more than 57 hectares of public greenery, equivalent to more than 2000 tennis courts. More than 5KM of river will also have ‘nature restored’.
In a separate offer, Khan has also pledged £1.5m to help 100 of London’s schools most at-risk from flash flooding increase their defences. According to analysis by City Hall, if action is not taken and extreme precipitation and heat events continue, one in five of the region’s schools and around one quarter of London railway stations could suffer major damage from flash flooding.
In related news, London areas with large Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities are thought to be most at risk from the climate emergency.
Image credit: K.
