People in deprived areas have less access to gardens and other green spaces, analysis shows

The most deprived Londoners would be disproportionately affected by park closures if lockdown measures on public green spaces were increased, Guardian analysis has found.

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Londoners living in deprived areas and those from BAME backgrounds share less space and have less access to private gardens and public parks, according to an examination of mapping data.

A third of all land in the wealthiest 10% of London wards was taken up by private gardens, while in the poorest 10%, just over a fifth was found to be taken up by garden space.

That suggests people in the most deprived areas would be disproportionately affected by further park closures if lockdown restrictions became more severe.

At least three boroughs have imposed partial park closures, in addition to shutting outdoor gyms and playgrounds, at some point during the UK’s lockdown period. A further 17 have issued warnings to residents that parks will be closed if government guidelines are not followed.

Current government guidelines say people should only leave their house for exercise once a day, and keep 2 metres apart from others at all times.

London is the UK’s most densely populated region and the lockdown has led to pressure on public green space. Scenes of sunbathers in Brockwell Park in south London on 4 April led to a temporary closure of the park and police also reported moving more than 100 people from Primrose Hill.

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The analysis is based on data which categorises the total land area of a ward into its uses, including domestic garden space. It shows that the most affluent decile of wards had the highest proportion of private garden space, and the most deprived decile had the lowest.

Population density was also greatest in the poorest deciles meaning more people share less space.

Gardens make up more than a third of the area in the weathiest London wards but just a fifth in the poorest Gardens make up more than a third of the area in the weathiest London wards but just a fifth in the poorest

Meredith Whitten, a postdoctoral fellow at the LSE’s school of geography and environment, said access to green space was vital for public health.

“Even before the pandemic, there was an increasing focus on research on the physical and mental health benefits of green space.

“Being near green space makes us move more and that has benefits. Having access to nature gives us a sense of calmness and tranquility ... that helps with reducing the stress that comes especially from urban living.”

In the poorest decile, around half the residents were BAME on average, more than double the proportion in the richest decile, where 20% were non-white.

A similar trend is apparent when looking at access to public parks and green space. Again, the wealthiest wards had the greatest proportion of public space on average at 35% compared to 25% in the most deprived.

More than a third of London's wealthiest wards are parkland, dropping to a quarter in the poorest More than a third of London’s wealthiest wards are parkland, dropping to a quarter in the poorest

Whitten said there were similar trends during the 19th century. “In the Victorian era, the wealthier classes had their squares and gardens but the working class didn’t have any because they lived in very crowded, often slumlike conditions.”

“The Victorians recognised they needed to provide some access to nature and that’s really how the public parks movement in Britain started.”

Tower Hamlets council closed Victoria Park for a period but has now reopened it with limited hours. On 27 March, Hammersmith & Fulham council reversed its decision to close parks following a government announcement of new emergency laws.

As of 8 April, the vast majority of London councils were advising residents that parks remained open. However, more than half of the 33 councils had issued warnings, stating that if people did not follow government guidelines, the situation would be reviewed.

Figures released by Google last week show that footfall in London parks on 29 March was down by approximately 59% compared to activity in January and February 2020..

Methodology

Data on the percentage of gardens for each ward area was taken from the 2005 Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government report, Land Use by Borough and Ward, the most up-to-date measure available publicly. A 2018 report published by the Mayor of London’s office states broad land usage categories have stayed roughly the same since 2002.

Data on the percentage of parks for each ward area was taken from the 2015 Greater London Authority report, Ward Profiles and Atlas as were the percentage of BAME residents and population density folr each ward area, which date to 2011 and 2013 respectively.

All deprivation comparisons are based on the 2015 deprivation data at ward level for 2015 as published by Public Health England. (The 2015 data does not give a London region deprivation score, therefore the median deprivation score has been used for comparison). Because of differences in ward boundaries between 2005 and 2015, the analysis is based on 483 of 659 areas (or 73%) of London boroughs.