Brockwell Park has again won a green flag in the annual awards organised by the Keep Britain Tidy charity.
Launched 29 years ago, the awards this year recognised 499 parks and open spaces in Greater London.
Brockwell Park was recognised twice – as a green flag winner and with accreditation as a green heritage site.
A total of 26 Lambeth sites (list below) were recognised with a green flag award. Green heritage site recognition also went to Lambeth’s Kennington and Vauxhall parks.
Brockwell Park Community Greenhouses and Windmill Gardens were among Lambeth winners of a Green Flag community award – both are run by volunteer groups.
Organisers say the Green Flag award is “the benchmark international quality classification for parks and green spaces, providing the high standards against which sites are measured, and which land managers, local authorities and volunteers pledge to achieve when applying for the award”.
The award “accredits and recognises sites that meet the needs of the community, are well-maintained, safe and provide people with the opportunity to lead healthy lifestyles”.
Sites that achieve Green Heritage Site accreditation, “have to understand and take action to conserve the heritage value of their site. They also need to help people to understand and enjoy its unique history, from nationally important parks to local green spaces that help tell the story of places and communities”.
The Green Flag award scheme is managed by Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Awards are given on an annual basis and winners must apply each year to renew Green Flag award status.
Green Heritage Site accreditation, which is supported by Historic England, is judged on the treatment of the site’s historic features the standard of conservation and public engagement.
The awards for Brockwell Park came as the Protect Brockwell Park (PBP) campaign against large events in the park confirmed that it is maintaining its legal fight with Lambeth council.
It said it has filed a response to the council’s application for permission to appeal against the High Court ruling that PBP won to halt the five Brockwell Live events in June this year.
PBP is waiting to hear if its application for a second judicial review – of the council’s decision to allow the events to go ahead – will be granted.
Its latest appeal for funds to support these expensive legal actions has so far raised nearly £14,500 from 242 donors towards its £25,000 target. An earlier appeal raised £50,000.
PBP was awarded costs of £35,000 against Lambeth council as a result of winning the initial High Court ruling.
It said it is “not a campaign of wealthy donors. In fact, the average donation last time was under £50 – less than the price of a single festival ticket.”
The full list of Lambeth Green Flag award winners is:
Agnes Riley Gardens, Archbishop’s Park, Brockwell Park, Clapham Common, Eardley Road Sidings Nature Reserve, Hillside Gardens Park, Holmewood Gardens, Kennington Park, Larkhall Park, Milkwood Community Park, Myatt’s Fields Park, Old Paradise Gardens, Palace Road Nature Gardens, Rush Common, Ruskin Park, Slade Gardens, St John’s Churchyard Waterloo, St Paul’s Churchyard, Streatham Common, Streatham Rookery, Ufford Street Gardens, Unigate Wood, Vauxhall Park, Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, West Norwood Cemetery, Wyck Gardens.
It really does make you wonder what you would have to do to a park for it not to be awarded a Green Flag. One side is like an arid desert and will remain like that until well into the season when only dog walkers want to use the park. The refurbished house looks pretty but remains as soulless and irrelevant as it was before 6,000,000 was spent on it. Meanwhile bins overflow and toilets still don’t work.