July 2007 News
Green Hackney Wins Awards
Springfield Park and Hackney Downs have been given prestigious Green Flag Awards, recognising them as amongst the best green spaces in England and Wales.
The parks, in Clapton, join Clissold Park in Stoke Newington and Haggerston Park, as Green Flag Award holders, making a total of four Awards made to the borough.
Springfield Park is a designated Local Nature Reserve and its amenities include a cricket pitch and five tennis courts. The picturesque edge of the park borders the River Lea and overlooks Walthamstow Marshes.
Hackney Downs is considered a major inner city Open Space. It’s 16.1 hectares in size and lined with very mature trees. Amenities include three tennis courts, artificial cricket wicket, basketball courts, children’s playground and a ‘trim trail’ of wooden workout areas dotted around the park.
The Green Flag Awards is a national scheme managed by the Civic Trust. Awards are given as a mark of quality, and visible improvement of a park or green space. To achieve the required standard, there are eight criteria that Green Flag judges assess. These include: ‘welcoming environment; healthy, safe and secure; well maintained and clean; sustainability; conservation and heritage; community involvement; marketing; and management’. Parks must also submit a plan setting out improvements for the next five years.
Cllr Nargis Khan, Cabinet Member for Community Services said: “Obtaining these Awards shows the quality of our parks continues to climb. This has been achieved through the Council investing resources and the dedication of all park staff, user groups and the passion of individuals of the local community. We can build on this success and work towards getting more Green Flags each year.”
Representatives from the Council’s Community Services department will attend the official Green Flag Awards ceremony on 26 July.
The Parks Service works hard to raise the standards of Hackney’s green spaces in various ways, such as the installation of more bins and benches, resurfacing of pathways, better signage and introducing regimes that encourage biodiversity and wildlife.
There is an ongoing programme of parks improvement projects. These include a new artificial pitch and Multi Use Games Area at Haggerston Park, restoration of buildings at Springfield Park, and repairs at Clapton Pond. There’s a planned Multi-Use Games Areas for London Fields and Mabley Green, a major redevelopment of Clissold Park and House and continued work at Shoreditch Park.
For more information about our parks and open spaces, please contact the Parks Service on 020 8356 8428 or email parkssports@hackney.gov.uk
Page updated: 15 Jun 2010
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