Residents in Haringey are set to benefit from exciting plans to make all of the borough’s parks and greenspaces fully inclusive and accessible.
Last night (11 July), Cabinet agreed a new 15-year strategy for the management, improvement and enhancement of greenspaces in Haringey.
In line with the Haringey Deal, an extensive engagement exercise has delivered a set of co-produced measures built around the priorities and aspirations of residents.
Whilst Haringey has almost 150 well- used and many award-winning greenspaces, feedback indicates the council needs to break down the barriers that some groups – such as older people, women and girls, LGBTIA+ people and those from ethnic minority groups - experience accessing its parks.
Cllr Emily Arkell, Cabinet Member for Culture, Communities and Leisure, said:
This bold and challenging document represents a major step forward in setting out the shared priorities of the council and residents for our greenspaces.
It reflects the input received from those both actively involved in our parks and those who currently feel excluded or cannot use them.
There is much to do make our greenspaces welcoming and accessible. We have committed to having a clear annual action plan of improvements, and the Cabinet will formally review our progress every five years. The strategy was co-produced with the community and together we will deliver it.
The council has prioritised making all of its parks and greenspaces inclusive. One of the key features is to include better lighting so people feel safer in parks and improved facilities and accessible pathways to encourage older and disabled users.
Meeting the second aim of tackling climate change involves decarbonising park buildings, vehicles and machinery, increasing canopy cover and establishing new nature reserves.
A standardised approach will be adopted making it easier to maintain parks, delivering the third aim of improving service quality.
More than 600 individuals and 40 groups had their say on the draft strategy during the listening exercise in autumn 2022.
The Cabinet report can be viewed here.
