Call to protect green spaces in Southwark from council development

Southwark Liberal Democrats have announced a new policy to formally protect green spaces in the borough from development. Under the policy, the Liberal Democrats will introduce formal protection for Southwark’s green spaces and will enhance those areas for the amenity of local residents.

The policy announcement follows recent campaigns to resist housing development planned by Labour-led Southwark Council on Jocelyn Street Park (aka the ‘Flaxyard Site’) and elsewhere in the borough which would see the loss of parks, green spaces and play spaces on estates.

The Liberal Democrat group have reiterated their support for Southwark’s plans to build new council homes, but called on the Labour administration to urgently review the criteria for site selection to ensure that they are not being built on scarce green spaces.

Leader of the Southwark Liberal Democrats, Cllr Hamish McCallum, said:

“Our parks and green spaces are vital for local people’s mental and physical health – that has become all the more apparent over the last year of the pandemic.

“The Liberal Democrats would formally protect and enhance those green spaces, so that all residents can benefit from them.

“We fully support plans to build new council homes, but are concerned that they are being built on scarce green spaces. Labour must urgently review its site selection criteria and should be doing more to buy and develop new sites that are more suited to delivering the homes that local people need.”