Outdoor Index: Which London Borough Has the Most Green Space?

Space in the City: How many parks are in London?

With over 3,000 parks and open spaces, London is one of the world’s greenest cities, but some of its boroughs offer more green space per person than others.

Ranked: Top 4 London Boroughs for Green Space

1.    Kingston – 1 outdoor space per 970 people

With an impressive public space to people ratio, Kingston tops the list as the best London borough for most outdoor space. With 183 parks, gardens, recreation grounds and nature reserves, there is an outdoor space for every 970 people, making Kingston the only London borough with one park per thousand residents.

Kingston accounts for part of the vast 89-hectare Hampton Court Park. Other popular options include Canbury Gardens, Claremont Gardens and Berrylands Nature Reserve.

2.    Richmond – 1 outdoor space per 1,500 people

Richmond ranks second, offering one outdoor space per 1,547 people. Included in Richmond’s 128 public green spaces is the huge 966-hectare expanse of Richmond Park. As a national nature reserve, Richmond Park offers brooks and ponds, flora and gardens, wildlife, including free-roaming fallow deer, and the city’s breathtaking viewpoints.

3.    Westminster – 1 outdoor space per 2,250 people 

Westminster is the third top location for green spaces in London, with 116 green spaces in total. While this equates to one green space per 2,253 people, this doesn’t consider the footfall of millions of tourists who visit this area every year to see hotspots like Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey.

But, while Westminster’s public parks may be busier than others on this list, it’s for good reason. These green spaces are some of the richest in UK history and culture, including St James’ Park and Green Park, adjacent to Buckingham Palace.

4.    Islington – 1 outdoor space per 2,300 people

Islington has 102 green spaces, offering one green space per 2,377 residents. This includes Highbury Fields, with its playgrounds, cafes and sports facilities, and Islington Green which, although small, remains a central hub for Islington residents to enjoy some greenery during work breaks or at weekends.

Top 10 London Boroughs Ranked

While these are our top 4, plenty of London boroughs offer a surprising amount of green space for a bustling city like the capital.

Some of the boroughs with the least outdoor space include Harrow, with an outdoor space for every 10,000 people, and Newham, with an open space for every 11,000 people. However, what these areas may lack in green space is countered by plenty of nearby amenities, including bars, restaurants, recreational facilities and local shops. Notable amenities include Harrow Arts Centre in Harrow and Westfields Stratford City in Newham!

Relaxing Outdoor Restrictions

Here’s the timeline for restrictions relaxing outdoors:

March 29^th

• Outdoor gatherings of six people or two households allowed
• Outdoor sports facilities open

April 12^th  

• Outdoor hospitality services allowed

May 17^th  

• Outdoor social contact rules lifted

Most Popular Outdoor Spaces in London

If your borough has a lower outdoor space to people ratio, don’t worry! According to the lockdown easing plan, by March 29^th, travel outside of your local area should be allowed again. That means you can once again visit some of the most beautiful parks and green spaces in London.

We analysed monthly Google search volumes to see which are most popular:

Escaping City Life: Green Space Across the UK

With self-contained holiday accommodation set to open on April 12^th, a visit to one of the top UK green spaces and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty could be an option for the ultimate green fix. Here are the top 10 most searched places to visit.

Celebrating Outdoor Spaces 

With summer quickly approaching and lockdown restrictions easing, meeting friends and family in the sun is right around the corner. Explore Share to Buy properties in London’s greenest boroughs, and enjoy some of London’s top outdoor spaces this summer.

Method:

We sourced the number of parks and open spaces from individual council websites and compared this to population data from Statista. For the search volumes, we analysed search volume in the last 12 months on SEMRush.