Making the most of our urban parks can contribute to a range of government objectives, argues William Weston

Readers might wonder why Royal Parks sits as an executive agency of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The simple answer is that heritage, though it has fallen out of the department’s title, is still very much part of the department’s brief. But going beyond that, open green spaces (royal or otherwise, in London or elsewhere) contribute across a huge range of key targets for the department and government.

With an ever increasing urban population, more and more people are gradually becoming disconnected from the natural world. Children in particular lose knowledge of trees, plants and animals, which many people of previous generations take for granted. So managing urban green space now brings an increasing responsibility to help reconnect people to nature and the great outdoors.

What’s more, the staff managing these spaces are the custodians of the knowledge and techniques that created our urban parks and which will be vital to maintaining them for the future. Passed through the centuries, the skills base is now diminishing with every generation. The country’s leading parks and gardens remain a stronghold for horticultural excellence and we must remain committed to the continuation of the special skills needed to maintain a special environment. Using shire horses to roll bracken is not exactly cutting edge technology but it is the most effective solution for certain areas, such as Richmond Park. Sustaining these traditional techniques will ensure an invaluable resource to every urban green space.

More than fostering a familiarity with nature, parks, gardens, commons and heaths in the city are critical for maintaining our wellbeing in an “artificial” urban environment. Mayer Hilman’s recent study, “One false move”, suggests that children’s independent mobility has reduced to one ninth of its former size, while Audit Commission figures show that each child under 12 has, in effect, only 2.3 sq. metres in which to play.

Open spaces in the capital and all urban centres can provide children and their families with the space for healthy informal activities and relaxation. That space is also filled with joggers, dog walkers, lunching office workers, pensioners taking the air and, yes, courting couples. These competing uses can clash at times but sensible management of this shared environment helps to keep people healthy, happy and mentally alert.

In fact, research shows that within minutes of entering a park or garden our blood pressure falls, so the relaxation is more than notional.

More formal outdoor activities, primarily sports, require significant investment in facilities but the returns from grassroots sport for local communities and the nation’s sporting future are proven. London’s largest outdoor sports area, sited in Regent’s Park and so part of Royal Parks’ responsibility, has benefited from the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Football Foundation, London Marathon Charitable Trust and Lords Taverners – all enabling the renewal this year of more than 40 pitches.

The £2.2 million investment has renewed and upgraded facilities, drainage, surfaces and layout, to be followed by the creation of a £4 million pavilion. This investment will become a cornerstone of local community groups, clubs and leagues for football, rugby, cricket, not to mention an important part of the London 2012 Olympic bid. We should strive to recognise this sort of potential in all our parks.

However we make the most of the green space in our cities and towns, we can also gain by recognising that these places do not exist by chance but as a physical manifestation of our history and culture. The open land has been made and shaped as consciously as the streets and buildings that border it. These are the places where people have gathered for centuries, and not just for recreation, because it was here that people shaped their world through riots or rallies.

Common bonds between all sections of society can always do with being reinforced and the history vested in our open green space is there for the using. It is a history that has seen men and women struggling to make the foundations of our democratic system and our open society, from the franchise to freedom of speech, as well as coming together to celebrate victories, sporting and military, that have helped define our national character. This valuable but intangible heritage is present in all towns and cities across the UK.

The challenge for the future of urban green space is to continue to provide for an ever growing number of users who want to participate in an increasing range of recreational activities, while also maintaining the quality and heritage of the landscape itself – the very thing that attracts everyone to start with.

William Weston is chief executive of the Royal Parks

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