Lewisham has been ranked second in London for its parks and green spaces, in the 2026 Good Parks for London report.
The south-east London borough was recognised for its high-quality, welcoming and resilient approach to managing parks and open spaces, in the annual report published by Parks for London.
Cllr Corin Ashwell, Lewisham’s cabinet member for environment, nature, transport and climate action, said: “This is fantastic recognition for Lewisham and for everyone who helps make our parks and green spaces such an important part of life in the borough.”
“Being ranked second in London is a testament to the hard work of our staff, partners, volunteers, friends groups and local communities,” she added.
“It’s excellent that the assessment looks at much more than how our parks look, and recognises the role they play in nature, health and wellbeing, community life and building a greener and more resilient borough.”
The Good Parks for London report evaluates parks services across 24 participating London boroughs, measuring performance across 10 criteria: public satisfaction, quality standards, partnership working, events, health and wellbeing, supporting nature, community involvement, skills, sustainability and strategic planning.
This year’s report has a particular focus on resilience — and the role parks play in helping communities respond to environmental, social and financial pressures.
A case study in the report highlighted Lewisham’s River Pool Partnership, a long-running collaboration between Lewisham Council, Friends of the River Pool, Thames21 and Glendale. Over the past 15 years, the partnership has helped improve biodiversity and habitats, manage flood risk, support community involvement and make maintenance more sustainable.
Since 2021, more than 2,000 volunteers have contributed over 8,500 hours through 209 conservation sessions in the area. A £10,000 investment in the partnership in 2025 was estimated to have generated £32,000 in equivalent volunteer hours — and that does not include the additional environmental and community value created through the scheme.
“The River Pool Partnership is a great example of what can be achieved when the council and communities work together,” Cllr Ashwell said. “We will build on this success and continue working with residents and partners to make our parks even better.”
Lewisham’s second-place ranking puts it among the best-performing boroughs in London for green space management, recognising its commitment to collaboration, sustainability and community-led improvement.
The borough has also been in the news for its transport links, with the Bakerloo line extension to Lewisham delayed until 2040 — and for its festive season, with Christmas light switch-ons across south-east London under way this month.
