Halt commercialisation of London parks before it’s too late

National Day of Action for Nature, Parks and Green Spaces 18 April 2026 (Part 2)

On Saturday April 18th, just ahead of the local elections in May, groups and communities across the UK will be taking part in a UK-wide Day of Action for Nature, Parks and Green Spaces. The purpose is simple: to demonstrate, visibly and collectively, that people everywhere care deeply about the natural world and want to see it protected and restored.

CPRE London will be writing to Sir Keir Starmer about the need for legislation to protect the public’s rights to parks and green spaces.

We want you to write too.

Dear Prime Minister,

The public’s right to recreational use of parks and green spaces is increasingly under threat from commercialisation

Parks for sale. Local authorities have largely unfettered powers to sell parks and in recent years have been prepared to use them. A large section of Greendale Park in Southwark was sold; and Enfield Council gave a large section of Whitewebbs Park away on a long-term lease. Both are vital, much-loved community assets and local communities have mounted campaigns to save their parks. Elsewhere, Wimbledon Park campaigners are fighting to save rights over the golf course, sold by Merton Council years ago in a deal which kept the site for recreation, with provision for public use.

Parks for rent. Councils have always been able to rent parks for commercial events but there used to be strict limits on the amount of time and space they took up. These were lifted in 1972 but most London boroughs adhered to them anyway and many enshrined them in policy. However, in recent years, with increasing financial pressure, some councils are now renting larger sections of parks to event companies for longer periods of time. This is causing concern about public rights particularly during the busy summer months, and about the extensive damage events cause to the fabric of the park, and recent campaigns have been mounted in Finsbury, Brockwell and Gunnersbury Parks.

Playing fields closing. Elsewhere, councils have hiked rents on protected green fields used for recreation sports or other community use. The groups using these sites rely on low rents, often underpinned by covenants or other protections. Bealonians FC in Redbridge, for example, now face an increase the rent well beyond what they can afford.

Playing fields sold. Privately-owned (but protected) sports fields, commonly used by community sports clubs in London, are being taken out of use and sold to developers who hope to gain planning permission in future (despite the protection). Many sports pitches in London have been bought by developers and taken out of use.

We are calling for:

1. A change to the law to place strong conditions on the sale and lease of public parks to safeguard our open space for generations to come
2. A change to the law to place spatial and temporal limits on the commercial use of public parks to ensure that public access is protected, along with the physical fabric of the park and the biodiversity it support
3. The introduction of rent controls to enable long-term leases at realistic rents for sports club leaseholders; and
4. The removal of the requirement to pay ‘hope value’ when a green site is bought by or on behalf of the community; plus a programme of compulsory purchase of out-of-use or derelict pitches, particularly in areas lacking access to facilities.

Yours sincerely, CPRE London

Take action now! – The May 2026 local elections matter.

Write to Sir Keir Starmer

• Write an actual real life letter and put it in the post! Sir Keir Starmer, Prime Minister, No 10 Downing Street, London, SW1A 2AA.
• Write via the 10 Downing Street web form https://contact.no10.gov.uk/
• Write to his parliamentary email starmer.mp@parliament.uk

Other actions you can take.

1. CPRE London is part of the More Natural Capital Coalition’s election campaign – 10 Pledges for London’s Environment. Sign the petition to show May 2026 election candidates you support the 10 Pledges.
2. And on Thursday 7 May 2026 – Use your vote! Before then, you can ask your candidates if they will protect nature and green spaces and call for real solutions to the housing crisis. Change starts in your borough!