Top honours for Vauxhall and Milkwood Parks

Two of Lambeth’s parks have been secured a prestigious Green Flag Award, confirming them as among the very best public open spaces in the country.

2007 sees Vauxhall Park getting the Green Flag Award for the first time, joining Milkwood Community Park, which was awarded a Green Flag last year and has retained its award for the coming year.

Lambeth Council believes the substantial improvements it has been making to parks and greenspaces in recent years means that several more of the borough’s open spaces are very close to achieving Green Flag Award status, and so the council will be putting forward even more parks for the Award next year. The Green Flag awards represent a huge effort by parks staff throughout the year, with valuable contributions from the council’s community partners.

Green Flag Award is a nationally recognised standard for the quality management of parks and open spaces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Any parks or public open space must meet a range of tough criteria in order to secure Green Flag status, including the highest standards of maintenance and cleanliness of facilities, buildings and signage. Environmentally sound maintenance practices, such as the minimal use of pesticides and recycling of green wastes, should be in evidence, and there must be active involvement with the community in the management of the site.

The announcement of Green Flag Awards to Vauxhall and Milkwood Community Parks demonstrates not only that they met these tough standards, but also Lambeth Council's commitment to making all of its public greenspaces clean, green, safe and welcoming for everybody.

Vauxhall Park is a Victorian-style park that borders South Lambeth Road and Fentiman Road, and includes facilities such as recently upgraded tennis courts, a popular children's play area, an enclosed ball games area, dog exercise area and model village. Milkwood Community Park, located between Brixton, Camberwell and Herne Hill on Milkwood Road, was transformed in 2004 from a blank open area into an exciting local greenspace containing a playground, mini football pitch, and games court.

Councillor Lib Peck, Cabinet Member for Environment and Culture in Lambeth Council, said:

"We know how important our precious green spaces are to local people and that is why we are absolutely committed to making sure they are safe, welcoming and well maintained.

"I'm delighted that Vauxhall Park has joined Milkwood Community Park in getting a Green Flag, but I know they won’t be the last, as we are making major improvements to all parks across the borough.

"What the awards prove is how vital the involvement of the local community is in developing a well-run, well-maintained, and well-used park. Without doubt, we would not have achieved Green Flag status without the partnership, commitment and hard work of the Friends of Vauxhall Park and the Milkwood Tenants and Residents Association."

Editors’ notes

Green Flag Award is an annual scheme, in that each Award-winning open space must reapply for it every year.

The Green Flag Award is only given to sites where there is clear evidence of a commitment by and involvement of both the local authority and community to not only meeting the tough standards set by the Green Flag Award scheme, but also sustaining them into the future and making year-on-year improvements in the way each site looks, operates and develops.

This year’s Green Flag Award winners were announced by Baroness Kay Andrews, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, on Tuesday 17th July 2007.