Back to nature

Westminster City Council has announced major new environmental commitments to protect nature and wildlife in the city after declaring an ecological emergency. Around 25 per cent of Westminster is made up of parks and green spaces and has many species of bird and wildfowl including tawny owls and geese, bats, hedgehogs and foxes. The council pledges to make housing estates, parks and open spaces more hospitable to plants and animals funding new greening projects to increase biodiversity and recycling rates and to ensure council buildings are equipped with renewable energy technology. The council owns and looks after over 300 species of trees including a few remaining mature pear trees in St John’s Wood, which are thought to be remnants of the market gardens in the area, making them more than 200 years old.