Camden, England Protection of Open Space Designations

Type: Policy

Status: Revised in June 2006

Source File: http://tinyurl.com/38hd7l

Text:

UDP Policy N3 - Protecting Open Space Designations

N3 - Protecting open space designations

A - Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest and London Squares
The Council will not grant planning permission for development that it considers would cause harm to the historic features and setting of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest and London Squares shown on the Proposals Map.

B - Metropolitan walks and green corridors
The Council will not grant planning permission for development that it considers would cause harm to the character and biodiversity values of metropolitan walks and green corridors and their missing links, as shown on the Proposals Map.

C - Allotments, community gardens and city farms
The Council will not grant planning permission for development involving the loss of allotments, community gardens and city farms, as shown on the Proposals Map.

Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest and London Squares

4.14
Due to the historic values associated with Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest and London Squares, policy N3A seeks to protect and enhance the borough’s built heritage, as well as its open space.

4.15
English Heritage has prepared a Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest and 14 of these sites are located in Camden. There are also 53 London Squares in Camden protected by the London Squares Preservation Act 1931. These have special historic values that require protection. The Council will consult with English Heritage over proposals affecting Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest. The Council will also encourage the restoration and management of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest and London Squares to enhance their value.

Metropolitan walks and green corridors

4.16
Development along the route of metropolitan walks and green corridors should not harm their character and biodiversity. Schemes to enhance the value of metropolitan walks and green corridors, and to provide the ‘missing links’ of green corridors will be encouraged by the Council.

4.17
Metropolitan walks are walks through the built environment that enhance access to open spaces and generally improve movement for pedestrians, in a safer and pleasant environment. There are four such walks identified in Camden:

• City Walk 1, Belsize Walk, which links Hampstead Heath to Regent’s Park via Primrose Hill
• City Walk 2, which links Hampstead Heath to Covent Garden via Camden Town
• Regent’s Canal Towpath
• Jubilee Walk Way, with the Bloomsbury Loop extension which was identified in 2002 for the Golden Jubilee

4.18
Green corridors are relatively continuous areas of open space, based on a natural habitat of vegetation or water, which lead thorough the built environment and which may link open spaces together. The Council has designated a small network of green corridors and ‘missing links’, which focus on railway embankments and Regent’s Canal, to help conserve biodiversity. Although it is not always appropriate for them to have public access, they may also provide access routes for people in natural surroundings, which can improve their health and well-being.

Allotments, community gardens and city farms

4.19
The current demand for allotments within the Borough is greater than the number available. Therefore, existing allotments must be protected, as the Council has to provide allotments for residents if they consider there is a demand (section 23, Allotments Act 1908).

4.20
Allotments allow people without gardens to grow their own food, and they have an important role to play in relation to promoting the recreational, amenity, biodiversity, educational and social uses of open space. Camden currently has four sites managed by the Council containing just under 200 allotments. These are:

• Branch Hill Site 3
• Antrim Road Allotments
• Fitzroy Park Allotments
• Westcroft Estates Allotments (located in the London Borough of Barnet)

There are also five allotment sites in Camden that are not managed by the Council.

4.21
Community gardens and city farms are community-managed projects working with people, animals and plants. They range from tiny wildlife gardens, such as Phoenix Community Garden in central London, to large city farms, such as Kentish Town City Farm. Unlike allotments these areas are generally publicly accessible. With the shortage of allotments in the Borough community gardens and city (urban) farms are a means of increasing Camden resident’s access to gardening and farming.

4.22
The Council will also encourage the development of new open spaces for allotments, community gardens and city (urban) farms. These uses will be considered an appropriate use for new open space created in association with policy N4.