Green gardens are being eaten up by new homes and decking

Green garden space two and a half times the size of Hyde Park is being lost in London every year, according to a new study.

Householders are replacing grass and other vegetation with designer decking and paving, sheds and greenhouses, or concreting over front gardens to create much-needed parking space.
Housing development is also taking its toll, with an average 500 gardens or parts of gardens lost to building every year in the city.

The loss of green space damages the capital's ability to cope with climate change, according to experts behind the report, titled London: Garden City?

Launching the findings today at Camley Street Natural Park near St Pancras station, London Wildlife Trust deputy chief executive Mathew Frith said: "London's gardens cover a vast area. But the speed and scale of their loss is alarming.

"It has never been more important that Londoners understand the value of our gardens. A well-managed network of the city's 3.8 million
gardens supports essential wildlife habitat and offers important environmental benefits."

The research used aerial photographs and was conducted by the trust in partnership with Greenspace Information for Greater London and the
Greater London Authority.

It shows Greater London has 37,900 hectares of garden land, including the 3.8 million individual plots, of which 22,000 hectares are green. However, this area shrank by 3,000 hectares, the equivalent of two and a half Hyde Parks a year, between 1998 and 2008.