Councillors in one part of London are considering asking agents to include ‘green features’ on property details.
Camden’s Labour controlled council has included this as one recommendation in a plan to promote the natural environment in the inner London borough.
The councillor responsible for green space and biodiversity, Nina de Ayala Parker, is quoted on the Camden Citizen website as saying agents could be asked to “emphasise green features of properties in their marketing and possibly create a green rating system to encourage green considerations in house evaluations”.
She is quoted as continuing with the comments: “We have also seen some of our green spaces turned into grey through residents’ paving over green front gardens and driveways with plastic grass, and concrete slabs. We must promote the beauty of nature and the benefits of having greenery in your home.”
De Ayala Parker says in her recommendations that residents could be helped to de-pave their drives and front gardens with the cost subsidised by the council as part of an initiative for “re-greening the grey”.
The council is also considering introducing policies on pesticides in parks, open spaces and estates.
She adds: “While Camden does have a robust, and restrictive, controlled usage of such toxic pesticides as glysophate, it is submitted that such usage could be harmful to vulnerable species in Camden such as bees … Many Camden officers have raised concerns about the usage of the pesticide by Camden residents themselves in their own private gardens.”
She also wants to ensure green spaces on council estates are accessible to people with disabilities.
