A woman has launched a petition calling for action to “re-green” Brighton and Hove neighbourhoods.
Hollingbury resident Lynne Angel-Kerr has launched a petition on Change.org in the hope of securing a debate at Brighton and Hove City Council, to protect the remaining front gardens and have more street trees.
She was prompted to act after an electric vehicle charging point was installed outside her home in Westfield Crescent.
Mrs Angel-Kerr fears similar installations across the city will result in more people paving over their front gardens to ensure they can park by their homes.
Many of her neighbours have already paved over their front gardens to ensure they have a parking space.
After researching the issue she discovered across the country, seven million front gardens have been paved over, an area equivalent to the size of Barbados.
She said: “When you look around and see the bare verges and you see we’re baking, and we’re flooding, and we’ve thrown the baby out with the bathwater.
“We’ve let this happen, all of us. A garden lowers the temperatures, it gives us cleaner air, it gives pollinators, scores of insects and small mammals a home. Gardens feed the birds.
“That’s just one front garden. In my street alone, I would say 55 per cent of gardens have gone.
“I’m asking the council to regreen wherever possible and protect front garden spaces.”
Mrs Angel-Kerr wants help from local businesses, garden competitions and green signs for people protecting their front gardens.
She said: “Once I saw what was happening with our immediate climate – I know what’s happening in the wider world – then I realised we’re part of the problem and we need to be aware of it.
“I know we can make a difference.”
As well as the Brighton Climate Force petition on Change.org she has also launched the Brighton Front Gardens campaign website, to encourage other people to get involved.
Last time I looked Hollingbury was surrounded by a thing called the countryside! Mind your own business they are private properties!
Great idea. City life should be colourful, enriching and enjoyable, with trees and flowers adding beauty and relaxation in our hectic lives.
Gardens and street trees help combat pollution, provide shade as our city heats up with climate change and creates a more pleasant environment, a helping hand to our threatened wildlife too.
Some parts of our city are lucky enough to have quality greenspace or are adjacent to downland that has not been overly damaged by intensive agriculture; but other areas are congested, with poor air quality, dominated by tarmac and concrete, with little or no greenery, affecting our health and eroding our quality of life.
Our council owns our downland and key parts of the city, it is landowner, planning and highway authority – the remedy is in its hands and we, the people, the electorate, can influence it, if we try. Where there’s a will …
Why not campaign about the huge housing estates paving over the Sussex countryside and Downs!
People paving over their front gardens is a direct result of bhcc Transport Dept’s agenda of rolling out cpzs citywide