Front gardens on the frontline

Front gardens on the front line

For nearly 30 years homeowners have been paving over front gardens - often for car parking - often without realising they are increasing harming their local area and the planet. Front garden loss is not a trivial aesthetic issue, but one that can directly affect our lives. In fact, the explosion of paved areas is a major contributor to the misery of residential flooding, putting around one million properties in England at risk. Paving over even the smallest of front gardens is also contributing to hotter cities, air and water pollution, and devastating the numbers of vital pollinators.

Overlooked, apparently trivial, yet restoration of front gardens would be a simple but powerful tool to combat climate change. People often ask, ‘What can I do to help the planet?’ One answer is literally on their doorstep. 

Event chair and introductory comments:

• Alice Roberts, Head of Campaigns, CPRE London -

Speakers

• Wendy Allen, founder of Wendy Allen Designs: Creative, biodiverse rain gardens consultancy & training
  
• Ari Cooper-Davis MSci, PhD. Hydrologist and Lead Platform Developer at Our Rainwater
  
• Paul de Zylva, Quaggy Waterways Action Group (QWAG) and London National Park City Front Garden