London's greenest boroughs: these are the top 10 city areas for open space, good schools and cleaner air

Londoners will be promised a cleaner city with low-traffic neighbourhoods, a public pool of electric vehicles and more trees by the candidates fighting it out to be the capital’s next mayor, at a special green hustings this leap year Saturday.

Rory Stewart (Independent), Shaun Bailey (Conservative), Siân Berry (Green Party) and Siobhan Benita (Liberal Democrats) will take centre stage at the first London National Park City meeting of 2020, to be held at the UCL Christopher Ingold Building in WC1.

The current Mayor, Labour’s Sadiq Khan, is unable to attend because of long-standing personal commitments.

In the pursuit of healthier family-friendly streets in the capital, Green candidate Berry says she will turn parking spaces into mini parks and create low-traffic neighbourhoods, with planters as barriers to stop cars cutting down side roads.

Ahead of the election in May, the Tories’ Bailey will pledge the electrification of the bus fleet, the introduction of a Boris Bike-style scheme for e-vehicles and will promise to put health at the heart of all new developments.

It’s 20 years since Ken Livingstone, the first mayor of London, was elected and over those two decades air pollution has increased and the need for climate control has intensified.

As a result, London’s leafiest pockets, based on the edge of mature parkland, have become the most sought-after locations for home buyers.

These properties within a short walk of a park or garden square can cost around £400,000 more than homes that are further away, but there are ways to get close to greenery for less.

New research published today by Savills reveals the residential roads that are within 250 metres — or less than a five-minute walk — of a park or green space, and all the locations ranked are within 250 metres of primary schools rated “good” or “outstanding” by Ofsted.

Hackney’s Victoria Park in east London is the best location for raising a family, according to the study, based on close proximity to green space — both Victoria Park and the Olympic Park — plus the Tube network and cycle ways.

Making up the rest of the top five in the research, which also shows both the premium and affordable roads around each park, are Wanstead Flats in east London; Arnos Grove, north London: Wormwood Scrubs Park, in south-west London and Finsbury Park, north London.

Victoria Park Village has butchers, bakeries and boutiques. A one-bedroom period conversion flat will cost more than £500,000 and a well-finished Victorian three-bedroom terrace house can start from £1.5 million.

The premium roads are Penthurst and Southborough, just off Well Street Common, says James Teulon from Foxtons. “Nearby Hackney Wick represents better value, where old industrial buildings are being converted into homes,” he says.

Walkable from Victoria Park is multi-sports venue the Copper Box Arena, one of the Olympic legacy buildings, and also the Westfield shopping centre in Stratford.

One-, two- and three-bedroom homes are available at The Otto, an apartment block overlooking Hackney Downs. Prices start from £490,000 for a one-bedroom apartment. Call 020 3296 2222.

L&Q has just launched 22 shared-ownership apartments at the new Stratford Works building in the Olympic regeneration area.

Prices start from £93,750 for a 25 per cent share of a one-bedroom apartment and £150,000 for a 25 per cent share of a three-bedroom apartment. Call 0333 321 1776.

Finsbury Park Road, Wilberforce Road and Digby Crescent are the most expensive streets in Finsbury Park, with large houses on wide plots.

South of the park is considered the best place to live, says Savills’ James Davidson.

“The roads are quiet and the housing stock is mostly Victorian terraces with decent-sized gardens.

“Stroud Green to the north of Finsbury Park provides the best value for money for first-time buyers,” he adds.

New one-, two- and three-bedroom homes at Woodberry Down went on sale this month, overlooking the West Reservoir and close to Finsbury Park.

The regeneration covers 64 acres including 15 acres of parkland and wetlands. The reedbeds, islands and inlets are home to ducks and lizards with bats, moths and a wide variety of birds overhead, such as kestrels and sparrowhawks.

Adults and children can swim in the West Reservoir and the youth club specialises in watersports. Prices start from £525,000 for a one-bedroom apartment and £705,000 for a two-bedroom apartment, while three-bedroom townhouses are set to go on sale this summer. Call 020 3944 7729.

Family-sized shared-ownership apartments are also available in the Patchworks Building in Seven Sisters Road. Prices for a three-bedroom home start from £216,000 for a 30 per cent share. Call 020 7456 6823.

Completing Savills’ top 10 well-connected green neighbourhoods are: Sudbury Town, west London; Clapham Common and Tooting Bec Common, south London; and finally Southwark Park and Greenwich Park, south-east London,

Housing stock is limited around London’s historic commons but new parks are being carved out of old brownfield sites across the capital.

Colindale Gardens in Barnet, north London is a £1 billion regeneration of wasteland into nine acres of parkland with homes, eateries and a three-form entry primary school.

Developer Redrow applied last month to raise the number of homes from 2,900 to 4,000 to meet local demand. Tree-lined boulevards will run off the central park, with play parks and fitness trails. Three-bedroom flats start at £591,000 with Help to Buy.

Award-winning architect Alison Brooks says physical and mental heath should be intrinsic in London’s regeneration masterplans.

Brooks designed 1 Ashley Road, the first new residential building of the Tottenham Hale regeneration scheme with one-, two- and three-bedroom homes now on sale and a roof garden where children can play.

Prices start from £413,000. Call 020 7205 4047.

“It’s a gracious building with roof terraces at the back which draw you in. We treated it as a sculpture,” she says. There will be new paths to Down Lane Park.

Brooks describes the area around Tottenham Hale station as one big roundabout. The upgrade will slow and calm the traffic, with safer crossings more planting and creation of public realm and identity.

“Giving access to green space is a crucial element when building new homes but beautiful, uplifting buildings and urban quality are also vital for the human psyche,” she says.

With a total of 44 parks, Ealing is one of the greenest boroughs in London.

And park number 45 is being created as part of the Acton Gardens development in 11 acres of green space.

The new common land will comprise playgrounds, a wild adventure trail, an outdoor gym and communal gardens.

IT worker Tomas Bolzano, aged 40, his wife Katie and their children moved into a two-bedroom apartment in the scheme, having previously rented in Chiswick.

“I wasn’t sure whether Acton would be a good place to raise a family, but the area has dramatically changed. There’s loads of green space, making it a great place to bring up the kids,” says Tomas.

One-, two- and three-bedroom apartments are available with prices starting from £420,000 and Help to Buy available. Call 020 3918 7659.

Greenwich Millennium Village will deliver 3,000 homes once completed.

Formerly wasteland, the new Ecology Park is now home to butterflies, damselflies, dragonflies and 85 types of birds.

Children have the run of the eco-playgrounds with willow tunnels and timber climbing walls.

Ho Yei and Markus Knauss, who are in their early thirties, moved with their one-year-old son Benjamin from a two-bedroom rental flat in Elephant & Castle and bought a three-bedroom home in Commodore Quarter at Greenwich Millennium Village.

“It doesn’t feel like you’re in London,” says Ho.

“There’s an air of escapism and a village feel to the development, with numerous parks, open areas and cycle areas which make it a great environment for children to grow up in.”

One- to four-bedroom homes are available from £407,495 to £900,000. Call 020 8108 2162.