Where to buy a home in London in 2020: the most eco-friendly boroughs for wellbeing revealed

Conservationists, green rangers and residents will gather next month for the second official meeting of the London National City Park initiative, as wellbeing, mental health and climate change continue to shoot up the public agenda.

The UK capital was first to sign up last summer to a new global drive to convince cities and their residents to be greener, healthier and wilder. It was marked by an eight-day festival celebrating London’s outdoor spaces. Newcastle upon Tyne and Glasgow have followed suit.

Local councils and masterplanners are joining the campaign — increasingly designing new homes developments and town centre upgrades around access to green space.

The draft New London Plan, due to come into law in the new year, is calling for the housebuilding and wider construction industry to increase the biodiversity of London by rewilding waterways and riverbanks in an attempt to increase the health of residents, wildlife and the planet.

Bromley in south London has been crowned best borough for wellbeing, according to a new report from property group CBRE. The positions are calculated on the combination of parkland, health care facilities and sports amenities.

Source: CBRE

Barnet, Hillingdon, Enfield and Redbridge complete the top five, with Richmond upon Thames, Croydon, Havering, Hounslow and Ealing making up the rest of the top 10.

Bromley has more than 86,000sq ft of open space which makes up nearly 60 per cent of the borough. It borders the Kentish countryside yet has fast links into the City and Victoria. “It’s a case of city meets country,” says Jennet Siebrits, head of residential research at CBRE. Bromley also has 954 sports facilities.

Property prices in the borough have risen 26 per cent over the last five years to £425,082.

New three-bedroom homes are for sale in St Mark’s Square, the 200-unit scheme near Bromley South station. There will also be a Vue cinema, nine restaurants and a hotel, all around a new public square. From £380,000. Call CBRE on 020 7182 2000.

Ealing ranked 10th in the CBRE table of the boroughs best for wellbeing but is also considered the most eco-friendly borough, with the council spending highly on green and wildlife initiatives.

Manicured landscaping in public gardens is falling out of fashion. Ealing park rangers are encouraging overgrown meadows, attracting voles and field mice, which in turn are attracting owls. Nesting boxes have been distributed to house Tawny, Barn and Little Owls.

The £1 million council-led Greenford-Gurnell Greenway project will improve 44 acres of parkland between Greenford town centre and Gurnell Leisure Centre and open up the River Brent towpath. Reed beds, wetlands, meadows, woodland and orchards naturally filter air, reduce flood risk and improve water quality.

Developer City & Docklands is building One West Point in Acton. The scheme comprises four buildings, with the tallest at 47 floors overlooking Ealing’s many parks. One West Point links physical health, mental wellbeing and the environment. There’s a vertical running track in the stairwell that records the floors people climb, offering a reduced rent for those who climb the most.

Residents also have access to running meets, a cycling club and a gym. Anti-anxiety workshops are available and a dining club aims to foster community. For those with green fingers there will be a chance to get involved with community gardening. Prices of One West Point homes start from £475,000. Call 020 3907 8801.

Westgate House is a 330-home development by Galliard Homes in Hangar Lane, by Alperton Sports Ground, with prices from £300,000 for a studio. Call 020 7620 1500.

With Old Deer Park, Marble Hill Park and an active rugby culture, it’s no surprise that Richmond made CBRE’s top 10 best boroughs for wellbeing. There are just two apartments still available at London Square’s conversion of the Grade II-listed Star and Garter building at the top of Richmond Hill.

Surrounded by glorious countryside, it has the Thames Valley on one side and Richmond Park on the other. The former veterans’ home also has a pool, sun room and gym and private treatment rooms. Prices start from £1,995,000. Call Featherstone Leigh on 020 8940 1575.

Colindale Gardens, just north of Brent Cross, will be home to 6,000 people when completed and sits in four acres of parks and woodland dedicated to cyclists, joggers, children and wildlife.

Developer Redrow has created a new calculator to measure the conservation value of its open space in a bid to tackle the growing eco-systems crisis and restore urban habitats. Homes currently start from £361,000 and Help to Buy is available. Call 020 3811 6580.

Even in the most built-up urban areas, there are new schemes that dedicate space to health and fitness. The Equinox Spa recently opened at The Stage development in Shoreditch. The £750 million conversion of the site of Shakespeare’s Curtain Theatre will deliver a 37-storey tower of 412 homes.

The health club will provide cardio workouts, one-to-one training and spa treatments. Prices at The Stage start from £685,000. Call 020 3770 2154 or visit galliardhomes.com.