For Londoners, spending a high proportion of our time indoors is nothing new. From home to gym to office, weekdays often offer little opportunity to be outside. Weekends are when those without a balcony or garden get a chance to experience nature.

The multitude of benefits of spending time outside are well documented. Green space provides respite for over-stimulated minds, a space for dynamic physical activity and exposure to the elements. Nature is essential to both our physical and mental wellbeing. 

So it's not surprising that the restrictions on travel and movement have resulted in many in the capital reviewing their living situation. Savills has noted a significant increase in enquiries for properties with gardens since March. Green space is now high on the agenda for movers, a trend which is likely to last beyond lockdown.

Within the new homes market, large landscaped terraces and communal gardens work alongside balconies to provide greater daylight and corners of privacy for residents. We are also seeing an increasing proportion of developments with meaningful outside space coming forward to the market, from multi-acre parks to canalside walkways.

There are innovative green spaces in unexpected places too, such as tree-filled atriums within subterranean residents' lounges, while running tracks and bowling greens within developments are bringing outdoor physical wellbeing to the forefront.

Green roofs are another route for developers seeking to deliver outdoor space, not only for residents' wellbeing, but to enhance biodiversity, often improving the thermal performance of a building and providing a great aesthetic.

Rather than fulfilling a planning requirement tick-box exercise, these unique spaces are integral to the design from the offset. Regeneration schemes in particular provide a valuable opportunity to build nature into the core of a development offering. We expect to see future projects looking carefully at the provision of greenery and landscaping. 

Below is a selection of developments leading the charge, providing meaningful green space as a core element of their design.  

The natural environment takes centre stage at King's Road Park, London SW6, set within six acres of beautiful landscaping. At its heart is a stunning park, with unique features such as the world's oldest gasholder. The Courtyard Gardens have been inspired by an English country garden and incorporate a maze, formal lawns and a water feature. 'By placing landscape at the centre of this development we have been given the unique opportunity to create something truly special, a place where nature in all its shades of beauty and seasonality permeates every aspect of daily life' – Stephen Richards, Partner at Gillespies

Landscape architect Huw Morgan is a great believer in biophilia – the idea that humans have an in-built pull towards nature. At Embassy Gardens, London SW8 Morgan has put his lifetime of research into practice to help create Linear Park, the green space that runs through the heart of the development. From play areas to water features via newly commissioned art, including a provocative piece by Sarah Lucas, Linear Park creates a rural experience in the centre of a city, plus, in the words of Morgan, ‘a corridor for local wildlife and a conduit for rain water’.

Greenwich Square – Courtyard, London SE10 is set around a glorious residents’ garden square. This amazing green space is the size of 11 tennis courts and filled with lush plants, mature trees and breakout areas.

Grand Union, London HA0 offers over 11 acres of green space, which will include central gardens, riverside meadows and a walkway along the Grand Union Canal and River Brent.

The Penthouse Collection at Television Centre, London W12 benefits from generous outside terraces with ample space for relaxing and entertaining. The development also has beautiful private gardens, designed by landscape architects Gillespies to have a distinctly English garden feel, stocked with native species from local nurseries and raised areas for shade and privacy. 

Each apartment at The oTTo, London E5 has its own outside space and residents have access to the fourth-floor south-facing terrace overlooking the expansive Hackney Downs where 40 acres of green space include tennis and basketball courts, football pitches, a bowling green as well as running and walking tracks.

With over four hectares of green space within the development, including an expansive park and communal gardens, outdoor exercise equipment, running track and access to a previously inaccessible part of the Grand Union canal, Hayes Village is a leafy oasis in West London.

Further information

Contact Savills Development