A new study has ranked Islington as London’s greenest urban centre.

The report by the University of Sheffield judged urban centres on a range of criteria, including tree cover, vegetation and the presence of parks.

Among the British urban centres analysed in the study, Exeter was rated the greenest, with Islington in second place.

In London, Islington was placed higher than Chelsea, Ealing and Richmond, which also featured in the top ten nationally.

To mark the start of the UN’s annual climate conference this year (COP27), Islington Council announced that it would be joining the Trees for Streets scheme. This means that for every tree planted locally between now and March 2023, another tree will be planted in a priority location using funding from the mayor of London.

This aims to boost Islington’s existing canopy cover, which is currently at 25%.

The council also runs the Islington Greener Together programme which provides funding for environmentally-friendly projects in the borough.

Cllr Rowena Champion, Islington Council’s executive member for environment, air quality, and transport, said: “We’re determined to create a more equal Islington, and at the heart of that is maximising the potential of the borough's parks and green spaces so that they can support everyone – regardless of their background – to improve their mental and physical wellbeing. 

“Islington is one of Britain’s most densely-populated local authorities and just 13% of the borough’s land is green space, which is why it’s so important that we do the very best with what we have, to deliver better health outcomes for all.  

“We’ve taken bold steps to help achieve that – including planting more than 700 trees last year and recently joining the Trees for Streets programme, so that local people can help get more trees in the ground. Through our Greener Together programme, we’re supporting local people to bring their green ideas to life. Meanwhile, our people-friendly streets neighbourhoods are helping to make Islington a cleaner, greener, healthier place for all.   

“We’re delighted to have been recognised as Great Britain’s second greenest urban centre, which is fantastic recognition of the steps that the council has already taken to tackle the climate emergency.”