Green Flag Award Scheme for Parks and Green Spaces

In 2023, a record 2,216 Green Flag Awards were awarded in the UK. In addition, 135 parks and green spaces received Green Heritage Site Accreditation, supported by Historic England.

Launched in 1996, the Green Flag Award is managed by Keep Britain Tidy on behalf of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. Natural England has embedded Green Flag Award standards as one of the national benchmarks for green space quality in the Green Infrastructure Framework.

The objective of the Green Flag Award scheme is to encourage the provision of good quality public parks and green spaces that are managed in environmentally sustainable ways. The Green Flag Award helps to create public recognition of good quality green spaces and people’s confidence in them. The Award aspires to raise expectations of what a public green space can offer.

Awards are given on an annual basis and winners must apply each year to renew their Green Flag status. Each site is judged on its own merits and suitability to the community it serves by volunteer judges. Each award winning park is:

• A welcoming place
• Healthy, safe and secure
• Well maintained and clean

The parks also have to meet award criteria on:

• Sustainability
• Conservation and heritage
• Community involvement
• Marketing
• Management

Since its launch, the Green Flag Award® scheme has attracted international interest and is currently being used in several countries including the Netherlands, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Republic of Ireland and United Arab Emirates.

You can explore a map of Green Flag Award winning parks and Green Heritage Sites on the Green Flag Awards website.

Green Heritage Site Accreditation

Green Heritage Site Accreditation, supported by Historic England, is given in recognition of achieving the required standard in the management and interpretation of a site with local or national historic importance. To receive Green Heritage Site Accreditation sites must also achieve Green Flag Award.

Applications are judged against a list of criteria. The judges look at the extent to which applicants understand, acknowledge and share the heritage value of their site and how they conserve and enhance the site and also help people enjoy its heritage value.

To apply, sites do not have to be on the Historic England Register of Historic Parks and Gardens, but must be at least 30 years old.

The list includes public parks and gardens, country parks, cemeteries, greens, commons and woods. Some are registered, others are important Conservation Area features or settings for historic buildings. All are historic sites. Congratulations to the winners!