Parks Survey
Bexley has a variety of parks and green spaces, ranging from small local parks to larger regional parks, as well as nature reserves, woodlands and community gardens. Your views are crucial to shaping the future of these.
This survey is for anyone who uses parks or green spaces in Bexley, and is designed to understand your views. By sharing your experiences and preferences, you'll help us:
1. Identify and build on the strengths of our parks and green spaces
2. Identify and address areas for improvement
3. Ensure our parks meet the needs of all our community
Anyone who uses Bexley’s parks and green spaces can take part in this survey.
The survey will close on Wednesday 18th December.
Phases
Results Collection and Analysis
Bexley Parks and Green Spaces Survey
The Key Findings
Who uses parks and green spaces?
- We received 379 responses in total, with 88% from Bexley residents and 12% from visitors, workers or students.
- The most frequently used parks were Danson Park (34%), Footscray Meadows (11%), Hall Place and Gardens (11%), Lesnes Abbey Woods (7%), and Martens Grove (3%).
- Respondents were more likely to be female (63%), from White ethnic backgrounds (83%), and from less deprived areas compared to the general Bexley population.
How are parks and green spaces used?
- Exercise including walking (79%) and rest/relaxation (74%) were the most common reasons for visiting parks. Other popular uses included socialising (52%), enjoying wildlife (51%), and family outings (50%).
- Most respondents (81%) visited parks at least once a week, with 31% using them 2–3 times per week.
- The most common visit duration was 1–2 hours (48%).
Challenges and barriers to use.
- The biggest barriers to more frequent park and green space use were lack of facilities (31%) and a lack of time (28%).
- There were differences across the borough in terms of satisfaction and use, such as across gender, deprivation, area and disability status.
What next?
The survey highlights the importance of Bexley’s parks for health, wellbeing, and recreation, but also points to areas for improvement. These insights are currently helping to shape plans to make our parks and green spaces more inclusive and welcoming for everyone in Bexley.
We thank you for your participation in this survey and helping to make Bexley even better. A winner for the cinema tickets prize has been contacted, but please look out for future surveys on the AskBexley platform.