About this project

We are looking at how parks and associated amenities are used today and how we can make them even better for the future. Share your thoughts and ideas to help shape more vibrant, accessible and inclusive park spaces in our community.

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Background

London has experienced rapid growth in recent years and continues to increase in population. Feedback from this current engagement opportunity about parkland needs and associated amenities will help inform an update to the City’s Parks and Recreation Master Plan. The Parks and Recreation Master Plan, approved by City Council on June 25, 2019, assists with the planning, design, funding, building and maintenance of London's parks and recreation system.

In 2025, we began to engage Londoners about this update, hearing from the community through open houses, pop ups, meetings with organizations, an online webinar, and an online survey available on this website. This consultation builds upon the extensive community engagement that was completed in 2019, which informed the 2019 Parks and Recreation Master Plan. Many of these findings from 2019 remain relevant and continue to be implemented.

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What we've heard so far

During our public engagement opportunity in 2025, our survey, open houses, and pop ups heard from Londoners that:

• London’s parks, recreation trails, and pathways are important to quality of life.

• Perceptions of park safety and inclusion are mixed.
• Local or neighbourhood parks are the most used park type, suggesting residents primarily use parks that are nearby, convenient, and walkable.
• Washrooms, drinking fountains, and comfort amenities had the largest gaps between satisfaction and importance, indicating they are top priorities for improvement.
• Residents identified barriers with accessing washrooms, such as locked facilities, as well as safety and sanitary concerns.
• To support year-round park use, Londoners would like to see increased path maintenance and access to waste receptacles during the colder months of the year.
• There is a desire to make parks more accessible and inclusive for people of all ages and abilities.
• Residents expressed support for the environmental benefits of natural areas and Environmentally Significant Areas and did not want to see these areas compromised by non-sensitive recreation uses.
• School Boards and Conservation Authorities lent support for partnerships that can enhance public access to parks and green spaces.

A lot of what we heard in 2025 is consistent with our public engagement in 2019 and was included in the existing Parks and Recreation Master Plan.

The new feedback is helping inform four emerging directions for the Parks and Recreation Master Plan’s update.

• Modernizing parkland policies and standards
• Designing inclusive, sustainable, and adaptable parks
• Focusing on our parks and recreation facility priorities
• Leveraging partnerships and funding solutions

A report has been prepared for Council in April 2026 about what we’ve heard so far, as well as an overview of the public feedback and draft emerging directions.

Save the date for future engagement opportunities

We are preparing to re-engage Londoners about the plan with a second round of public engagement. This upcoming phase will focus on collecting feedback about the preliminary findings and emerging directions to update the plan. This engagement is intended to help identify any gaps or considerations that may have been missed.

You will have several opportunities to participate, including at a public open house, an online webinar and an online survey.

• Register for our Zoom webinar on Thursday, April 30, 2026 (7:00 p.m.) online.
• Join us for an open house on Monday, May 4, 2026 (6:30 – 8:30 p.m.) at Spare Room at Fleetway (720 Proudfoot Lane, London, ON)

More information will be posted to this webpage soon. Please select the "Follow" button at the top of the page to receive updates.