Introduction
The GiGL Spaces to Visit dataset provides locations and boundaries for open space sites in Greater London that are available to the public as destinations for leisure, activities and community engagement. It includes green corridors that provide opportunities for walking and cycling.
The dataset has been created by Greenspace Information for Greater London CIC (GiGL). As London’s Environmental Records Centre, GiGL mobilises, curates and shares data that underpin our knowledge of London’s natural environment. We provide impartial evidence to support informed discussion and decision making in policy and practice.
GiGL maps under licence from the Greater London Authority.
Description
This dataset is a sub-set of the GiGL Open Space dataset, the most comprehensive dataset available of open spaces in London. Sites are selected for inclusion in Spaces to Visit based on their public accessibility and likelihood that people would be interested in visiting.
The dataset is a mapped Geographic Information System (GIS) polygon dataset where one polygon (or multi-polygon) represents one space. As well as site boundaries, the dataset includes information about a site’s name, size and type (e.g. park, playing field etc.).
GiGL developed the Spaces to Visit dataset to support anyone who is interested in London’s open spaces - including community groups, web and app developers, policy makers and researchers - with an open licence data source. More detailed and extensive data are available under GiGL data use licences for GIGL partners, researchers and students. Information services are also available for ecological consultants, biological recorders and community volunteers – please see www.gigl.org.uk for more information.
Please note that access and opening times are subject to change (particularly at the current time) so if you are planning to visit a site check on the local authority or site website that it is open.
The dataset is updated on a quarterly basis. If you have questions about this dataset please contact GiGL’s GIS and Data Officer.
Data sources
The boundaries and information in this dataset, are a combination of data collected during the London Survey Method habitat and open space survey programme (1986 – 2008) and information provided to GiGL from other sources since. These sources include London borough surveys, land use datasets, volunteer surveys, feedback from the public, park friends’ groups, and updates made as part of GiGL’s on-going data validation and verification process.
Due to data availability, some areas are more up-to-date than others. We are continually working on updating and improving this dataset. If you have any additional information or corrections for sites included in the Spaces to Visit dataset please contact GiGL’s GIS and Data Officer.
NOTE: The dataset contains OS data © Crown copyright and database rights 2025. The site boundaries are based on Ordnance Survey mapping, and the data are published under Ordnance Survey's 'presumption to publish'. When using these data please acknowledge GiGL and Ordnance Survey as the source of the information using the following citation:
‘Dataset created by Greenspace Information for Greater London CIC (GiGL), 2025 – Contains Ordnance Survey and public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 ’