Next week, the City of London Corporation – which manages Hampstead Heath as a registered charity – will reveal designs for a £2 million refurbishment of the Parliament Hill Athletics Track.

 Plans will be shared at a public event on Friday 24 March from 3:30-7pm at the track entrance. Local residents, people who use the facility, and anyone interested in the proposals can view the designs and speak to experts about the project.

The track will be resurfaced to ensure it maintains UK Athletics TrackMark accreditation and can continue to be used to host major national and international athletics events.

The project will also upgrade the floodlighting to make it more energy efficient and environmentally friendly, and reduce light pollution.

The main improvement works are planned between June and September.

The athletics track is home to Highgate Harriers, used by several running clubs and schools from across north and central London, and open to the public. 

Chair of the City of London Corporation’s Hampstead Heath Management Committee, William Upton KC, said:

“The track is an important community sports venue and is open to everyone, from elite athletes to school children.

“Sport has a hugely positive impact on community health and wellbeing, and on London’s attractiveness as a leading global city. That’s why the City Corporation is making this multi-million pound investment in its future.”

There has been an athletics track at Parliament Hill since 1939 and the current track was laid in 1978.

Great names such as Olympic, World and European 5,000-10,000m champion Mo Farah, double European Cross Country Championships winner Hayley Yelling, and European Athletics Championships silver medallist Andy Vernon, have won Championships at Parliament Hill.

The City Corporation protects over 11,000 acres of open space in London and south east England – including Hampstead Heath and Epping Forest – and over 200 smaller sites in the Square Mile, investing over £38m a year.

The City Corporation’s green spaces, most of which are charitable trusts, are run at little or no cost to the communities that they serve. They include important wildlife habitats, Special Areas of Conservation, Sites of Special Scientific Interest, and National Nature Reserves.

 Notes to editors

About the City of London Corporation

The City of London Corporation is the governing body of the Square Mile dedicated to a vibrant and thriving City, supporting a diverse and sustainable London within a globally-successful UK. www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

Its open spaces remove around 16,000 tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere a year –  equivalent to 44% of the City Corporation’s annual carbon footprint – and are protected from being built on by special legislation.