Property lawyer heads urban public spaces campaign

The head of property at City law firm Denton Wilde Sapte is behind a new lobbying group campaigning for better management of London's urban public spaces.

London Tomorrow, which comprises more than 40 property professionals, is the brainchild of Denton Wilde Sapte partner Stephen Ashworth and David Blackwood Murray, chairman of Derek Lovejoy Partnership, a land planning and design company.

The two firms are sponsoring it.The pressure group has the specific aim of moving public urban spaces up the London mayoral agenda and not just limiting improvement to public parks but to all public areas.According to Mr Ashworth, co-ordinated planning of London's urban spaces has been 'woefully dealt with'.

Around Denton's offices in Chancery Lane - one of the better areas, he said - 'rubbish from restaurants and shops piles up on pavements'.After discussions with Mayor Ken Livingstone and the Greater London Authority, the group was 'quietly confident' that the situation could improve, he said.

Rowland Byass