A park will be transformed with new football, tennis and basketball pitches as well as a new cafe.

Silkstream Valley Parks has been given £324,000 as part of an initiative to make London the UK’s first National Park City.

The money, from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, will also be used to make improvements to two existing parks including new facilities for skateboarding, and parkour.

The project will also deliver a new café, event space, and river improvements to support new trees and wildlife habitats.

Chairman of the environment committee, Cllr Dean Cohen, welcomed the funding.

He said: “We’re excited to use this opportunity to do our part in the wider scheme of improving London’s environment, as well as giving Barnet’s residents and visitors more facilities to enjoy.”

“We’re also delighted to have received additional funding of £80,000 from the Environment Agency – funding that will play a huge part in helping to renovate a much-loved park.”

A total of £2 million has been given to similar projects around London.

The projects include a project to restore Albany Park in Enfield and a project to restore a 14th century moat in Headstone Manor Park in Harrow.

Commenting on the new funding, Mr Khan, said: “For too many Londoners, nature simply doesn’t feature in their daily lives.

"That’s why we’re aiming to become a National Park City, with more than half of our capital green. Today’s funding will draw even more people into our outstanding parks by making green spaces more attractive and better for the environment.”