Cool spaces
Cool spaces are indoor spaces for Londoners to shelter from the sun, cool down, rest and take respite on hot days.
They may help reduce health risks from hot weather. However, they are not designed to support vulnerable individuals on hot days, or a medical care substitute if someone is unwell from overheating.
All spaces appear on our Cool spaces map, which is live 1 June - 30 September. This aligns with heat-health alerting season, as per the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)'s Adverse Weather and Health Plan.
Outdoor spaces with shade, shaded seating, drinking water and toilets are also signposted on this map, but may still be very hot during hot weather.
Read the Mayor’s guidance on keeping cool on hot days.
About the cool spaces project
Cool spaces are suggested by boroughs, community groups, faith-based or cultural organisations and others, then validated based on the below information document. Some London areas might be less well-covered, as the project relies on organisation submissions.
You can register a site with our Cool spaces form - we review submissions, and include successful ones in future map updates.
Cool spaces criteria (summer 2024)
Cool spaces is built on three previous iterations, with spaces sorted into two tiers based on amenities type and number. These tiers show Londoners what they can expect from cool spaces, and how spaces meet different needs. Tiers also give clarity and guidance for organisations who want to register cool space sites.
Refill London
Alongside cool spaces, in 2018 the Mayor launched Refill London with City to Sea. This is a global campaign, connecting people with places they can refill bottles and avoid single-use plastic.
The free Refill app shows places across London to find free drinking water on the go, get coffee and lunchbox refills and find zero-waste shopping options.
This is part of the Mayor’s waste reduction ambitions, especially needless single-use plastic bottles. London now has more than 4,000 places to refill on the go - find your closest Refill Station by downloading the Refill app.
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