Councils urged to prioritise green spaces following lockdown

Housing policy must change and prioritise green spaces within new housing developments, after the coronavirus lockdown has exposed how many UK residents have little or no easy access to them, according to ecology consultancy Ecological Planning & Research Ltd (EPR).

As the UK now enters its 6th week of lockdown, essential social distancing measures implemented to mitigate the effects of coronavirus have highlighted the critical importance of quality green spaces within housing developments.

Time spent in green and blue spaces has long been understood to improve human wellbeing, with people living in greener areas suffering notably lower levels of mental distress than those with limited access to green space.

A UK study, published in the August issue of Applied Geography, found there is a very strong relationship between the amount of green space around a person’s home and their feelings of life satisfaction, happiness and self-worth.

It also said that green space within 300m of a home had the greatest influence on mental wellbeing.

However, there has been a stark contrast between experiences of living through Covid-19 lockdown in areas with poor green space provision, such as high-density urban areas or rural areas that are comprised of privately owned farmland with no public access, compared to living in communities with public access to green open space, makes it clearer than ever before that green space is invaluable.

Ben Kite, managing director of EPR, urged local authorities to revise Local Plans to take this into account once the lockdown ends.

He said ‘The limitations imposed by Covid-19 lockdown have brought to the forefront the need to be clever about improving access and creating pockets of greenspace to protect our wellbeing, and that of the wildlife we are welcoming back to our streets, parks, and gardens.

‘Revising Local Plans to place greater emphasis on the provision of green and blue infrastructure, sustainable travel, and high-quality open spaces will not be easy – particularly in built-up high density areas where there is a real need to create green space – but this is no reason not to try.

‘Allocations for new residential development should be seen not as being in competition with the need for green open space provision, but as an opportunity for such provision to be delivered.

‘The wheels have already been set in motion for the creation and improvement of green space in England with the biodiversity net gain requirements set out in the emerging Environment Bill.

‘The Bill will mandate for residential, commercial, and infrastructure developers to demonstrate that biodiversity has been enhanced through all new projects – but I believe that we can do more to build more resilient, greener communities by bringing green space to the top of the agenda in every new Local Plan.’

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