-
Another 711 Local Green Spaces (LGS)
have been designated since 2022, the majority in northern
England.
-
CPRE mapping reveals that deprived
areas are still less likely to have designated LGS, leaving
their green spaces vulnerable to
development.
-
CPRE is calling for the designation
process to be standardised to encourage more communities to
make use of LGS legislation.
-
More than a third of LGSs are
designated for their importance to wildlife and many play an
important role in expanding protected areas of important
habitat.
CPRE’s new 2023 Local Green Spaces
Report reveals that LGS designations have increased by 771 since
2022, most of them in northern England. In London, the total
number of LGSs grew by 64%.
LGSs were introduced in 2012 to give
Green Belt-like protections to smaller areas of land that are
often identified by communities themselves. Since then, 7,286 LGS
have been designated in total, for reasons including their
recreational value, beauty and importance for
wildlife.
While LGS designations have increased
in deprived areas, CPRE mapping reveals that a strong correlation
persists between deprivation and lack of green
space.
Engagement with neighbourhood planning
may not be a priority for people facing poor housing, low incomes
and barriers to accessing healthcare and other essential
services. Organisations must work together to address these
pressures and create capacity for wider environmental
issues.
CPRE is calling for the LGS
designation process to be standardised to make it easier for
communities to make use of the legislation. There are currently
disparities between the accepted by different development plans,
with some permitting LGS designation on account of an area’s
‘richness of wildlife’ or ‘beauty’, while others do not. There is
also a lack of consistency within these and other categories,
depending on the region or landscape type concerned.
According to the report, 81.5% of all
LGS designations were made on account of an area’s recreational
value, 34% on account of its importance for wildlife and 27.1% on
account of its beauty. The mapping shows that many LGSs are found
on the margins of Common Land, Local Nature Reserves and Sites of
Specific Scientific Interest, demonstrating their value in
expanding protected areas and connecting important
habitats.
Brad Taylor, lead author on the
report, said: ‘Communities with high
levels of deprivation need to have their voices heard and their
Local Green Spaces protected. People must be empowered to engage
in the local and neighbourhood planning process that can secure
LGS designations. Our green spaces are there for everyone to
enjoy – everyone needs to be involved in deciding how to protect
them.’
The report features four case studies
that highlight the ways LGS designations vary in different parts
of the country. They look in detail at conditions in:
-
Blackpool, which has high levels of deprivation and no LGS
designations;
-
Hull, one
of the few local authorities with no
LGS designations despite having many green
spaces;
-
Shropshire, where LGS
designations for school playing fields have played a part in
rejuvenating rural areas and providing young people with
much-needed opportunities to socialise,
and;
-
London, where a community garden designated as an LGS has
boosted academic performance and enabled young people to
connect with nature.
In the report, CPRE recommends the
following to help increase take up of LGS
designations:
-
Neighbourhood planning should be
reinforced and better supported, especially in northern England
and urban areas;
-
Planning authorities should be
encouraged to promote and maximise the use of the LGS
designation;
-
Compulsory standards for access to
nature should be introduced into planning law and policy,
with
-
Access to nature should be included
in the Index of Multiple Deprivation to facilitate targeted
support;
-
The list of reasons for local
significance cited in the National Policy Planning Framework
(NPPF) should be expanded to include climate change adaptation
and mitigation, ecosystem services, and
beauty;
The evidence needed for land to be
designated as Local Green Space should be clarified,
and;
NPPF policies should be amended to
ensure that development deemed appropriate on LGSs is
proportionate to their scale.
