Green Infrastructure: Mainstreaming the Concept
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Natural England Commissioned Report NECR079 Green Infrastructure: Mainstreaming the Concept Understanding and applying the principles of Green Infrastructure in South Worcestershire First published 03 February 2012 www.naturalengland.org.uk Foreword Natural England commission a range of reports from external contractors to provide evidence and advice to assist us in delivering our duties. The views in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of Natural England. Background This study was undertaken by Hayley Pankhurst Local Planning Authorities embarking on the GI (Environmental Planner for Herefordshire and process. Worcestershire) and presented as a dissertation Care should be taken when referring to forming part of the requirement for the award of Chapters 4 and 5 as the planning system and an MSc Degree in Environmental Policy and delivery mechanisms discussed are subject to Management at the University of change. In particular, the planning system is Gloucestershire on 26 March 2010. As such, currently in a state of flux following the change any opinions expressed are that of the author. in Government in May 2010. This study provides a structured consideration of For up to date information on any of the case the history of Green Infrastructure (GI) and studies discussed, please refer to the following emergence of the concept, the legislative and websites: planning case for GI, the incentive and need provided by the Government‟s growth agenda Worcestershire: and best practice examples in the Northwest of www.worcestershire.gov.uk/cms/default.as England and Northamptonshire. Lessons learnt px throughout the study have been collated and South Worcestershire: used to develop of a Checklist for Successful GI. www.swdevelopmentplan.org/ Although developed primarily to inform South North West: www.ginw.co.uk Worcestershire‟s GI process, the Checklist is a River Nene Regional Park: roadmap which could be applied to any Local www.riverneneregionalpark.org/ Planning Authority in England. This report should be cited as: This publication is directly relevant to Outcome 3: Sustainable Use of the Natural Environment, PANKHURST, H.J. 2010. Green Infrastructure: with connections to Outcomes 1, 2 and 4. It Mainstreaming the Concept. Understanding and may be useful to Natural England officers applying the principles of Green Infrastructure in involved in any stage of the GI process and to South Worcestershire. Natural England Commissioned Reports, Number 079. Natural England Project Manager - Hayley Pankhurst, Lead Advisor, Land Use Operations, Worcester - Block B Government Buildings, Whittington Road, Worcester, WR5 2LQ [email protected] Presented as part of the requirement for the award of MSc Degree in Environmental Policy and Management within the Postgraduate Modular Scheme at University of Gloucestershire, 26 March 2010 Keywords - Green Infrastructure, green space, sustainable development Further information This report can be downloaded from the Natural England website: www.naturalengland.org.uk. For information on Natural England publications contact the Natural England Enquiry Service on 0845 600 3078 or e-mail [email protected]. You may reproduce as many individual copies of this report as you like, provided this is not for commercial purposes, and such copies stipulate that copyright remains with Natural England, 1 East Parade, Sheffield, S1 2ET ISSN 2040-5545 © Natural England and other parties 2012 Hayley Pankhurst MSc Dissertation Abstract Green Infrastructure (GI) is, in essence, a strategic network of green spaces which connects urban and rural areas, delivering multifunctional benefits which support ecological services and increase quality of life. As such, GI provides a way to deliver sustainable development. However, its application by Local Planning Authorities across England remains inconsistent. This study provides an analysis of GI to inform its application in South Worcestershire, an area encompassing three Local Planning Authorities and the Worcester Growth Point. South Worcestershire‟s GI planning process has been hindered by financial and temporal constraints, lack of in-house expertise and false starts. This study provides a structured consideration of the history of GI and emergence of the concept, the legislative and planning case for GI, the incentive and need provided by the Government‟s growth agenda and best practice examples in the Northwest of England and Northamptonshire. Throughout this study the lessons learnt have been collated and used to develop of a Checklist for Successful GI. Although developed primarily to inform South Worcestershire‟s GI process, the Checklist is a roadmap which could be applied to any Local Planning Authority in England. The need for clear leadership, nationally and locally, and clarification around mechanisms for the delivery and ongoing management of GI continue to be barriers to its uptake. Decisive action is needed if the opportunities provided by GI are to be realised. 1 Hayley Pankhurst MSc Dissertation Acknowledgements With thanks to Robin Snowdon at the University of Gloucestershire, Greg Phillips and the rest of the River Nene Regional Park staff who hosted the South Worcestershire partners visit, Sian Griffiths, Fred Davies and the rest of the South Worcestershire Joint Core Strategy team, Dale Bristow and Martyn Wilson at Worcestershire County Council and all the other partners involved in the South Worcestershire Green Infrastructure project. With special thanks to Mark July, Allison Crofts, Steve Bloomfield, Adam Mindykowski, Nigel Jones, Ben Fleming, Louise Pankhurst and Laura Williams, for proof reading all or part of this study. 2 Hayley Pankhurst MSc Dissertation Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................ 1 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................... 2 Contents ............................................................................................................................... 3 List of Figures ....................................................................................................................... 5 List of Tables ........................................................................................................................ 6 List of Appendices ................................................................................................................ 7 Chapter 1: Introduction ......................................................................................................... 8 1.1 Overview .............................................................................................................8 1.2 Introduction to Green Infrastructure .................................................................... 9 Chapter 2: The Origins of Green Infrastructure ................................................................... 10 Chapter 3: The Case for Green Infrastructure ..................................................................... 16 3.1 Legislation .........................................................................................................16 3.2 Planning Policy ..................................................................................................16 3.3 The Government‟s Growth Agenda ....................................................................19 Chapter 4: The Green Infrastructure Concept ..................................................................... 23 4.1 Green Infrastructure Themes .............................................................................23 4.1.1 The Landscape ...........................................................................................23 4.1.2 Biodiversity .................................................................................................27 4.1.3 The Historic Environment............................................................................31 4.1.4 Water Management ....................................................................................34 4.1.5 Access, Movement and Recreation ............................................................36 4.1.6 Climate Change ..........................................................................................39 4.2 A Multifunctional Network ..................................................................................42 Chapter 5: Green Infrastructure Delivery ............................................................................. 48 Chapter 6: Learning from Best Practice – the Northwest of England ................................... 53 6.1 An Introduction to the Northwest ........................................................................53 6.2 Green Infrastructure and Regeneration ..............................................................55 6.3 A Partnership-Led Approach ..............................................................................57 6.4 The Economic Benefits of Green Infrastructure .................................................58 6.5 A Climate Change Focus ...................................................................................62 Chapter 7: Learning from Best Practice – the River Nene Regional Park, Northamptonshire ............................................................................................................... 65 7.1 Introduction