The Big Green City The Green Infrastructure Strategy for Carlisle City and District Rebanks Consulting Ltd Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 7 HEADLINE STATISTICS 12 ASSETS – A SIMPLE OVERVIEW ANALYSIS 14 MASTER TYPOLOGY MAP FOR CARLISLE DISTRICT 15 MASTER TYPOLOGY MAP FOR CARLISLE CITY AREA 16 SECTION ONE 17 INTRODUCTION: WHO COMMISSIONED THIS WORK? AND WHY? 18 DEFINITION: ‘GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE’ 19 GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE? 20 THE APPROACH EXPLAINED 21 THE 10 STEPS IN THE APPROACH 22 WHICH AREA DOES THIS STRATEGY COVER? 24 THIS IS A STRATEGY THAT TRIES TO REACH NEW AUDIENCES 25 WHAT DOES THIS STRATEGY RESULT IN? WHAT ARE THE OUTCOMES FROM THIS WORK? 26 THE STRUCTURE OF THE STRATEGY 27 PROTOTYPE ECONOMIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT – A £25.6 BILLION ISSUE? 29 SECTION TWO 34 IMAGE AND PERCEPTION 35 DEVELOP A STRONGER IDENTITY BASED ON GREEN QUALITY OF LIFE 36 SUMMARY 36 INTRODUCTION AND EVIDENCE 36 RECOMMENDED ACTIONS TO SECURE BENEFIT 43 IMPROVE THE LOOK AND EXPERIENCE OF THE CITY IN KEY AREAS 44 2 SUMMARY 44 INTRODUCTION AND EVIDENCE 44 RECOMMENDED ACTIONS TO SECURE BENEFIT 50 MAP OF ACCESSIBLE AND AESTHETIC GREEN SPACES IN CITY AREA 51 MAKE THE CITY A GATEWAY TO GREAT LANDSCAPES 52 SUMMARY 52 INTRODUCTION AND EVIDENCE 52 RECOMMENDED ACTIONS TO SECURE BENEFIT 56 GROWTH: SPATIAL AND ECONOMIC 57 THE GROWTH CONTEXT 58 DEVELOP APPROPRIATE ECONOMIC (GREY) INFRASTRUCTURE TO CAPITALISE ON CARLISLE’S GREEN POTENTIAL 59 SUMMARY 59 INTRODUCTION AND EVIDENCE 59 RECOMMENDED ACTIONS TO SECURE BENEFIT 65 MAP SHOWING AGRICULTURAL LAND - DISTRICT 66 MAP SHOWING WOODLAND - DISTRICT 67 DESIGN IN GREEN QUALITY 68 SUMMARY 68 INTRODUCTION AND EVIDENCE 69 RECOMMENDED ACTIONS TO SECURE BENEFIT 72 MAP SHOWING AVERAGE DOMESTIC PROPERTY PRICE - DISTRICT 73 MAP SHOWING THE AREAS CARLISLE COULD GROW INTO – CITY AREA 74 INTEGRATE NEW (AND EXISTING) COMMUNITIES INTO GREEN NETWORKS 75 SUMMARY 75 INTRODUCTION AND EVIDENCE 75 RECOMMENDED ACTIONS TO SECURE BENEFIT 81 MAP SHOWING OPEN SPACE AUDIT – CITY AREA 82 MAP SHOWING OPEN SPACE AUDIT AND ‘GREEN HALO’ – CITY AREA 83 PROTECT AND DEVELOP GREEN SPACES TO MEET FUTURE NEEDS 84 SUMMARY 84 INTRODUCTION AND EVIDENCE 84 RECOMMENDED ACTIONS TO SECURE BENEFIT 92 3 QUALITY OF LIFE 93 INTRODUCTION 94 IMPROVING COMMUNITY HEALTH AND WELLBEING BY IMPROVING ACCESS TO GREEN SPACES 95 SUMMARY 95 INTRODUCTION AND EVIDENCE 95 RECOMMENDED ACTIONS TO SECURE BENEFIT 100 MAP SHOWING IMPORTANCE OF RIVER CROSSINGS – CITY AREA 102 MAP ILLUSTRATING BARRIERS TO ACCESS – SOUTH WEST OF CITY 103 ACTIVELY USE GI TO IMPROVE HEALTH AND WELLBEING 104 SUMMARY 104 RECOMMENDED ACTIONS TO SECURE BENEFIT 111 MAP SHOWING OPEN SPACES RANKED IN HEALTH DEPRIVATION ORDER 112 USE OPEN GREEN SPACES TO IMPROVE COMMUNITY INTERACTION AND COHESION 113 SUMMARY 113 INTRODUCTION AND EVIDENCE 113 RECOMMENDED ACTIONS TO SECURE BENEFIT 115 SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCE 116 INTRODUCTION 117 MAKE COMMUNITIES MORE RESILIENT TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND ITS EFFECTS 119 SUMMARY 119 INTRODUCTION AND EVIDENCE 119 RECOMMENDED ACTIONS TO SECURE BENEFIT 123 MAP SHOWING THE GREATEST NEED FOR TRAPPING AIR POLLUTANTS - DISTRICT 125 MAP SHOWING THE GREATEST NEED FOR TRAPPING AIR POLLUTANTS – CITY AREA 126 MAP SHOWING THE GREATEST NEED FOR STREET TREES – CITY AREA 127 MANAGE FLOODING AND WATER QUALITY ISSUES MORE EFFECTIVELY AT A CATCHMENT SCALE 128 SUMMARY 128 INTRODUCTION AND EVIDENCE 128 RECOMMENDED ACTIONS TO SECURE BENEFIT 132 MAP SHOWING THE GREATEST NEED FOR WATER INTERCEPTION – CITY AREA 133 ENHANCE HABITATS AND CREATE WILDLIFE CORRIDORS 134 4 SUMMARY 134 INTRODUCTION AND EVIDENCE 134 RECOMMENDED ACTIONS TO SECURE BENEFIT 138 MAP SHOWING SOME OF THE KEY ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGNATIONS - DISTRICT 140 SECTION THREE 141 KEY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION 142 CONCLUSION: MAKING THIS STRATEGY WORK 143 APPENDIX A – MAPS SUPPORTING THE CORE REPORT 151 GLOSSARY 152 GI TYPE DEFINITIONS EXPLAINED 154 FUNCTIONS – DEFINITIONS AND EXPLANATIONS 157 NOTE ON MAPS 161 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER MAP FOR NORTH CUMBRIA, CARLISLE AND THE BORDERS 162 MAP OF TRAFFIC VOLUMES 1 163 MAP OF TRAFFIC VOLUMES 2 164 MAP OF GREATEST NEED FOR AESTHETIC IMPROVEMENTS - DISTRICT 165 MAP OF GREATEST NEED FOR AESTHETIC IMPROVEMENTS - CITY 166 MAP SHOWING GREATEST NEED FOR RECREATION (PUBLIC) – DISTRICT 167 MAP SHOWING GREATEST NEED FOR GREEN TRAVEL ROUTES – DISTRICT 168 MAP SHOWING ROADS, PATHS AND CYCLEWAYS - CITY 169 MAP SHOWING GRASSLAND, HEATHLAND, MOORLAND OR SCRUBLAND - DISTRICT 170 MAP SHOWING AGRICULTURAL LAND CLASSIFICATION – DISTRICT 171 MAP SHOWING INDEX OF MULTIPLE DEPRIVATION – DISTRICT 172 MAP SHOWING SPATIAL CORRELATION BETWEEN HOUSE PRICES AND HEALTH 173 MAP SHOWING HEALTH DEPRIVATION INCIDENCE – DISTRICT 174 MAP SHOWING CORONARY HEART DISEASE INCIDENCE – DISTRICT 175 MAP SHOWING MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS INCIDENCE – DISTRICT 176 MAP SHOWING DIABETES INCIDENCE – DISTRICT 177 MAP SHOWING ASTHMA INCIDENCE – DISTRICT 178 MAP SHOWING OBESITY INCIDENCE – DISTRICT 179 5 MAP SHOWING GREATEST NEED FOR SHADING FROM THE SUN - DISTRICT 180 MAP SHOWING GREATEST NEED FOR SHADING EVAPORATIVE COOLING - DISTRICT 181 MAP SHOWING GREATEST NEED FOR FLOW REDUCTION THROUGH SURFACE ROUGHNESS - DISTRICT 182 MAP SHOWING GREATEST NEED FOR FLOW REDUCTION THROUGH SURFACE ROUGHNESS – CITY 183 MAP SHOWING GREATEST NEED FOR INACCESSIBLE WATER STORAGE – CITY 184 MAP SHOWING GREATEST NEED FOR WATER CONVEYANCE – CITY 185 MAP SHOWING GREATEST NEED FOR WATER INFILTRATION – CITY 186 MAP SHOWING GREATEST NEED FOR CORRIDORS FOR WILDLIFE – DISTRICT 187 MAP SHOWING GREATEST NEED FOR CORRIDORS FOR WILDLIFE – CITY 188 MAP SHOWING GREATEST NEED FOR HABITAT FOR WILDLIFE 189 6 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Big Green City Vision Why Carlisle needs this strategy This document seeks to present a new vision and strategy To make Carlisle one of the best places in the for the City and the District that builds on the uniqueness UK to live, work, invest, visit and enjoy life, and and distinctiveness of Carlisle, the abundance of to do this by creating a green and sustainable environmental and landscape assets it has, and the potential city region that is distinctly its own place and for it to more effectively attract and retain talent, trade and tourism in the future. This strategy is about how the city not a clone of everywhere else. region can grow effectively and appropriately whilst avoiding some key pitfalls. It will contribute to effective By capitalizing on the great landscapes in the spatial planning and place shaping by ensuring that new city region, the quality of its open green spaces, development takes account of its relationship to existing and its other environmental assets the city and proposed green spaces in the District. region will create communities with an The growth of Carlisle in decades to come presents an exceptional quality of life, and robust health opportunity to create healthy, active, cohesive, sustainable and wellbeing. It will be an excellent place for and bio-diverse communities, with a high quality of life and business, communities and wildlife. wellbeing. This requires a vision and strategy for how to ensure that all the stakeholders responsible for the growth Through adopting a progressive approach to and evolution of the communities understand the vision, the green infrastructure, the city region will face strategy and key principles that need to guide that evolution and development. This strategy is about future economic, social and environmental managing the process of growth and evolution to ensure it challenges and risks confident in its own is high quality, effective and sustainable. This strategy distinctiveness, strength and resilience. seeks to set out a road map for moving from the vision to a city region where it is realised. 7 What is green infrastructure? Green infrastructure is a term used to describe the living network of green spaces water and other environmental features in both urban and rural areas. It is often used in an urban context to cover benefits provided by trees, parks, gardens, road verges, allotments, cemeteries, woodlands, rivers and wetlands. Green infrastructure is also relevant in a rural context, where it might refer to the use of farmland, woodland, wetlands or other natural features to provide services such as flood protection, carbon storage or water purification. Green infrastructure maintains critical ecological links between town and country. Green infrastructure strategic analysis is about creating a holistic approach to understanding and developing networks of natural assets within their landscape context that are maintained, enhanced or created to fulfill identified economic, social and environmental needs within an area. Increasingly it is recognised that green infrastructure is a key mechanism for driving economic growth and regeneration, and to improve public health, wellbeing and quality of life. It can also support biodiversity and the effective functioning of natural systems such as rivers and flood plains to help reduce the vulnerability of communities to negative events like climate change and flooding. The type and quality of such benefits will be affected by the size, quality, location, physical characteristics and connectivity of such assets to intended beneficiaries. This is why having a coherent strategy is critical. 8 A fusion of economic and environmental Four key benefits for Carlisle aspirations This vision should be a fusion of environmental and socio- ONE economic aspirations. The future of Carlisle should be Image and Perception about a city that is both sustainable and resilient