Draft Open Space Needs Assessment | December 2014 | Natural and Semi-Natural Green Space Natural and Semi- Natural Green Space Land, water and geological features which have been naturally colonised by plants and animals and which are accessible on foot to large numbers of residents. www.waveney.gov.uk/planningpolicy 59 Draft Open Space Needs Assessment | December 2014 | Natural and Semi-Natural Green Space www.waveney.gov.uk/planningpolicy 60 Draft Open Space Needs Assessment | December 2014 | Natural and Semi-Natural Green Space What is natural and semi-natural green space? Natural and semi-natural green spaces have been defined as “land, water and geological features which have been naturally colonised by plants and animals and which are accessible on foot to large numbers of residents4.” They are areas of undeveloped land with limited or no maintenance, which have been colonised by vegetation and wildlife and includes woodland, railway embankments, river and canal banks, road verges and derelict land. The primary function of natural and semi-natural green spaces is to promote biodiversity and nature conservation, but they are also important for environmental education and awareness. This section of the Open Space Needs Assessment provides an overview of natural and semi-natural green space that is, for the most part, accessible to the public. It follows on from the ‘Biodiversity Distribution’ section which has considered open space with biodiversity value and networks of natural and semi-natural green spaces, many of which are not publically accessible. Ilketshall St Andrew & St John Common 4 Harrison, C, Burgess, J, Millward, A, and Dawe, G (1995) Accessible Natural Greenspace in Towns and Cities English Nature Research Report 153, English Nature www.waveney.gov.uk/planningpolicy 61 Draft Open Space Needs Assessment | December 2014 | Natural and Semi-Natural Green Space Benefits of natural and semi-green space Accessible natural and semi-natural green spaces have an important contribution towards the quality of the environment and life in urban areas. They often have high community value and have a variety of benefits including: health and well-being: better physical and mental health; economics: attracts people to live and work in an area and can be a key contributor to regeneration; education: provides hands on experience with plants and animals and learn about the environment around them; functional: vegetation slows runoff to reduce risk of flooding and can help mitigate air and noise pollution; biodiversity: provide wildlife habitats; children’s play: facilities for independent play, good physical health and stimulating useful learning experiences. The Open Space Needs Assessment (2006) consulted the public to ascertain their views of natural and semi-natural green spaces in the District. A summary of the key findings are set out in Figure 18. Lound Heath www.waveney.gov.uk/planningpolicy 62 Draft Open Space Needs Assessment | December 2014 | Natural and Semi-Natural Green Space Figure 18: Summary of key points in 2006 consultation General 15% go for a country walk at least weekly and 39% monthly 18% never visit the countryside 28% visit the Broads at least monthly People who visit the countryside least tend to be elderly, less mobile or do not have private transport Frequent countryside visitors live in rural areas and smaller towns 75% said the countryside was easily accessible More than half of residents say walking paths are well signposted but only 37% say they are well-maintained 46% of people identified common land in their locality and 19% identified specific village greens 22% of people knew of wildlife in their local area and over half said there were not enough of these areas. Beaches 3% of people use the beach daily, 40% every two weeks, 9% never visit the beach (primarily people with disabilities and without private transport). People living near the coast use the beach most often. Visits to the beach are primarily by car (60%) and 27% walk to the beach. Beaches trips are less spontaneous for people living away from the coast. Primarily used for walking, relaxing, socialising and picnics. 22% use the beach for swimming. Two main areas of concern are a shortfall of car parking facilities and toilet facilities. www.waveney.gov.uk/planningpolicy 63 Draft Open Space Needs Assessment | December 2014 | Natural and Semi-Natural Green Space Recommended standard of provision The Open Space Needs Assessment (2006) found that people living in Beccles, Bungay and North Lowestoft do not consider there to be sufficient access to natural and semi-natural green space. People in North Lowestoft, however, have relatively good access to beaches. On this basis it was considered that North Lowestoft has a good provision of natural and semi-natural green space and meets local expectations. A standard of 2 hectares of accessible natural green space per 1000 population was recommended. Access to natural and semi-natural green space Natural England advocates that every household should have access to natural green space. To help achieve this, Natural England encourages the use the of ‘Accessible Natural Greenspace Standard’ (ANGSt). The standard recommends that everyone should have access to: at least 2 hectares in size, no more than 300 metres (5 minutes walk) from home; at least one accessible 20 hectare site within two kilometres of home; one accessible 100 hectare site within five kilometres of home; and one accessible 500 hectare site within ten kilometres of home. Across the District the distribution of natural and semi-natural green space and public access to these sites varies. Areas located in the coastal part of Waveney have good access to natural and semi-natural green space (Figure 19). Much of this area is quality wildlife habitat including several protected areas. The Waveney Valley provides an area of accessible natural and semi-natural green space and good access to the Broads. People living in the north eastern part of the District also have good access to natural areas outside the District such as Breydon Water. Similarly in the south of Waveney, Halesworth and Southwold & Reydon and the nearby villages that have access to the natural area of Minsmere. www.waveney.gov.uk/planningpolicy 64 Draft Open Space Needs Assessment | December 2014 | Natural and Semi-Natural Green Space Figure 19: Access to natural and semi-natural green space Along the coast, there are several Special Protection Areas and Special Areas of Conservation which are protected by European legislation. These sites provide good access to natural green space for people living in towns and villages stretching from Kessingland to Southwold. The beach also provides good access to a natural and semi-natural environment that provides wildlife habitat and can be used for recreational purposes. In the west of the District, access to natural and semi-natural green space is more limited. Sites that are available tend to be small pockets of natural and semi-natural green space rather than large green spaces. This limitation, however, is offset by the good access many of these communities have to the open countryside. www.waveney.gov.uk/planningpolicy 65 Draft Open Space Needs Assessment | December 2014 | Natural and Semi-Natural Green Space Quality and value of natural and semi-natural green space A quality and value assessment was completed for natural and semi-natural green spaces located within the boundaries of Lowestoft and the market towns where this was their primary use. Sites located in the rural areas of the District were not assessed in this manner, however, quality and value scores were taken from the 2006 assessment (it is assumed that little change has taken place to these sites since 2006). The greatest number of natural and semi-natural green spaces are located in the rural areas of the District. This is shown by the rural quality and value scores affecting the overall district average scores (Figures 20 and 21). Almost of these are of high quality but their value is generally lower. Figure 20: Quality of natural and semi-natural green space 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% Percentage of Percentage sites 30% 20% 10% 0% Beccles Bungay Halesworth Kessingland North South Southwold Rural District Lowestoft Lowestoft & Reydon Low Medium High www.waveney.gov.uk/planningpolicy 66 Draft Open Space Needs Assessment | December 2014 | Natural and Semi-Natural Green Space Figure 21: Value of natural and semi-natural green space 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% Percentage of Percentage sites 30% 20% 10% 0% Beccles Bungay Halesworth Kessingland North South Southwold Rural District Lowestoft Lowestoft & Reydon Low Medium High Residents living in Lowestoft and the market towns have several natural and semi-natural green spaces located within, or in close proximity to the build up area. Generally, these spaces are of good quality and value. Beccles, Bungay and Southwold all have access to large commons that support wildlife and offer opportunities for recreational activities. Halesworth, North Lowestoft and South Lowestoft have smaller natural and semi-natural green spaces, however, these are quite well integrated into the urban fabric offering good access to local residents. The coastal communities of Lowestoft, Kessingland and Southwold & Reydon also have access to the beach to supplement access to natural and semi-natural green space. www.waveney.gov.uk/planningpolicy 67 Draft Open Space Needs Assessment | December 2014 | Natural and Semi-Natural Green Space Natural and semi-natural green space in the Beccles area People living in Beccles have good access to natural and semi-natural green space. Beccles Common provides a significant green space of good quality and value to support a range of uses including a large open space for informal recreational activities, equipped play spaces, golf and a range of habitats for wildlife. The space is linked into a range of other forms of green space including sports pitches, allotments and Beccles Marshes.