Green Infrastructure
Across the East of England region, Natural England has been working proactively since 2003 to influence policy-making, lead Green Infrastructure planning and provide technical advice on the delivery of high quality green spaces and other environmental features. From April 2011, GI will remain an important area of work for Natural England, although organised in a different way. GI will be mainly delivered through the new Land Use function. Please see the Spring 2011 Newsletter for your contact names. The lead for GI work in the East of England is Rachel Penny.
Introduction to Green Infrastructure (GI)
Natural England defines green infrastructure as 'a strategically planned and delivered network comprising the broadest range of high quality green spaces and other environmental features. It should be designed and managed as a multifunctional resource capable of delivering those ecological services and quality of life benefits required by the communities it serves and needed to underpin sustainability. Its design and management should also respect and enhance the character and distinctiveness of an area with regard to habitats and landscape types.
Green infrastructure includes established green spaces and new sites and should thread through and surround the built environment and connect the urban area to its wider rural hinterland. Consequently it needs to be delivered at all spatial scales from sub-regional to local neighbourhood levels, accommodating both accessible natural green spaces within local communities and often much larger sites in the urban fringe and wider countryside.'
Accessible natural greenspaces are very important to our quality of life, they provide a wide range of benefits both for people and the environment. Natural England believes that everyone should have access to good quality natural greenspace near to where they live and advocates the Accessible Natural Greenspace Standard (ANGSt).
July 2010 knowledge sharing workshop
In July 2010 a regional workshop was held to share knowledge on delivering green infrastructure at the local level.
There were two plenary sessions: national and regional updates on policy and guidance on GI, and the role of GI in climate change mitigation and adaptation. A series of ten workshops then followed with contributions from many partners across the region who are actively involved in delivering GI.
Copies of the presentations and scripts are given below.
Funding & Partnership Working - A Peterborough case study: (1.68mb)
'Nature Nearby' Accessible Natural Greenspace Guidance: (7.9mb)
GI design guidance for planners and developers - 'Green infrastructure by design: adding value to development'
In 2010 a practical guide for developers and planners in the Milton Keynes South Midlands Growth Area was published. Designed to bridge the gap between strategic green infrastructure strategies and detailed master planning of new developments such as urban extensions, the guidance illustrates the social, economic and environmental benefits of planning and delivering high quality green spaces and corridors into new developments. It is specifically focused at the site masterplan scale, and its generic design checklist is equally applicable to sites in any area.
'Green infrastructure by design: adding value to developments': (4.74mb)
sets out design principles for the range of green infrastructure functions, such as landscape setting, flood attenuation, urban cooling, habitat provision and recreation. These principles will be a valuable checklist for developers in designing high quality environments in the growth locations and also help planners evaluate planning applications to ensure such high standards are achieved.
The guidance has been well received by landscape architects and planners, winning the 2010 Landscape Institute Local Landscape Planning Award and third place in the 2010/11 regional RTPI awards. The Landscape Institute judges said the guidance provides excellent, clear communication that provides GI in a simple and effective manner. It promotes GI as a real, achievable and integral part of place-making.
GI planning across the region
GI strategies have been completed for nearly all the key centres of growth and regeneration across the East of England region.
GI delivery across the region
A number of exciting Green Infrastructure projects are being carried out across the region.
The regional green infrastructure newsletter: (1.01mb) is produced twice a year and includes information and updates to partners involved in planning and delivering green infrastructure across the region.
Further Information
The Useful GI Resources List: (54kb)
summarises good publications and research on GI and green spaces.
Please look at the Spring 2011 Newsletter: (1.01mb) for further recent sources of information on GI.
