The government should protect and maximise green spaces
With 1.5 million new houses set to be built over this Parliament across the UK, the Horticultural Trades Association calls on the government to maximise flora and gardens in new housing and urban developments
Gardens and public green spaces promote biodiversity and contribute to growth, net-zero goals, crime reduction, and mental and physical wellbeing, while also supporting health care providers.
Trends indicate that green spaces have continued to shrink as a proportion of UK towns and cities over the past few decades. Neighbourhoods dominated by the most recent generation of housebuilding (from 2009 to 2021) have up to 40 per cent less green space provision than neighbourhoods dominated by late 19th and early 20th century housing.1
The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) is calling for the government to use the environmental horticulture sector to achieve its policy ambitions. Now is a crucial time for government to consider incorporating proportional (to development size) green spaces into its National Planning Guidelines, supporting the UK’s transition to a greener, more biodiverse nation and ensuring everyone has access to green space. The quality and continual maintenance of such green spaces are crucial.
The government has stated its ambition to build 1.5 million new homes over the next five years. It is vital that the government considers the positive impact of green spaces both locally and nationally, ensuring that garden sizes, green spaces and flora are maximised when planning new developments. Unfortunately, existing biodiversity net-gain (BNG) regulations are complex, ineffective and not fit for purpose regarding definitions and grading. BNG must be reviewed and made to incentivise green spaces around new developments.
“The UK needs dedicated green spaces which are properly funded, maintained, and designed"
38 per cent of people in England do not have publicly accessible green spaces within a 15-minute walk of their home.2 This continued decline has a societal impact, with research showing that “well-maintained green spaces have been found to reduce violence and crime, help with social interaction [and] increase community integration and support”.3 It is vital that the government maintains the current proportion of Britain’s urban residential gardens at 29.5 per cent and does not reduce it further.
The industry has urged caution on changing the definition of Previously Developed Land (PDL) to include hardstanding and glasshouses, particularly where this may undermine the economic viability or long-term sustainability of UK horticultural production. The UK’s tree and plant growers need to plan their production in advance; planning decisions can prove very costly to the sector. To ensure long-term viability, the government could offer incentives for the construction and maintenance of modern, energy-efficient glasshouses. This would protect valuable land and contribute to net-zero targets by reducing the need for imports high carbon footprints.
Environmental horticulture is crucial for achieving the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (Defra) flagship ambitions outlined in the Environmental Improvement Plan. The HTA is proud to represent an industry that: produces diverse flora,helps to mitigate climate change, prevents flooding and air pollution, promotes green towns and cities, boosts economic growth and jobs in rural areas, and provides an exciting industry for apprentices.
The UK needs more dedicated green spaces which are properly funded, maintained and designed. This will mitigate climate change, air pollution and flooding, as well as contribute to better physical and mental health. The HTA calls on the government to protect green spaces and ensure that environmental horticulture is considered when preparing for the future. This will lead to a greener, healthier and more biodiverse nation, set for a sustainable future.
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