In this blog, Alison McCann, Research and Policy Manager at Fields in Trust discusses the current consultation on the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the significance of parks and green spaces in creating healthier communities.
Like many others, I’m now immersed in depths of the current consultation on the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). For those that are not familiar with it, the NPPF sets out the Government’s planning policies for England and how they should be applied locally. It shapes everything from where new homes are built, to how we use green spaces in our communities.
This week, it was encouraging to hear Joanna Averley, the Government’s Chief Planner, reaffirm a crucial point: green spaces should be at the heart of how we design our towns and cities. We need to properly plan for green infrastructure as an integral part to how we think about places and individual development schemes - all of which are underpinned by good design. The consultation does give recognition to accessible green space being an integral part of making quality places. Now we need to make sure the policy backs it up.
Fields in Trust will be mainly honing in on two key areas in the consultation:
- Securing benefits for nature and public access to green space
- How national planning policy can better promote healthy communities.
We’ll also flag anything else that needs strengthening to ensure everyone has access to green spaces close to home.
By taking a bolder position in the NPPF that helps to secure universal access to quality public green space as part of the Government’s housebuilding agenda, we can ensure it also delivers what communities need and value: places where nature and people thrive together.
