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1725998

registered interest
date	30/08/2024
answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Recreation Spaces
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department’s open consultation entitled proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system, published on 2 August 2024, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending compulsory purchase compensation rules to allow local authorities to procure land for use as (a) parks and (b) playing fields.
tabling member constituency	Twickenham
tabling member printed	Munira Wilson
uin	3110
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2024 answer text <p>Local authorities have powers under the Local Government Act 1972, Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and Education Act 1996 to compulsory purchase land for parks and playing fields providing there is a compelling case in the public interest. Compensation paid will reflect open market value. Under compensation rules, any increase or decrease in value caused by the compulsory purchase must be discounted from the open market value of the land taken.</p><p>Local authorities acquiring land under the Education Act 1996 can seek directions from the Secretary of State to remove ‘hope value’ from compensation where justified in the public interest. They can also seek directions to remove hope value when acquiring land under the Local Government Act 1972 or Town and Country Planning Act 1990 providing the use of the land will include provision of affordable housing. For example, a mixed-use scheme including mixed tenure housing, parks, open spaces.</p><p>Further reform of compulsory purchase compensation rules will be included in the forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Announcements on the timing of that Bill will be made in the normal way in due course.</p> answering member constituency Greenwich and Woolwich answering member printed Matthew Pennycook question first answered 09/09/2024 13:17:37 answering member 4520 label Biography information for Matthew Pennycook
tabling member	4776 label Biography information for Munira Wilson

1700836

registered interest
date	15/04/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Recreation Spaces
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what data his Department holds on the number and proportion of people who have access to a good quality (a) green and (b) blue space within 15 minutes' walk of their home, by parliamentary constituency.
tabling member constituency	Suffolk Coastal
tabling member printed	Dr Thérèse Coffey
uin	21639
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2024 answer text <p>The methodology and data we currently use on the number and proportion of people with access to greenspace is taken from Natural England’s Green Infrastructure (GI) Framework analysis.</p><p> </p><p>Natural England’s analyses of the total population in England living in close proximity of greenspace are based on the GI Framework’s Accessible Greenspace Standards which use buffers (straight-line distances) between home and greenspace and include three greenspace criteria:</p><ul><li>People living within 200m of a doorstep greenspace of at least 0.5ha</li><li>People living within 300m of a local natural greenspace of at least 2ha</li><li>People living within 1km of a neighbourhood natural greenspace of at least 10ha</li></ul><p> </p><p>When considered together, these three most local Accessible Greenspace Standards buffers allow us to form a composite picture of access to different sizes of greenspace within a straight-line distance of 1km from home.</p><p> </p><p>Natural England’s G3 Indicator report shows that as of October 2021, the proportions of the total population in England living within Accessible Greenspace Standards ‘criteria’ (straight line distances from the boundary of the greenspaces) are:</p><p>• 1 in 3 people live within 200 metres of a doorstep greenspace of at least 0.5 hectares.</p><p>• 1 in 4 people live within 300 metres of a local natural greenspace of at least 2 hectares.</p><p>• 1 in 2 people live within 1 km of a neighbourhood natural greenspace of at least 10 hectares.</p><p> </p><p>Our Environmental Improvement Plan commitment to ensure everyone lives within 15 minutes’ walk of a green or blue space focuses on proximity to these spaces from home. Our data gathering therefore focuses on this, rather than by parliamentary constituency.</p><p> </p><p>We are currently working to establish a robust baseline of walkability to green and blue space, including working with NE and with the Rivers Trust to create data on blue space access points. In August we will publish an official statistic in development on walkability within England to the nearest green space. This will use network analysis to calculate travel time/ distance rather than straight-line distances, and enhanced use of data on the rights-of-way network. For full details see <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fstatistics%2Fannouncements%2Faccess-to-green-space-in-england&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cpqteam%40defra.gov.uk%7C7f242f319c144c40b1fc08dc5ed77a0e%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638489526760120750%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=Q79cuo%2BdtGQS1tvXUFzsTyxX5KgVtmGD5y2J%2B2IO1vE%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/announcements/access-to-green-space-in-england</a>.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 21640 question first answered 19/04/2024 13:29:55 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey

1700838

registered interest
date	15/04/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Recreation Spaces
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what methodology his Department uses to determine the number and proportion of people who have access to a good quality (a) green and (b) blue space within 15 minutes' walk of their home.
tabling member constituency	Suffolk Coastal
tabling member printed	Dr Thérèse Coffey
uin	21640
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2024 answer text <p>The methodology and data we currently use on the number and proportion of people with access to greenspace is taken from Natural England’s Green Infrastructure (GI) Framework analysis.</p><p> </p><p>Natural England’s analyses of the total population in England living in close proximity of greenspace are based on the GI Framework’s Accessible Greenspace Standards which use buffers (straight-line distances) between home and greenspace and include three greenspace criteria:</p><ul><li>People living within 200m of a doorstep greenspace of at least 0.5ha</li><li>People living within 300m of a local natural greenspace of at least 2ha</li><li>People living within 1km of a neighbourhood natural greenspace of at least 10ha</li></ul><p> </p><p>When considered together, these three most local Accessible Greenspace Standards buffers allow us to form a composite picture of access to different sizes of greenspace within a straight-line distance of 1km from home.</p><p> </p><p>Natural England’s G3 Indicator report shows that as of October 2021, the proportions of the total population in England living within Accessible Greenspace Standards ‘criteria’ (straight line distances from the boundary of the greenspaces) are:</p><p>• 1 in 3 people live within 200 metres of a doorstep greenspace of at least 0.5 hectares.</p><p>• 1 in 4 people live within 300 metres of a local natural greenspace of at least 2 hectares.</p><p>• 1 in 2 people live within 1 km of a neighbourhood natural greenspace of at least 10 hectares.</p><p> </p><p>Our Environmental Improvement Plan commitment to ensure everyone lives within 15 minutes’ walk of a green or blue space focuses on proximity to these spaces from home. Our data gathering therefore focuses on this, rather than by parliamentary constituency.</p><p> </p><p>We are currently working to establish a robust baseline of walkability to green and blue space, including working with NE and with the Rivers Trust to create data on blue space access points. In August we will publish an official statistic in development on walkability within England to the nearest green space. This will use network analysis to calculate travel time/ distance rather than straight-line distances, and enhanced use of data on the rights-of-way network. For full details see <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fstatistics%2Fannouncements%2Faccess-to-green-space-in-england&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cpqteam%40defra.gov.uk%7C7f242f319c144c40b1fc08dc5ed77a0e%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638489526760120750%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=Q79cuo%2BdtGQS1tvXUFzsTyxX5KgVtmGD5y2J%2B2IO1vE%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/announcements/access-to-green-space-in-england</a>.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 21639 question first answered 19/04/2024 13:29:55 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey

1659531

registered interest
date	11/09/2023
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Recreation Spaces
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he is taking steps to help to ensure that green space design is included in (a) local and (b) national planning policy guidelines.
tabling member constituency	Bridgwater and West Somerset
tabling member printed	Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger
uin	198635
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/09/2023 answer text <p>The National Planning Policy Framework states that strategic policies in local plans should set out an overall strategy for the pattern, scale, and design quality of places. This includes making sufficient provision for green infrastructure.</p><p>The Framework is clear that local planning policies should be based on robust and up-to-date assessments of the need for open space and opportunities for new provision. Information gained from these assessments should be used to determine what open space is needed and local planning authorities, through their local plans, should then seek to accommodate this. Communities can designate land as Local Green Space through local and neighbourhood plans, ensuring green areas of particular importance to them are identified and protected.</p><p>Building on what the Framework sets out, the supporting National Design Guide demonstrates how well-designed new development can provide a network of high quality, green open spaces, taking into account how they are to be managed and maintained. In addition, the National Model Design Code provides guidance to local councils on preparing local design codes, which can consider the provision of new and enhanced green space as part of new development, building on existing open space strategies and standards in their local plans.</p> answering member constituency Redditch answering member printed Rachel Maclean question first answered 19/09/2023 15:01:26 answering member 4668 label Biography information for Rachel Maclean
tabling member	1396 label Biography information for Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger

1648578

registered interest
date	28/06/2023
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Recreation Spaces
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to protect and enhance green spaces.
tabling member constituency	Crewe and Nantwich
tabling member printed	Dr Kieran Mullan
uin	191698
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/07/2023 answer text <p>The Government is committed to protecting and enhancing the Green Belt.</p><p>The Levelling Up Parks Fund also made available £9 million for local authorities in areas which rate highly on the Index of Multiple Deprivation, to create or significantly refurbish green spaces.</p> answering member constituency Bishop Auckland answering member printed Dehenna Davison question first answered 06/07/2023 18:12:40 answering member 4737 label Biography information for Dehenna Davison
tabling member	4860 label Biography information for Dr Kieran Mullan

1585359

registered interest
date	08/02/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Recreation Spaces
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the green social prescribing projects announced in July 2020.
tabling member constituency	Chatham and Aylesford
tabling member printed	Tracey Crouch
uin	142661
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/02/2023 answer text <p>In October 2020, the Government launched a £5.77 million programme, led by Defra, aimed at preventing and tackling mental ill health through green social prescribing. The programme has already recorded over 6,000 referrals.</p><p> </p><p>The programme is being evaluated by a consortium led by the University of Sheffield, and is assessing processes, outcomes and value for money, in order to inform implementation and future policy and practice. The interim evaluation report provides us with some very encouraging findings about the success of the programme so far and is due to be published shortly. A full evaluation report will follow in June 2023.</p><p> </p><p>After the programme closes in March 2023, we will continue to take action to embed and scale green social prescribing across Government and within society.</p><p> </p><p>The Environmental Improvement Plan sets out our current policy position on green social prescribing. The Secretary of State does not plan to make any further statement.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison grouped question UIN 142662 question first answered 20/02/2023 12:31:00 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
tabling member	3950 label Biography information for Dame Tracey Crouch

1585360

registered interest
date	08/02/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Recreation Spaces
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her policy is on green social prescribing; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Chatham and Aylesford
tabling member printed	Tracey Crouch
uin	142662
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/02/2023 answer text <p>In October 2020, the Government launched a £5.77 million programme, led by Defra, aimed at preventing and tackling mental ill health through green social prescribing. The programme has already recorded over 6,000 referrals.</p><p> </p><p>The programme is being evaluated by a consortium led by the University of Sheffield, and is assessing processes, outcomes and value for money, in order to inform implementation and future policy and practice. The interim evaluation report provides us with some very encouraging findings about the success of the programme so far and is due to be published shortly. A full evaluation report will follow in June 2023.</p><p> </p><p>After the programme closes in March 2023, we will continue to take action to embed and scale green social prescribing across Government and within society.</p><p> </p><p>The Environmental Improvement Plan sets out our current policy position on green social prescribing. The Secretary of State does not plan to make any further statement.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison grouped question UIN 142661 question first answered 20/02/2023 12:31:00 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
tabling member	3950 label Biography information for Dame Tracey Crouch

1582523

registered interest
date	31/01/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Recreation Spaces
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to increase access to green spaces.
tabling member constituency	Watford
tabling member printed	Dean Russell
uin	136848
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/02/2023 answer text <p>The Government recognises the importance of providing access to the outdoors for people’s health and wellbeing and are working to ensure this is safe and appropriate. We committed in our Environmental Improvement Plan published this week to work across government to help ensure that everyone lives within 15 minutes’ walk of a green or blue space.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is delivering a number of policies to increase access to nature including:</p><ul><li>Working to complete the England Coast Path which, at around 2,700 miles, will be the longest waymarked and maintained coast walking route in the world. Over 2,000 miles have now been approved as England Coast Path, with nearly 800 miles already open. It will also create 250,000 hectares of new open access land within the coastal margin.</li><li>Delivering the £9m Levelling Up Parks Fund to improve green space in over 100 disadvantaged neighbourhoods in the UK.</li><li>Designating Wainwright’s coast to coast route across the north of England as a National Trail.</li><li>Delivering the £14.5m ‘Access for All’ programme, which consists of a package of targeted measures in our protected landscapes, national trails, forests and the wider countryside to make access to green and blue spaces more inclusive.</li><li>Our commitment to the provision of safe and appropriate public access in as many woodlands as possible as set out in the England Trees Action Plan. The recently published Environmental Improvement Plan reiterates our commitment to publish our ambition for improving the quantity, quality, and permanency of woodland access.</li><li>Through programmes with the Community Forests and Forestry England we are enabling creation of large scale publicly accessible woodlands near towns and cities.</li><li>We continue to support land managers to provide woodland access through our Countryside Stewardship (CS) and England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) schemes.</li><li>Under the new Environmental Land Management (ELM) offer, for woodlands, we are providing societal benefits by bringing people closer to nature, allowing long term permissive access for recreation and contributing to the rural economy.</li></ul> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison question first answered 08/02/2023 16:15:35 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
tabling member	4812 label Biography information for Dean Russell

1505941

registered interest
date	07/09/2022
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Recreation Spaces
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help support the provision and maintenance of parks and urban green spaces.
tabling member constituency	Stockton South
tabling member printed	Matt Vickers
uin	49287
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/09/2022 answer text <p>On 1st August, DLUHC launched the Levelling Up Parks Fund. This Fund will create or significantly refurbish 100 parks across the UK in urban areas where provision of access to green spaces is lowest.</p><p>DLUHC has also made significant funds available to local areas under the UK Shared Prosperity Fund which can be used to regenerate urban green spaces, where doing so meets local priorities.</p><p>The Local Government Finance Settlement also made £54.1 billion for 2022/23 available to local government in England. Local councils have the powers to determine spending on a range of public services, including maintenance of parks and urban green spaces, and are best placed to decide how to meet pressures in their local areas.</p> answering member constituency Bishop Auckland answering member printed Dehenna Davison question first answered 22/09/2022 12:14:44 answering member 4737 label Biography information for Dehenna Davison
tabling member	4844 label Biography information for Matt Vickers

1471409

registered interest
date	17/06/2022
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Recreation Spaces
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what plans he has to support the creation of new (a) pocket parks and (b) other recreational spaces.
tabling member constituency	Wolverhampton South West
tabling member printed	Stuart Anderson
uin	20306
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/06/2022 answer text <p>The Levelling Up White Paper is clear that green infrastructure is a key component to levelling up, as so many levelling up goals are connected to green places that local people can be proud of.</p><p>Which is why my department has partnered with DEFRA to deliver the £9 million Levelling Up Parks Fund to support over 100 new or significantly refurbished green spaces across the UK. This is not another round of funding the Pocket Parks programme. This scheme will be far broader; it will support councils through revenue and capital funding and will focus on the regeneration of green space as part of our Levelling Up agenda. In England, grants will be given to, and administered by, local authorities who will be notified of their eligibility when the Fund launches.</p><p>My department has also set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) that planning policies should be based on robust and up-to-date assessments of the need for open space, sport and recreation facilities and opportunities for new provision. The NPPF is clear that open space should not be built on unless there is clear evidence it is no longer required, or equivalent or better provision is secured. Communities can designate land for Local Green Space through local and neighbourhood plans, ensuring green areas of particular importance to them are protected. <br> <br>My department have also set out in the National Design Guide that well-designed places have a hierarchy of spaces that range from large and strategic to small and local spaces, including parks, squares, greens and pocket parks. The National Model Design Code sets out that design codes can specify levels of green infrastructure provision and guidance on design within new development, and cover everything from country parks to green roofs and street trees.</p> answering member constituency Harborough answering member printed Neil O'Brien question first answered 27/06/2022 15:24:07 answering member 4679 label Biography information for Neil O'Brien
tabling member	4742 label Biography information for Stuart Anderson