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<p>The Government recognises the importance of providing access to the outdoors for
people’s health and wellbeing and is working to ensure this is safe and appropriate.
We committed in our Environmental Improvement Plan 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 protect access to green
spaces including in urban areas. Examples of these include:</p><ul><li>Delivering
the £9 million Levelling Up Parks Fund to improve green space in more than 100 disadvantaged
neighbourhoods in the UK.</li><li>The launch of the Green Infrastructure Framework:
Principles and Standards for England in January 2023 which shows what good green infrastructure
looks like and will help local authorities, developers and communities to improve
provision in their area</li><li>Local Nature Recovery Strategies will identify locations
where action for nature recovery would be particularly beneficial, encouraging the
creation of more green spaces, including in urban areas</li><li>Implementing a number
of rights of way reforms which will streamline the process for adding new or lost
footpaths to the rights of way network.</li></ul><p>Local highway authorities are
responsible for the management and maintenance of existing public rights of way and
are required to keep a Rights of Way Improvement Plan to plan improvements to the
rights of way network in their area. This must include an assessment of the local
rights of way including the condition of the network.</p><p> </p><p>In the West Yorkshire
area specifically, as part of its work to deliver England’s Nature Recovery Network,
Natural England is working with a range of partners in the iconic upland, rural and
urban landscapes in West Yorkshire to create a shared vision for nature recovery that
will underline the cultural and environmental links between the industrial heartland
of West Yorkshire and the moors that help to define them.</p><p> </p><p>In the South
Pennine Moors Natural England is working with public and private finance, stakeholders
and landowners with the aim of creating more habitat mosaics and dynamic sites, helping
to build resilience for species that are likely to be impacted by climate change and
improve natural flood management, ensuring that environmental and economic sustainability
go hand in hand.</p><p> </p><p>Utilising Green Infrastructure and Biodiversity Net
Gain opportunities, Natural England is also aiming to build in green corridors and
steppingstones leading into Bradford. Local communities are being engaged in the project,
providing opportunities to connect the people of Bradford and West Yorkshire with
their surrounding wild places, and encouraging greater sustainable access.</p>
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