New analysis by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy has revealed that 70% of people who live in urban areas in towns and cities across the country do not have suitable access to good quality green space. This rises to 75.8% in the most deprived areas.
The findings are based on those who live within 800m (or a ten-minute walk) of a Green Flag Award accredited green space – the Government’s own standard for what constitutes a good-quality park.
The study found that in London there is a good provision of quality green space, with 62% of the urban population within walking distance of a park accredited with the Green Flag Award. However, London is far above any other region in the UK. The region with the second highest access for its urban residents is East Midlands – with just 29%.
Cities in the North West of England in particular have little access. In the region, fewer than a quarter of those who live in urban areas (24%) have access to a Green Flag Award accredited park.
The findings correlate with the Heritage Lottery Fund’s ‘State of UK Public Parks 2016’ report which found the London and East Midlands were the two regions least likely to be hit by funding cuts to parks.
The analysis focused on urban regions only to exclude rural areas, which may have access to very good quality but unaccredited space such as national parks.
In urban environments there is a difference between any green space and a ‘quality’ one. A certified Green Flag Award park will offer a healthy, clean, sustainable, well-maintained and safe environment for people to relax, socialise and exercise in.
The findings are particularly worrying after a year-and-a-half of lockdowns which have meant that, for many living in urban environments, public parks represent the only green space available to them.
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Posted On: 02/08/2021