Huge nature access gap must be bridged to meet Government's 15-minute nature promise - Wildlife & Countryside Link

New report reveals that in more than 1 in 10 neighbourhoods 90%-100% of the population have no access to nature within 15 minutes’ walk.

Even within the most nature access-rich areas, only 11 out of more than 300 local authorities have 90% or more of households within 15 minutes-walk of nature.

Both rural and urban communities fall in the bottom-ten for nature access, with transport barriers a particular issue for nature access in deprived rural communities

The most deprived communities are more than twice as likely to live in areas with a low amount of natural space per person.

A new report, ‘Mapping access to nature in England’ released today (27 April) outlines the huge scale of the challenge for the Westminster Government in meeting its recent promise for every household to be within 15 minutes’ walk of nature. Environment experts are setting four key challenges to the Government to help ensure its landmark commitment to equal nature access is delivered.

Campaigners are in particular urging a vital change to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill. They are asking Government to agree to an amendment to the upcoming law that will require local planning authorities to prioritise addressing health inequalities, with improving access to nature as an essential part of local plans. Ninety different environment, health, and equality organisations back the ‘Nature For Everyone’ campaign and are encouraging members of the public to join over 36,000 other people in petitioning the Government to amend the Bill: http://bit.ly/nature-everyone

Richard Benwell, CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: “Access to nature isn’t just an environmental issue, it’s a social justice issue. These results show that the most disadvantaged and marginalised communities are most likely to be left cut off from nature. The Government has made a major commitment to deliver local nature access for everyone. But with a third of the population currently missing out, environmental equity will not be easy to achieve. Everyone should have the right to a healthy environment, backed up by legal rights of access and requirements on public bodies to deliver it. Dedicated funding will be needed, from improving the quality of urban parks, to opening up new access routes in the countryside.”