Countryside: Access
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is working with local authorities to improve access to nature in deprived communities.
Answered by Mary Creagh
This Government is committed to improving access to nature, particularly in deprived communities, and works closely with a range of local delivery partners, including local authorities.
A key part of this ambition is our commitment to ensure that everyone lives within a 15-minute walk of a green or blue space. Currently around 80% of people meet this threshold, and we have set out in the Environmental Improvement Plan how we will make access more equitable and remove barriers to nature access. To support this, this Government has committed to working with 100 local authorities and developers to embed Natural England's Green Infrastructure Framework, which provides guidance and practical tools to help local planning authorities and developers create high-quality, accessible green spaces, particularly in urban areas.
Progress towards meeting the commitment is also being made through work happening across government to both increase available natural space and make it more accessible, such as the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG)'s National Planning Policy Framework reform, Natural England’s Green Infrastructure Framework as mentioned earlier and investment in access projects.
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