Memorandum by The Woodland Trust (UWP
11)
THE PROPOSED URBAN WHITE PAPER
BACKGROUND
1. The Woodland Trust welcomes this opportunity
to respond to an inquiry into the suitable provisions of a document
which will have a crucial role to play in revitalising urban life
and helping to better ensure the protection of our natural heritage
from development pressures.
2. The comments which follow are delivered
on behalf of the United Kingdom's foremost conservation organisation
solely dedicated to the conservation of native and broadleaved
woodland. We achieve our purposes through a combination of acquiring
woodland and sites for planting and through wider advocacy of
the importance of protecting ancient woodland, enhancing its biodiversity,
expanding woodland cover and increasing public enjoyment. We own
over 1,000 sites across the country and a third of these are located
within urban areas.
3. The Woodland Trust is engaged in a highly
successful Millennium Commission backed project called "Woods
on Your Doorstep" which aims to create 200 new community
woods to mark the millennium in England and Wales. A sister project
with the same name is also running in Northern Ireland. In England
and Wales the "Woods on your Doorstep" woods range in
size from one to 20 acres close to where people live, and they
possess a wide geographical spread (also one third within urban
areas. Both projects are supported by grants of up to £10
million from the Millennium Commission and the popularity of the
project, in which communities are involved at every stage, provides
an impressive illustration on the value which communities place
upon trees and woods within their localities.
4. We also own and manage urban community
woods in Plymouth, Washington, Warrington and Runcorn and are
heavily involved in the National and Community Forests, owning
and managing 168 sites within them.
5. We believe that the Urban White Paper
offers a unique opportunity to crystallise contemporary thinking
about enhancement of the urban environment. It is crucial that
it should address the important role played by green space in
urban areas and we make a particular plea for the role of trees
and woodland. This is an issue which cuts across a number of the
areas which have been identified by the Committee for investigation.
URBAN GREEN
SPACE AND
THE REPORT
OF THE
URBAN TASK
FORCE
6. The role of urban green space is particularly
relevant for consideration by this inquiry. The presence or absence
of trees, woodland and other green space plays a central role
in shaping people's perceptions of the quality of their local
environment. The role of green space in rendering urban living
more attractive is a crucial one which will need to be addressed
if the desired renaissance of urban living is to be achieved.
As the report of the Urban Task Force has impressively stated:
"We also need to address the idea of the ecologically sensitive
city in which humans recognise that they cohabit with nature.
Trees, woodland and other green space are all important in fostering
biodiversity, in enhancing human health and well being and reducing
noise and pollution."[16]
This is an often overlooked recommendation of the report which
we hope the Urban White Paper will enthusiastically embrace.
7. "Towards an Urban Renaissance"
has made a number of other important recommendations which are
worthy of attention here. It talks about the need for a network
of public open spaces and the need for "green inner rings
that supplement the outer green belt by creating breathing space
close to inner urban neighbourhoods".[17]
Opportunity for human interaction with nature is one of the most
beneficial aspects of urban environmental enhancement and the
report notes that such networks of open space, "must also
be considered in terms of wildlife requirements, with the aim
of increasing the habitat range for other species. Parks and gardens
cannot satisfy all these needs. Less formal areas such as greens
and commons, local nature reserves, small woods and coppices,
and multi-use wildlife corridors all need to be considered. Landscape
design plays a critical role in establishing a balance between
nature and ecology, and the needs and requirements of contemporary
urban life." [18]
8. The New Opportunities Fund is rightly
recognising the importance of such matters through its Green Spaces
and Sustainable Communities initiative and it is important that
the Fund lends its support to genuinely creative proposals. There
are crucial links to be made here with the emphasis which the
Government has correctly been placing upon the issue of quality
of life. Indeed the Government has identified access to local
green space along with quality of surroundings, as indicators
of sustainable development in its recent publication "Quality
of Life Counts: Indicators for a strategy for sustainable development
for the United Kingdom".[19]
It is crucial that in the spirit of "joined up government"
this be properly reflected in the Urban White Paper.
9. The role of urban parks is one which
is also being increasingly recognised. These are often an important
part of the history of towns and cities and their maintenance
has a significant role to play in nurturing civic pride. Urban
parks can range from small oases of municipal trees, lawns and
paths to sites of hundreds of acres—of national historical
significance, home to veteran trees and other vulnerable habitats.
The role of urban parks has recently been recognised by this committee
which has called for their regeneration to form a key feature
of Government plans for the renaissance of urban areas as they
have been in the regeneration of Barcelona, New York and Paris.
[20]
10. The Woodland Trust is supportive of
the establishment within urban areas of a range of green spaces
which may be dominated to a greater or lesser extent by trees,
with different green spaces reflecting differing community aspirations
and preferences. Consequently, some will have a relatively formal
character whilst others will be more informal, some will have
a large number of trees and others will be home to fewer.
WOODLAND AND
THE URBAN
QUALITY OF
LIFE
11. Trees and woodland warrant a special
place within any discussion on enhancement of the urban environment.
The Report of the Urban Task Force speaks of the need for a "new
equilibrium between cities, society and nature"[21]
and trees and woodland have a unique role to play in delivering
this objective which the Urban White Paper should acknowledge
and seek to take forward. It is a unique role because trees and
woodland play host to a spectacular variety of wildlife, provide
opportunities for recreation, ameliorate pollution, generate oxygen,
store carbon, help to stabilise the soil, provide renewable resources
and provide us with raw materials and shelter. Of particular value
to the urban environment is the role which they play in helping
to clean the air, trap dust, reduce storm water run off, reduce
noise and pollution, and help to reduce asthma levels. Less tangible
but crucial to individuals from an emotional and recreational
standpoint is their role in enhancing their local landscape and
the provision of a tranquil environment for spiritual renewal.
12. Indeed, there is a growing awareness
of the linkage between healthy communities and the quality of
the environment. Hospital recovery rates for example, show significantly
faster recovery where patients had a view of trees and woodland
from their hospital window. The National Urban Forestry unit's
report Trees Matter provides an excellent summary of the
benefits of trees and woods in towns and cities. It notes the
role of stress as a highly significant factor in the health of
urban Britain and points to the "ample anecdotal evidence
that people feel better in green, leafy surroundings and many
seek solace amongst trees and woodland. . . Urban residents suffering
from stress have been known to experience less anger, sadness
and insecurity when viewing well treed surroundings as opposed
to landscapes devoid of greenery." [22]Such
considerations should exert a major influence upon the drafting
of the Urban White Paper.
ENVIRONMENTAL ENHANCEMENT
AND COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT
13. We strongly support the statement in
A Better Quality of Life, the Government's strategy for
sustainable development in the UK that, "Poor local environment
quality can detract from town and city living in particular and
act as a barrier to an urban renaissance." [23]It
also identifies within its section "Building Sustainable
Communities" a "need to improve open space and wildlife
habitats in and around our towns and cities." The document
notes the particular benefits which have been delivered by community
forestry initiatives across the UK, ". . . creating new woodlands,
delivering access, recreation, land reclamation, education and
biodiversity benefits in and around towns and cities." [24]
14. There is a real opportunity for the
Urban White Paper to deliver the kind "added value"
to which the Committee have referred in the remit for this inquiry.
By seeking to take forward these policy statements and fostering
the formation of partnerships which will deliver upon them a lasting
contribution can be made to the improvement of urban living.
15. Different individuals connect with their
environment in different ways depending upon their particular
interests and motivations. It is important that people should
have the opportunity to make responsible choices about their local
environment and consequently, their quality of life. The White
Paper should seek to foster opportunities which will empower individuals
to become actively involved in the enhancement of their local
environment. In doing so it can help to address the interconnected
issues of social inclusion and environmental enhancement simultaneously.
Involvement in tree planting and the shaping of new and existing
woodland is a notable example of this, providing an opportunity
for individuals to take positive action and create a new cultural
landscape.
16. Organisations such as the Woodland Trust,
the National Urban Forestry Unit and Groundwork can play a major
role in working with communities to deliver innovative and creative
urban landscape design. It has been the Woodland Trust's experience
from our Woods on your Doorstep project that there is a genuine
appetite for such involvement and that such schemes provide local
communities with the opportunity for a real stake in improving
their local landscape. The essence of the project has been about
helping local communities to mark the millennium by creating something
lasting which will deliver landscape, recreational and wildlife
benefits.
17. Local communities are the cornerstone
of Woods on your Doorstep and the project has been about supporting
them where they wish to create a wood. Communities are involved
in every phase from finding the site, raising funds, designing
the wood and planting it and celebrating the success of the initiative.
They also choose and create a millennium feature (from time capsules
to sculptures to wildlife meadows) and go on to keep a watchful
eye on the site or play an active part in its ongoing management.
Indeed the degree of community commitment is illustrated by the
fact that during 1999 £277,626 was raised towards Woods on
your Doorstep projects through private pledges alone.
WOODS AND
PROSPERITY: ECONOMIC
REGENERATION AND
ENVIRONMENTAL ENHANCEMENT
18. Sustainable development, which forms
one of the key statutory purposes for RDAs is not simply about
achieving economic growth, it also entails the protection and
enhancement of the environment. An enhanced local environment
is increasingly recognised as a key factor in attracting inward
investment and the Urban White Paper represents a strong opportunity
to develop this theme. Multi-purpose forestry, which provides
a variety of economic, social and environmental benefits is especially
well placed to assist in the delivery of this objective. Indeed,
the England Forestry Strategy, published in December 1998, of
which the Wooodland Trust is strongly supportive, makes clear
that the Government as whole sees forestry as being able to deliver
wider policy objectives. Its specific headings show forestry is
seen as a means towards rural development; economic regeneration;
recreation, access and tourism and environmental enhancement and
conservation. [25]
19. Forestry has an important role to play
in relation to economic regeneration both through improving landscapes
scarred following the decline of traditional industries and through
the enhancement of existing greenspace. The National Forest in
the Midlands is an excellent example of a forestry initiative
which is rapidly developing and transforming the landscape in
several counties and one upon which the tourism industry is beginning
to build. There is also scope for enhancing industrial landscapes
by planting temporary woodland on vacant development sites. The
physical character of the local landscape and its attractiveness
is a significant economic influence and relocation decisions are
often based on such perceptions from the standpoint both of employers
and of workers.
20. As well as providing direct employment
in its creation and management, an attractive urban landscape
can help to create a stimulating and healthy working environment.
As the National Urban Forestry Unit have pointed out, several
studies chiefly in North America have demonstrated that average
house prices are between 5 per cent and 18 per cent higher where
property is associated with mature trees. [26]They
also make the point, which is worthy of further consideration
when drawing up the Urban White Paper, that much open space in
towns is managed as close mown grass—an amenity landscape
which is frequently underused and this can prove expensive and
unproductive to maintain. Woodland cover, by contrast, requires
significantly lower maintenance costs whilst providing an enhanced
variety of recreational, landscape and biodiversity benefits simultaneously.
21. It is our experience that some RDAs
are more alert than others to the benefits which accrue to their
respective regions through engagement with forestry. The North
West RDA (NWDA) strategy for example discusses loss of woodland
cover in the region and the variety of benefits which woodland
expansion would deliver. The strategy has a stated aim of planting
new woodland and forestry, viewing this approach as a core part
of an overall objective of "Restoring the Environmental Deficit".[27]
The Urban White Paper has a role to play in setting a framework
which will encourage others to adopt a similar approach.
PLANNING FOR
A QUALITY
URBAN ENVIRONMENT
22. It is crucial that the Urban White Paper
seeks to take forward PPG 3 Housing — a document which appears
to have been genuinely informed by environmental considerations.
We strongly support the commitment to maximise use of brownfield
sites and minimise greenfield usage through the introduction of
a sequential approach to housing location. This is a positive
initiative which needs to be backed up by swift de-allocation
of earmarked greenfield land. We fully support the recommendations
of the Urban Task Force in this respect. We believe that the 60
per cent target for the building of houses on brownfield sites
should be viewed as a minimum target rather than a desirable average
figure. It is certainly the case that if this welcome emphasis
is to be successfully implemented then it is vital that our towns
and cities are perceived as attractive places in which to live
and this will require investment in environmental enhancement
through imaginative funding mechanisms.
23. As well as addressing the provision
of quality green space, the environmental credentials of the Urban
White Paper can be further strengthened through the placing of
greater specific emphasis on protection of environmental assets.
This should take the form of seeking to ensure that where greenfield
development is actually necessary it does not further encroach
upon key habitats such as ancient woodland, our richest habitat
for wildlife, and exacerbate the already alarming levels of its
fragmentation. This will set well with A Better Quality of
Life which sets out the Government's aim of halting the loss
and fragmentation of our ancient and semi-natural woods. [28]This
is a particularly pertinent point since many of the cases of threatened
ancient woods which are brought to the Woodland Trust's attention
are under threat as a consequence of housing development. It is
also vital that where development takes place it should respect
and enhance the character of the local environment.
CONCLUSION
24. The advent of the first White Paper
on urban policy for 20 years offers a unique opportunity to properly
address the crucial role played by "green space" and
in particular, trees and woodland in enhancing urban living. We
believe that these themes lie at the heart of any serious vision
of urban renaissance and that the presence or absence of trees,
woodland and other green space plays a central role in shaping
people's perceptions of the quality of their local environment.
25. Initiatives such as community woodlands
offer genuinely empowering opportunities for individuals to become
involved in enhancing their local environment and the quality
of life in their local area, whilst the physical improvement of
urban areas through the creation of new green spaces can help
to improve their image and provide an attractive environment for
industry.
26. Green spaces have been addressed in
the report of the Urban Task Force but have been somewhat overlooked
in the subsequent discussion of the report's findings. This inquiry
presents a significant opportunity to draw attention to them.
27. We look to the Urban White Paper to
adopt a creative, imaginative approach to these matters which
will promote partnerships and funding packages that can deliver
visual, recreational, health and biodiversity benefits whilst
helping to achieve what the Urban Task Force report has identified
as the "ecologically sensitive city".[29]
January 2000
16 Urban Task Force: "Towards an Urban Renaissance"
(1999), p 43. Back
17
Ibid, p 57. Back
18
Ibid. Back
19
DETR: "Quality of Life Counts" (1999), p 157. Back
20
Twentieth Report from the Environment, Transport and Regional
Affairs Committee. Session 1998-99, "Town and Country Parks". Back
21
Urban Task Force, op cit, p 47. Back
22
National Urban Forestry Unit, Trees Matter; the benefits of
trees and woods in towns, p 6. Back
23
DETR, A Better Quality of Life; a strategy for sustainable
development in the UK (1999), p 63. Back
24
Ibid pp 63-64. Back
25
England Forestry Strategy: A New Focus for England's Woodlands.
(Forestry Commission, 1998). Back
26
Trees Matter, op cit, p11. Back
27
NWDA, A Strategy Towards 2020, p 54. Back
28
A Better Quality of Life, op cit, p 85. Back
29
Towards an Urban Renaissance, op cit, p 43. Back
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