In a letter to the Defra Secretary, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee calls for reforms and greater Government leadership to encourage more investment into urban green infrastructure
The letter finds that despite the environmental and health benefits of urban green spaces, urgent action is needed to reverse this national decline.
While the Committee acknowledges that local authorities are ideally positioned to determine green space provision, it raises concern over the absence of a legal obligation for councils to do so.
The Government should consult with stakeholders on a new funding programme
This new funding program should support investment, maintenance costs, and staff resources to come into force in the 2026-27 financial year.
The Committee states that the Government “urgently needs to set out its plans to tackle recruitment concerns” facing local authorities, which can hamper the development of local strategies to create more green space.
Working with Natural England to create a national repository of best practice and mapping tools
The inquiry finds that without a national strategy on the issue, urban green infrastructure is being deprioritised.
While the policy area is currently spread across Government departments, MPs believe that there should be a central government organisation responsible for green infrastructure.
There is a lack of mandatory targets for urban green spaces
Furthermore, the letter finds that the Government should work with key stakeholders to develop and publish a robust set of statutory targets for urban green spaces by 2025.
The Committee also addresses threats posed by housing development to green spaces, citing profit-driven high-density builds that overlook local community needs.
Urging the Department, the Committee calls for consultations to define developer responsibilities and urges the Government to employ all available means to prioritise green infrastructure through planners.
