Analysis finds urban areas in England where no one lives within 15-minute walk of nature | Access to green space
There are urban areas in England where no one lives within a 15-minute walk of nature, government data shows, as ministers scramble to meet their nature access targets.
While the data shows that 80% of the population lives within walking distance of green or blue spaces such as a river, park or forest, it also reveals a disparity between rural areas and poorer urban areas.
Everyone will need access to green or blue spaces under the government’s environmental improvement plan, published late last year.
In some local authority areas, less than 20% of residents live near these spaces, according to data published on Wednesday by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. In one part of Middlesbrough, for example – the most deprived local authority in England – only 1% of residents are within 15 minutes of nature, and in another only 16%.
In two parts of Doncaster, no house is recorded as being within 15 minutes of a green or blue space. There are also many areas of cities, including Bristol and Southampton, where no one has access to green spaces.
For local authorities as a whole, London has many areas where many people are not within walking distance of green space. In Harrow, the City of London, Croydon and Waltham Forest, less than half of people meet the 15-minute standard.
Similarly, fewer than half of residents are within a 15-minute walk of a green space in North East Lincolnshire, Leicester, Gedling, Nottingham and Knowsley.
Access Minister Sue Hayman said: “Spending time in nature is so important for our mental and physical wellbeing, and this Government is committed to providing greater access to nature for people across the country, no matter where they live.
“Access to nature still varies hugely from region to region and we are working to ensure this is a guarantee and not a postcode lottery. We have already taken steps to improve access to nature by announcing the first of nine national river walks, the Mersey Valley Way and two new national forests.”
The data reveals that 91% of rural households have access to green or blue spaces, compared to 78% of urban households.
According to previously published government data, in the 200 most deprived urban areas with the lowest levels of green space, 97% do not have access to green space within a 15-minute walk of their home.
Conservationists have said government policies to deregulate housing and infrastructure development policy could lead to an erosion of the amount of green space available, particularly for people in less affluent urban areas.
The new legislation means property developers will be able to build on formerly protected green spaces without having to replace the loss of nature in the surrounding area.
Lack of access to nature has crucial consequences on physical and mental health. Recent studies show that living near parks or natural green spaces reduces anxiety and depression by around 20%.
Conversely, those living more than 800 meters from green spaces reported significantly higher levels of wellbeing problems, particularly during Covid-19 lockdowns. There is therefore a risk that the increasingly unaffordable nature of housing in nature-rich areas for young homeowners will worsen health inequalities.
Paul de Zylva of Friends of the Earth said: “Everyone deserves access to natural spaces that teem with life and the many benefits they bring for the health and wellbeing of our communities and the planet.
“What these figures don’t tell us is the quality of green and blue spaces that people have access to., where better conditions exist, and the other factors at play that determine who can and cannot benefit from nature.
He added: “The UK is one of the most nature-poor countries in the world. It’s one thing to have wild spaces on your doorstep, but they need to be places where nature can thrive – not degraded and polluted like so many others.”
