Draft Regulation 18 Sandwell Local Plan
Green and Blue Infrastructure
3.86 Green and blue infrastructure are terms used to describe a multi-functional and connected network of green spaces, water and other environmental features in both urban and rural areas. It represents a collection of assets that provide multiple functions and services to people, the economy and the environment. It includes (but is not limited to) the following land types:
- woodland
- watercourses, including canals
- highway verges and railway embankments
- parks, playgrounds, allotments and other public open spaces
- urban trees
- private gardens
- the grounds of hospitals, schools and business parks
- sport pitches and recreational areas
3.87 Green infrastructure can contribute to the provision of 'ecosystem services', the direct and indirect contributions the natural environment provides for human wellbeing and quality of life. These services can be delivered in a practical sense, e.g., by providing food and water and regulating the climate, and through supporting cultural and social aspects such as the provision of green spaces that can then help reduce stress and anxiety. They include flood protection, water purification, carbon storage, land for food production, places for recreation, landscape and nature conservation.
3.88 Green infrastructure performs multiple functions, some of which include:
- biodiversity and geodiversity – providing habitats for wildlife
- access and recreation – places for sports, play, walking and cycling
- health and wellbeing – supporting healthy lifestyles
- energy – providing an energy resource using biomass, hydro-electric and wind power
- townscape – making towns and villages better places in which to live
- economic development – supporting the economy by improving the image and 'liveability' of places
3.89 In 2023 Natural England published guidance on the delivery and enhancement of green infrastructure[34]. As a key resource for developers and local planning authorities, the framework integrates green infrastructure tools, principles, standards and design guidance. It is structured through five key standards, addressing:
- urban nature recovery;
- an urban greening factor;
- an urban tree canopy cover standard;
- accessible greenspace standards; and
- a green infrastructure strategy.
3.90 Of these elements, Sandwell Council already addresses most of them through existing Council strategies and many of the policies proposed in this plan. Relevant plan policies include those on biodiversity net gain, the nature recovery strategy, canals, SuDs, climate change mitigation and good design, which address urban nature recovery and urban greening; the policy on trees and hedgerows; the adopted Sandwell Tree Strategy, which covers urban canopy cover; and accessible green space standards, which form part of the Council's Green Spaces Strategy and Audit.
3.91 In respect of a Green Infrastructure Strategy, this standard supports the National Planning Policy Framework's requirement that local authorities should develop strategic policies for green infrastructure. At an area-wide scale, the Green Infrastructure Standard will see local authorities develop delivery plans to support the creation and enhancement of new and existing greenspaces.
3.92 This topic is also addressed across a range of policies in the Sandwell Local Plan and is addressed in the following strategic policy.
3.93 A focussed green infrastructure strategy could also provide an overarching framework against which the Council's success in achieving many of these positive outcomes could be monitored and measured.
Policy SDS7 - Green and Blue Infrastructure in Sandwell
- The Council will support a strategic approach to green and blue infrastructure by:
- working with relevant partners to prepare, adopt and implement a Green Infrastructure Strategy for the borough;
- planning, designing and managing green infrastructure in an integrated way to achieve multiple benefits;
- identifying key green infrastructure assets, their current function and their potential future contributions;
- identifying opportunities for addressing environmental and social challenges through strategic green infrastructure interventions.
- Sandwell's green and blue infrastructure networks, including open spaces, green spaces, nature conservation sites, habitats, rivers, canals, other waterways, trees and green features, should be enhanced where possible (Policies SNE1 - SNE6).
- Development in Sandwell will be expected to maintain and where possible enhance the existing network of green infrastructure across the borough.
- Major developments will be required to ensure green spaces and urban greening features (including tree planting, vegetation, gardens, green roofs and green walls, sustainable drainage systems, etc.) are planned, designed and managed in an integrated way so that they deliver multiple climate change and environmental benefits over the lifetime of the development (Policies SCC1 – SCC6).
- Proposals that would result in the loss of existing green infrastructure will be resisted unless it can be demonstrated that new opportunities will be provided that mitigate or compensate for this loss and ensure that the ecosystem services of the area are retained (Policy SNE2).
- Major developments will be expected to maximise opportunities for enhancing existing green spaces and waterways by incorporating appropriate urban greening to improve the visual quality and ecological functions of the site.
Justification
3.94 A green infrastructure approach to development recognises that the network of green and blue spaces, street trees, green roofs and other major assets such as natural or semi-natural drainage features must be planned, designed and managed in an integrated way. This will include considering and enhancing where possible links to green and blue networks beyond Sandwell's boundaries, in collaboration with neighbouring authorities and stakeholders.
3.95 Green infrastructure creates a sense of place. It is a multifunctional benefit close to where people live, work and relax. It will help to support a healthy lifestyle, can reduce health inequalities in communities and offers social benefits as well by creating a sense of social cohesion and shared space.
3.96 Policy SDS7 sets out a strategic green infrastructure approach and provides a framework for how this can be assessed and planned for. Further policies in the environment and climate change sections of the SLP provide more detail on specific aspects of green infrastructure, alongside other Plan policies designed to deliver multiple outcomes.
3.97 Objectives include:
- promoting mental and physical health and wellbeing;
- adapting to the impacts of climate change and the urban heat-island effect;
- improving air and water quality;
- encouraging walking and cycling;
- supporting landscape and heritage conservation;
- learning about the environment;
- supporting food growing; and
- conserving and enhancing biodiversity and ecological resilience;
alongside the more traditional functions of green space such as for play, sport and recreation.
3.98 All development takes place within a wider environment and green infrastructure should be an integral element and not an 'add-on'. Its economic and social value should be recognised as highlighted in the Black Country i-Tree Assessment and Sandwell's Green Spaces Strategy and Trees Strategy.
3.99 It is important to ensure that green and blue infrastructure are connected and resilient, to enable them to respond to climate change in a positive way. The use of green infrastructure should be optimised, but not maximised – this ensures such spaces will not be damaged by excessive activity and thus will retain their importance as part of a wider network of spaces and places for wildlife, ecology and habitats as well as supporting the physical and mental health of Sandwell's residents.