Central Scotland Green Network

Speech by Alison McInnes delivered to Chamber, Scottish Parliament on Thu 12th Nov 2009

The designation of the central Scotland green network as a national project is to be welcomed and will, I hope, presage a significant and sustained emphasis on improving the natural environment of the 3 million or so people who live within the 19 local authority areas that will be covered by the network. Substantial increases in woodland cover and improvements to green space and outdoor recreation are proposed, with the aim of improving landscape settings for towns and cities, including bringing back to life areas that face the post-industrial legacy of derelict and vacant land.

The network's inclusion in NPF 2 indicates that the Government considers the economic, health and social benefits of improving the landscape setting of towns and villages to be of national importance. However, the CSGN is quite different from the other national projects in the national planning framework, and will be difficult to deliver coherently and consistently. That is why I welcome the setting up of the partnership group and look forward to the production of its action plan by the end of this year or the beginning of next.

The initiative is to be led by Forestry Commission Scotland and SNH, yet FCS has noted:

"In the absence of new funding sources becoming available, action and efforts on the CSGN will need to focus on providing a compelling vision through a clear and effective strategic plan. This may create some momentum in the short-term but in order to maintain impetus beyond the current year, we will need to find some additional resource-for example through a challenge fund which might be used to exert leverage on resources and secure commitment from local authorities and other sources. Our current assessment is that this would need to be something of the order of £5 million a year and that that might lever an equal amount from other sources."

FCS also said:

"Elevation to National Development status raises expectation. Without additional resources it will be more difficult to deliver quickly something transformational on the ground."

That is why I have lodged my amendment today. I seek clarity from the Government on what its intentions are. The minister's comments are surprising. She is surely not telling us that the Government sets its budget without regard to its strategic plans. All that I am asking for is some information.

It is increasingly evident that good-quality green space contributes to boosting physical activity and mental health, attracting investment and creating places where people want to live. Urban green space can also help to mitigate the impacts of flooding, air pollution and high temperatures, as well as supporting wildlife. It can create an environment that encourages people to choose active lifestyles, including walking and cycling, and encourages children to play outside.

Greenspace Scotland's first report on the state of Scotland's green space gave a snapshot of progress in 20 out of 32 of our local authorities. It is an interesting report that will provide a good baseline for measurement in the future. However, it acknowledges that the full benefits of green space are contingent on how it is used and valued by people.

Since 2004, Greenspace Scotland has commissioned three surveys of public opinion on urban green space, which have examined the use of green space, public attitudes about it and people's perceptions of local spaces. They show a rise in the use of local green space since 2004, primarily for physical activity and relaxation. In the most recent survey, 63 per cent of respondents said that they used their local green space once a week or more often, which was up from 49 per cent in 2004. Half of those polled could walk to their local green space within five minutes, but that dropped to 39 per cent in more deprived areas.

The Scottish household survey in 2007-08 also included a section on green space. It found that people's level of satisfaction with their green space was positively associated with how they felt about their neighbourhood overall. It also revealed a connection between green space and health, with self-reported health being 10 per cent higher in areas with a safe and pleasant environment.

There is no doubt that good-quality green space aids personal health and wellbeing and contributes to tackling climate change. It will also help us to adapt to some of the impacts of climate change, and, importantly, it contributes to community wellbeing through the creation of a sense of belonging.

Although there are many examples of good practice-at the local authority planning level and from the many trusts and organisations that champion the environment, such as green space trusts, SNH, the woods in and around towns programme, the SWT and the Ramblers Association-far too many communities are surrounded by wasteland or barren stretches of green deserts. There has been a drive for improvement in housing stock, but the setting in which that housing has been situated has not always been improved. Planning decisions have placed too much emphasis on the built environment and have paid scant attention to securing good breathing space between developments. At the moment, central Scotland has a patchwork of green rather than a network.

Greenspace Scotland also asked about barriers to increasing use of green space, and many respondents highlighted concerns about maintenance, lack of facilities and safety. Those issues must be tackled by the CSGN. I would like the CSGN to ensure that communities are involved all the way through the process, and I ask ministers to outline how they envisage them being represented on the network's board. It is not always the case that communities are involved in the design and management of their local spaces, but when they are it can help to build a strong sense of belonging. Placemaking projects have demonstrated that. Taking into account communities' views from the outset should ensure that the new green spaces meet the needs of all users, and should address safety concerns.

With the growing pressure on council budgets over the next few years, proper consideration must also be given to arrangements for the maintenance of space that is created. I note that the NPF action plan anticipates that, by the end of 2010, there will be a report on the preferred management structures and processes to safeguard the green network into the future. That is essential.

The CSGN is an unusual project to be included in the NPF, but its designation as a national development means that we can expect a level of co-ordination and intervention on a scale that has been previously unknown. That is welcome.

I move amendment S3M-5173.2, to insert at end:

"; notes the view of Forestry Commission Scotland that, without additional resources to invest in the Central Scotland Green Network, it will be difficult to deliver transformational change on the ground, and calls on the Scottish Government to clarify within the next six weeks its funding and delivery intentions for all the national developments in the National Planning Framework for Scotland 2 and how they link to the Scottish Government's current expenditure proposals."