Natural and Built Environment
Role of the Natural & Built Environment Topic Group is to:
- Establish the nature and extent of interest in the natural environment within the Deepings
and the surrounding villages - Consider how this should inform, influence and be enhanced by future development
- Establish what measures may be needed to retain local character
- Review and consider existing paths and green spaces to look at opportunities to enhance
and improve access and connectivity. - Consider the connectivity and functioning of wildlife corridors, and environmental enhancements to minimise flood risk.
Overview
Our plans for a healthier town and improved well-being will include protection and enhancement of our natural, built and historic environment; and, as part of this, help to promote biodiversity, use natural resources prudently, minimise waste and pollution, and mitigate and adapt to climate change including moving to a low carbon economy.
Planning for green spaces can help to achieve social, economic and environmental benefits in a neighbourhood. Some of the community and environmental benefits of green spaces are:
- They help to promote public health and well being
- They are readily accessible to the community, where informal social interaction can take place
- Providing pitches and facilities for sports and supporting physical activity
- Forming part of a network of paths and spaces, enabling movement through an area
- Providing habitats for wildlife and a natural corridors and spaces through urban areas
- Providing flexible space for recreation, local cultural events and performance
- Adding to local amenity, providing an attractive setting and outlook for surrounding residential and commercial properties
- Forming part of the character or setting of historic areas, buildings and townscape
- Forming part of flood mitigation
- Providing areas and opportunities for growing local food.
Green spaces contribute to quality of place, together with buildings, urban spaces and the wider public realm. Quality of place is a key factor in attracting investment, jobs and growth to an area. It is also important in making an area an attractive place to live, work and spend leisure time. Green spaces have real economic value to the surrounding area, in addition to creating community-wellbeing.
Working Objective
Health and well-being secured by an enhanced natural environment that is resilient and accessible.
We aim to secure:
- Resilient places. The Plan will help to create more sustainable places that are resilient to future climate changes, with carbon footprints that are minimised.
- A landscape led approach in major development. This is critical in increasing the supply of high quality liveable housing. Multi-functional green infrastructure may form part of this.
- Natural environments. To protect and improve biodiversity within green spaces and alongside the River Welland
- Recreational, leisure and social enhancement. This related topic is being progressed by the
Health Leisure & Arts Group. - Barrier-free green routes. All open spaces, key facilities and schools will, as far as practicable, have been connected with a barrier-free safe and attractive green route.