Report of the Director of the Joint Strategy Unit

AGENDA ITEM

REPORT TO JOINT STRATEGY COMMITTEE

DATE: 28TH SEPTEMBER 2006

REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE JOINT STRATEGY UNIT

DRAFT TEES VALLEY GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE STUDY

1.Summary

1.1Following discussions with the Northern Way, the Joint Strategy Unit has been preparing a Green Infrastructure Strategy for the Tees Valley. The Strategy is being prepared in response to the growing recognition that quality of place and quality of the environment are essential to creating and sustaining economic growth and developing sustainable communities where people want to live. Green infrastructure is widely defined as a network of multi-functional open spaces, including formal parks, gardens, woodlands, green corridors, waterways, street trees and open countryside.

1.2Green infrastructure is seen as a key element that can help to achieve the economic and sustainable vision for the Tees Valley. It offers a way of achieving closer links between environmental improvement and the major development projects now being implemented and proposed in the Tees Valley. The draft Strategy identifies a network of corridors and links based on existing green infrastructure assets, policies and proposals in inherited plans and strategies, and strategic, spatial priorities identified for the Tees Valley.

1.3The Green Infrastructure Strategy is still a ‘work in progress’ and further work is still required, particularly on the funding and implementation aspects.

2.Recommendation

2.1It is recommended that:

i)the draft strategy be submitted as work in progress to the Department of Communities and Local Government to back up the case for extra resources for green infrastructure;

ii)following the work on funding and implementation further consultation takes place with the local authorities and others on the report; and

iii)the final draft is submitted to a future meeting of the Committee for approval.

3.Reasons for Recommendation

3.1To inform Members’ of the preparation of a Tees Valley Green Infrastructure Strategy and note the progress made to date.

3.2To back up the request of Government in the Tees Valley City Region Business Case to make available resources for green infrastructure.

4.Members’ Interests

4.1Members (including co-opted Members with voting rights) should consider whether they have a personal interest as defined in the Council’s code of conduct (paragraph 8) and, if so, declare the existence and nature of that interest in accordance with paragraph 9 of the code.

4.2Where a Member regards him/herself as having a personal interest in the item, he/she must then consider whether that interest is one which a Member of the public, with knowledge of the relevant facts, would reasonably regard as so significant that it is likely to prejudice the Member’s judgement of the public interest (paragraph 10 of the code of conduct).

4.3A member with a prejudicial interest in any matter must withdraw from the room where the meeting is being held, whilst the matter is being considered; not exercise executive functions in relation to the matter, and not seek improperly to influence the decision about the matter (paragraph 12 of the code).

1.Purpose of Report

1.1The purpose of this report is to inform Members of the preparation of a Green Infrastructure Strategy for the Tees Valley. It briefly outlines why a Green Infrastructure Strategy is considered necessary, how it will support planning and growth in the Tees Valley, and how it will complement the Tees Valley City Region Development Programme and Business Case.

2.Recommendation

2.1It is recommended that:

i)the draft strategy be submitted as work in progress to the Department of Communities and Local Government to back up the case for extra resources for green infrastructure;

ii)following the work on funding and implementation further consultation takes place with the local authorities and others on the report; and

iii)the final draft is submitted to a future meeting of the Committee for approval.

3.Background

3.1The Joint Strategy Unit was approached by the Sustainable Communities Team at the Northern Way earlier this year with a view to piloting a methodology for producing a Green Infrastructure Strategy in the Tees Valley. The methodology was developed by Northumbria University working with several other partners including the North East Community Forest and English Nature. The methodology is based largely around Geographical Information System (GIS) mapping, and can be applied at regional, sub-regional, district and small area levels.

3.2The Northern Way’s interest in green infrastructure stems from a recognition that quality of place and quality of the environment are essential to creating and sustaining economic growth and developing sustainable communities where people want to live. A Green Infrastructure Strategy is seen as supporting and reinforcing other initiatives to grow and develop the Tees Valley’s economy.

3.3The Joint Strategy Unit, with support from officers of the Tees Valley local authorities, North East Community Forest, Northern Way, Natural England, and the Environment Agency, has been progressing the Tees Valley Green Infrastructure Strategy and a draft is attached for information. The Strategy is still a ‘work in progress’ and some further work/research is still necessary, particularly with regard to funding, resources and implementation.

4.What is Green Infrastructure?

4.1There are several definitions in use, but the one agreed for the purposes of the Tees Valley Green Infrastructure Strategy is:

“Green infrastructure is the physical environment within and between our cities, towns and villages. It is a network of multi-functional open spaces, including formal parks, gardens, woodlands, green corridors, waterways, street trees and open countryside. It comprises all environmental resources, and thus a green infrastructure approach also contributes towards sustainable resource management.”

4.2Although the term ‘green infrastructure’ is relatively new, the concept is perhaps less so. Many local authorities, including those in the Tees Valley, have been managing open space and green space in a positive way for recreation, leisure, nature conservation and other uses, and have protected such spaces from inappropriate development. The green infrastructure concept however, attempts to provide a way of viewing open space (existing and proposed) as a resource that should be planned strategically and delivered in an integrated way across regions and sub-regions. Green infrastructure should form an integral part of investment plans and strategies of those agencies with a remit for the planning and delivery of growth, sustainable development, and environmental management.

5.Green Infrastructure and Economic Growth in the Tees Valley

5.1The Tees Valley faces a big challenge to create attractive places and an environment with the quality of life that makes people want to stay and attracts investment and entrepreneurs. Many parts of the inner urban areas have experienced years of ‘urban flight’ and such areas no longer offer an environment that meets the aspirations of many residents and people looking to move into the Tees Valley.

5.2Green infrastructure is a key element that can help to achieve the economic and sustainable vision for the Tees Valley. The scale of development and regeneration envisaged through the Tees Valley Vision and the Tees Valley City Region Development Programme requires a new way of looking at the environment and how new development and redevelopment can contribute to environmental quality. Green infrastructure offers a way of achieving closer links between environmental improvement and the major development projects now being proposed in the Tees Valley.

5.3Environmental quality and quality of place are increasingly seen as making a contribution to competitive economic performance. It has been recognised in the government’s recent ‘State of the English Cities’ research report and in a 2004 report of Competitive European Cities which states:

“Evidence from the Core Cities in the UK highlighted that the mixture of ingredients that improve quality of life and make a sustainable community with assets of good environment, distinctive architecture and cultural facilities, diverse housing stock and access to natural amenities are an essential mix to the right kind of labour force to make a city economically competitive.”

5.4The draft North East Strategy for the Environment acknowledges that environmental infrastructure is essential to economic and social well-being. It notes that environmental infrastructure forms the basis for green infrastructure that is essential for delivering quality of place, contributing towards healthy, safe and sustainable communities to help attract and retain business and skilled people.

6.Aims for a Green Infrastructure Strategy

6.1The Strategy will seek to achieve a number of aims. It will:

• Provide a strategic context for the sustainable planning and management of existing and proposed green space within the Tees Valley;
• Support and reinforce initiatives and strategies designed to raise the economic performance of the Tees Valley, promote economic and social inclusion, create sustainable communities, and improve the environment;
• Provide a framework of green corridors and spaces that will help to improve access to open space for local communities and contribute to tackling issues such as poor health and quality of life;
• Provide an enhanced environmental context for new development and regeneration schemes, and
• Improve access to resources through major funding regimes and improve the case for green infrastructure to be funded as a primary public investment on a similar basis to other services and infrastructure.

7.Policy Basis and Existing Assets

7.1The policy base for developing a green infrastructure strategy in the Tees Valley is strong. A number of central government Planning Policy Statements and Planning Policy Guidance Notes point to the importance of environmental quality and the need to develop strategies for the protection and extension of open space. The submission draft Regional Spatial Strategy contains a policy on establishing green infrastructure networks and this has been strengthened through recommendations in the Panel Report following the Examination in Public that include bringing green infrastructure networks specifically within the spatial policy for the Tees Valley City Region.

7.2The draft Regional Economic Strategy notes that the region’s green spaces are a vital asset, particularly in the context of increasing development pressures, and that the benefits should be maximised through sound planning and management.

7.3At sub-regional level the Tees Valley Structure Plan contains a large number of policies that support the development of a green infrastructure network. In particular the corridor concept is central to the development of such a network, and the Tees Valley Structure Plan, together with the Borough Council Local Plans, provides a firm policy basis through the identification and protection of green wedges, strategic gaps between settlements, and wildlife corridors.

7.4Other plans and strategies also provide a good framework for developing a green infrastructure strategy. These include the Tees Forest Plan and Local Biodiversity Action Plans.

7.5The Tees Valley also has many environmental assets and opportunities that can be used and developed for green infrastructure. These include;

• Landscape designations, including Countryside Character Areas, Natural Areas, Heritage Coast, National Park, and Historic Landscapes
• Biodiversity features, such as National Nature Reserve, Local Nature Reserves, Sites of Special Scientific Interest, and Strategic Wildlife Corridors
• Natural Processes, such as principal water courses and flood plains
• Areas of derelict, vacant and unused land
• Strategic open space, open areas, and recreational areas, including green wedges, principal parks and gardens, country parks/countryside gateway sites, and woodland
• Connectivity, including strategic footpath routes and cycle routes.

8.Green Infrastructure Priorities

8.1It is considered that there are two overarching principles to the Strategy:

• First is the protection and enhancement of critical elements of green infrastructure within the conurbation and main towns and settlements
• Second is developing and extending green infrastructure elements into a multi-functional network that links existing and proposed open spaces

8.2Priorities for green infrastructure also need to be defined in terms of the wider priorities for economic growth, development and regeneration. These strategic priorities are considered to be:

Flagship Regeneration Projects – Central Park, Darlington; Victoria Harbour, Hartlepool; North Shore, Stockton-on-Tees, Greater Middlehaven, Middlesbrough; Durham Tees Valley Airport

Tees Valley Vision/City Region Development Programme Spatial Priorities – Stockton-Middlesbrough Initiative;Darlington Gateway; Coastal Arc

Housing Market Renewal/Intervention Areas – as identified in the Tees Valley Living Strategy

Other Strategic Growth Areas – such as Middle Warren, Ingleby Barwick, Darlington West Park, Faverdale and Wynyard

Strategic Environmental Initiatives – such as the Green-Blue Heart; Saltholme Nature Reserve; Tees Forest and Primary Gateway Sites

Strategic Access Routes – SUSTRANS routes, long distance footpaths, strategic equestrian routes

8.3These priorities represent sites and areas where their implementation and development can be aided and enhanced by integration within the green infrastructure network, and where greening should be included as a key part of their development.

8.4The green infrastructure strategy can also help to address some of the emerging environmental and social issues and concerns. These include responding to climate change, promoting recycling and renewable energy, meeting changing lifestyles and aspirations, and facilitating sustainable transport.

8.5The draft strategy identifies a network of corridors based on existing green infrastructure assets, policies and proposals in inherited plans and strategies, and the strategic developments and priorities identified for the Tees Valley. Also identified are priorities within the network that will be essential to the achievement of the economic growth and vision for the Tees Valley.

8.6The Strategy also identifies a number of planning and delivery principles to guide the provision of green infrastructure and development in the Tees Valley. These principles cover, for example:

Planning and Development, including the use of planning conditions and obligations, high quality design, and community involvement

Accessibility, such as enhanced foot and cycle access and focussing on areas of new development

Landscape and Historic Environment, including use of landscape and townscape character assessments, and restoring/reclaiming derelict, vacant and unused land

Biodiversity, particularly ensuring a net gain in biodiversity, managing and protecting wildlife corridors, and using appropriate planting

Woodland, including enhancing the mosaic of woodlands and appropriate management

Natural processes, including such features as green roofs and sustainable drainage in the design of new development, and managing wetlands to create and enhance multi-functional assets

Leisure and Recreation, including the use of greenspace to promote health and well-being, and creating links between urban and countryside areas

9.Implementation and Next Steps

9.1Although developed at a strategic level, the Green Infrastructure Strategy will be taken on board and developed further by the plans, programmes and strategies of individual local authorities and other key stakeholders. Often the most appropriate level for the promotion of actions will be through Local Development Frameworks and other local authority greening initiatives.

9.2The social, economic and sustainable development arguments for investing in green infrastructure are strong. There is a need to develop an innovative approach to delivery, investment, promotion and marketing that matches the scale of the issues facing the Tees Valley.

9.3The Tees Valley City Region – A Business Case for Delivery acknowledges that a strategic open space network is a vital part of improving the liveability and urban competitiveness of the Tees Valley. An attractive urban environment helps raise the value of commercial facilities such as offices by providing an attractive setting and making them easier to let and achieve higher rentals. Attractive open space next to new inner area housing helps to make the houses more attractive and the community more viable.

9.4In the North East it is often difficult to persuade agencies to fund green infrastructure/public realm, many preferring to concentrate resources on buildings rather than the environment around. In the growth areas of the South East (such as Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Milton Keynes) the government has made substantial funding available for green infrastructure implementation. The City Region Business Case is therefore requesting the Department for Communities and Local Government to consider identifying, from its Sustainable Communities resources, a budget of £2 million/year to develop green infrastructure as a vital element of improving the liveability and urban competitiveness of the Tees Valley. I would therefore wish to submit the draft to the Department of Communities and Local Government as work in progress to back up the case for extra resources for green infrastructure.

9.5Once the Green Infrastructure Strategy has been completed and agreed by the Tees Valley local authorities and other key stakeholders, it will be circulated more widely for information and comment. The next key stages will be to identify potential sources of funding, and to draft an implementation or action plan that will identify specific proposals, timescales, funding sources and implementation bodies that bids can be made for these schemes and the strategy turned into reality.

John Lowther

Director, Tees Valley Joint Strategy Unit

Contact: Malcolm Steele

Tel. 01642 264832