Improving Green Space: Making the Most of the Development Process Improving Green Space: Making the Most of the Development Process Percentage returned, including follow up telephoning43% Percentage returned, excluding county councils53% Percentage of those responding with a Green Space Strategy46% Percentage responding with draft Green Space Strategy29% Percentage responding with no Green Space Strategy25% Those including a PPG17 audit of current provision74% Those including a PPG17 assessment of local needs61% Strategies with Supplementary Planning Document status17%

Improving Green Space: Making the Most of the Development Process Strategies that sit within a wider, enabling framework66% Broken down as follows: Local Development Framework 43% Regional Green Infrastructure Strategy19% Sub-regional Green Infrastructure Strategy14% Corporate Plan38% Community Strategy33% Sustainable Community Strategy19% Local Area Agreement24% Other strategies: Biodiversity, Sport, Recreation and Play, Leisure, Sustainability

Improving Green Space: Making the Most of the Development Process Ability to spend contributions on site91% Ability to spend contributions off site89% Authorities that link location and type of contribution to strategy 50% Other criteria include: Consultation with members, officers and community SPD adopted, local plan used, formula based, not locational Those that gain contributions from non residential development44% The other development includes: Hotels, guest houses, urban commercial, where a landscape contribution is a planning requirement

Improving Green Space: Making the Most of the Development Process Exemptions Policies with specific developments exempted:67% Types of development exempted: Sheltered housing, nursing homes, student accommodation, one bedroom properties, affordable housing Minimum thresholds Respondents showed a wide variation, including: 5 dwellings, 1 property, any development, 4 houses, 1 bed increase, commercial over 2000m², 6 dwellings, 7 units, 10 dwellings or 0.1ha.

Improving Green Space: Making the Most of the Development Process Authorities using established formula for calculating contributions83% Authorities using unit costs to calculate contributions67% Authorities using commuted sums to cover maintenance78% Breakdown of years: 10 to 14 years35% 15 to 19 years35% 20 years30% Authorities using contributions to fund internal or external staff 54% Examples include 106 administration, green space projects, design

Improving Green Space: Making the Most of the Development Process Standards Authorities using national standards in their Strategies27% (all National Playing Fields Association 6 acre standard) Authorities using local standards50% Authorities using Accessible Natural Green Space Standards0% Authorities keeping a record of: Geographical area of need55% Progress towards achieving the standard50% (75% of these using GIS)

Improving Green Space: Making the Most of the Development Process Percentage of authorities prioritising types of green space provision Play89% Formal sports provision78% General green space improvements72% Recreational routes56% Wildlife habitat56% Improving physical access56% Woodland39% Improving cultural access28% Interpretation and learning28% Wider countryside management22% Management of coastal areas17% Authorities able to ring fence contributions for non-specific projects 41%

Improving Green Space: Making the Most of the Development Process Authorities sometimes working in partnership with developers81% (examples include: Town Code/Master Plan, pre-application meetings, design advice) Authorities promoting green space to developers71% Authorities sometimes requiring developers to retain ownership76% (examples include: non-agreement on design and function, areas not of public benefit, work below standard, inaccessible, high risk, commuted sum not agreed, general reluctance from LA) Authorities sometimes passing ownership to others50% (examples include: housing associations, resident management groups, Town and Parish Councils, Wildlife Trusts) Authorities working in partnership with other organisations86% (examples include: Town and Parish Councils, Clubs and Community Groups, funding agencies, Sustrans, AONB’s, Community Forests, Regeneration Companies, BTCV, private sector, Groundwork, Wildlife Trusts)

Improving Green Space: Making the Most of the Development Process Some Issues: Strategy Framework and Delivery 43% in Local Development Framework, 14% sub-regional Green Infrastructure Strategy. 46% have a strategy, only 50% of these link spending of contributions to strategy. Information on strategy is hard to evaluate, strategies can be over prescriptive. Sharing good practice and setting standards 27% use national standards, 50% have local standards, 54% fund staff, 46% ring fence contributions. Specific South West issues such as nursing homes and holiday homes exemptions. Working with Developers and other partnerships 44% raise contributions from non residential, 67% have specific exemptions, 78% use commuted sums for maintenance ranging between 10 – 20 years. 86% work in partnership in raising funds and delivering green space. Flexibility & creativity, standard & strategic approach

Improving Green Space: Making the Most of the Development Process Next steps Record today’s presentations and workshop outputs Incorporate today’s outputs in project report and circulate Identify priority actions, look to resource Develop action plan from research project