1. Improving Green Space: Making the Most of the Development Process www.green-space.org.uk 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%

2. Improving Green Space: Making the Most of the Development Process www.green-space.org.uk 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

3. Improving Green Space: Making the Most of the Development Process www.green-space.org.uk 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

4. Improving Green Space: Making the Most of the Development Process www.green-space.org.uk 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.

5. Improving Green Space: Making the Most of the Development Process www.green-space.org.uk 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

6. Improving Green Space: Making the Most of the Development Process www.green-space.org.uk 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)

7. Improving Green Space: Making the Most of the Development Process www.green-space.org.uk 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%

8. Improving Green Space: Making the Most of the Development Process www.green-space.org.uk 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)

9. Improving Green Space: Making the Most of the Development Process www.green-space.org.uk 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

10. Improving Green Space: Making the Most of the Development Process www.green-space.org.uk 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