G3: Enhancement of green and blue infrastructure
Short Description
This indicator will show changes in the quantity, quality, accessibility and, ultimately, multiple functions of green and blue infrastructure. Green and blue spaces and other natural features in and around our built environment, including within Green Belts, are part of networks of multi-functional green infrastructure, which are capable of delivering a wide range of benefits that are essential to health and wellbeing, nature, climate, water and prosperity. Green infrastructure includes land, freshwater and coastal spaces.
This indicator is being developed from 2 sources. First, work led by Natural England, with Defra and an advisory group, on the Green Infrastructure Framework – Principles and Standards for England which covers both green and blue infrastructure. These standards aim to green our towns and cities, by improving existing green infrastructure provision and encouraging more investment. Green and blue infrastructure can also make an important contribution towards mitigation and adaptation to climate change. Second, Natural England’s People and Nature Survey (PANS) results.
Readiness and links to data
This indicator is not available for reporting in 2024 in a finalised form. A revised interim indicator is presented here that is based on (a) Natural England’s updated Accessible Greenspace Standards and its England Green Infrastructure Mapping Database, and (b) its People and Nature Survey (PANS).
The Accessible Greenspace Standards have informed the development of measures for accessible greenspace quantity and proximity, at different scales. These are measured using the England Green Infrastructure Mapping Database. No new datapoints are available for G3a in the 2024 update of the Outcome Indicator Framework.
PANS provides data for understanding the public’s expectations regarding green and natural space, and their perceptions of the actuality of their local greenspace and natural spaces. These data have been updated in G3bi and G3bii during the 2024 update of this indicator. Summary data for these components are available in the Statistics and technical details for 2024 national indicators publication.
Natural England and Defra updated the baseline maps of Green and Blue Infrastructure across England (version 1.2) prior to the 2023 update of this indicator, by adding new datasets for future analysis using the updated Accessible Greenspace Standards. The England Green Infrastructure Mapping Database Report provides details of the Green Infrastructure Mapping version 1.2 datasets and analysis. Initial findings as presented in G3a are published on the Green Infrastructure Mapping Database and Analyses webpage (based on data in the Green Infrastructure Mapping version 1.1). A further update of the England Green Infrastructure Mapping Database will be available in 2025.
Outputs of new data and further analysis of the Green Infrastructure Mapping will be considered for providing additional information in the final indicator.
Indicator components
Figure G3a: Percentage of the total population in England living in close proximity of greenspace, as of October 2021
Table G3a: Percentage of the total population in England living in close proximity of greenspace, as of October 2021
| Greenspace | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Combined greenspace | 62.23 |
| Neighbourhood Natural Greenspace | 48.95 |
| Local Natural Greenspace | 24.68 |
| Doorstep Greenspace | 32.69 |
Trend description for G3a
This is the baseline year of data; we aim to build a time series that is updated at the same frequency that new mapping is undertaken. As of October 2021, the proportions of the total population in England living within Accessible Greenspace Standards ‘criteria’ (straight line distances from the boundary of the greenspaces) are:
• 1 in 3 people live within 200 metres of a doorstep greenspace of at least 0.5 hectares
• 1 in 4 people live within 300 metres of a local natural greenspace of at least 2 hectares
• 1 in 2 people live within 1 km of a neighbourhood natural greenspace of at least 10 hectares
When considered together, these 3 most local Accessible Greenspace Standards criteria (as set out above) allow us to form a composite picture of accessible greenspace close to home. Initial findings suggest that, as of October 2021, almost 2 in 3 people (62.2%) have access to greenspace as defined by one or more of the doorstep greenspace, local natural greenspace and neighbourhood natural greenspace standards included within this indicator, and hence within a maximum 1 km radius of home.
Assessment of change
No assessment of change was undertaken for this indicator as a suitable time series is not yet available in the Outcome Indicator Framework.
Figure G3bi: Adult’s mean overall levels of expectation and perception of the quality of green and natural spaces in England on a scale of 1 (low) to 5 (high), survey years 2020/2021 to 2022/2023
Table G3bi: Adult’s mean overall levels of expectation and perception of the quality of green and natural spaces in England on a scale of 1 (low) to 5 (high), survey years 2020/2021 to 2022/2023
| Year | General expectations of what green and natural spaces should be | Perceptions of what local green and natural spaces actually are |
|---|---|---|
| 2020/2021 | 4.24 | 3.75 |
| 2021/2022 | 4.26 | 3.78 |
| 2022/2023 | 4.24 | 3.76 |
Trend description for G3bi
Adults showed high expectations of what general qualities green and natural spaces should have in the survey year 2022/2023, with an overall mean score of 4.24 out of a maximum 5. Adults' perceptions of the actual characteristics of their local spaces were lower than their expectations, with an overall mean score of 3.76. Both results are almost identical to those reported in 2020/2021 and 2021/2022.
Assessment of change
No assessment of change was undertaken for this indicator as a suitable time series is not yet available in the Outcome Indicator Framework.
Figure G3bii: Weighted percentage of adults agreeing or strongly agreeing with statements about their expectations and perceptions of the quality of green and natural spaces in England, survey year 2022/2023
Table G3bii: Weighted percentage of adults agreeing or strongly agreeing with statements about their expectations and perceptions of the quality of green and natural spaces in England, survey year 2022/2023
| Question | A) Within easy walking distance | B) Good places for mental health and wellbeing | C) A high enough standard to want to spend time in | D) Good places for children to play | E) Places that encourage physical health and exercise | F) Good places to meet other people | G) Provide good opportunities to see nature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General expectations of what green and natural spaces should be | 85.22 | 88.83 | 86.40 | 80.14 | 81.52 | 72.59 | 88.31 |
| Perceptions of what local green and natural spaces actually are | 65.37 | 70.83 | 69.43 | 66.65 | 69.04 | 63.19 | 72.23 |
Trend description for G3bii
When looking at the individual statements around qualities that were used to create the mean scores presented in G3bi in the most recent survey year (2022/2023), 89% of adults agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that they should be ‘good places for mental health and wellbeing’. Similarly, 88% agreed or strongly agreed that green and natural places should ‘provide good opportunities to see nature’ and 86% agreed or strongly agreed that they should be of ‘a high enough standard to want to spend time in’. Adults' perceptions of their local green and natural spaces were between 9 and 20 percentage points lower than their expectations in 2022/2023, with 71% agreeing or strongly agreeing with the statement that they are ‘good places for mental health and wellbeing’ and 72% agreeing or strongly agreeing that they ‘provide good opportunities to see nature’. Similarly, 69% agreed or strongly agreed that they are of ‘a high enough standard to want to spend time in’.
The greatest gap between perceptions of how local green and natural spaces actually are and expectations of what they should be like were found for the statements ‘within easy walking distance’ and ‘good places for mental health and wellbeing’. In 2022/2023, perceptions were 20 and 18 percentage points lower than expectations for these 2 statements respectively. Similar but slightly smaller differences were also found for the statements ‘high enough to want to spend time in’ and ‘provide good opportunities to see nature’, with perceptions for these statements being 17 and 16 percentage points lower than expectations respectively. The smallest gap between perceptions and expectations (9 percentage points) was observed for the statement 'good places to meet other people'.
Assessment of change
No assessment of change is undertaken for this indicator as a suitable time series is not available in the Outcome Indicator Framework.