The Third State of Scotland s Greenspace Report

Transcription

1 The Third State of Scotland s Greenspace Report February 2018 Contents

2 Contents Executive Summary 1. Introduction 1.1 Data used in this report 1.2 Policy background 2. Findings on Scotland s greenspace 2.1 How much greenspace is there in Scotland? 2.2 Types of greenspace 2.3 Greenspace quality 2.4 Access to greenspace 2.5 Use of datasets 3. Scotland s greenspace delivering for Scotland 3.1 A wealthier and fairer Scotland 3.2 A smarter Scotland 3.3 A healthier Scotland 3.4 A safer and stronger Scotland 3.5 A greener Scotland 4. Trends in public perceptions and use of greenspace 4.1 Use of greenspace 4.2 Greenspace quality 4.3 Proximity to greenspace 4.4 Perceptions of greenspace 4.5 Expectations gap 4.6 Getting involved 4.7 Other surveys 5. Conclusion 6. Appendices 6.1 Data sources and method for producing local authority area statistics 6.2 Greenspace types used in OS Greenspace MasterMap Layer 6.3 Comparing PAN65 typology with OS Greenspace MasterMap 6.4 Local authority area summary statistics 6.5a Percentages of greenspace types in local authority areas (primary codes only) 6.5b Percentages of greenspace types in local authority areas (primary and secondary codes) 6.6a Summary area totals for greenspace types in local authority areas (primary codes only) 6.6b Summary area totals for greenspace types in local authority areas (primary and secondary codes) 6.7a Progress on open space strategies and related policies and guidance 6.7b Status and future plans for open space strategies and green network/infrastructure guidance Contact List of figures Table 1. Greenspace types used in this report Figure 1. Area of urban greenspace in local authority areas Figure 2. Greenspace as a percentage of urban land area Figure 3. Publicly accessible urban greenspace per 1000 people Figure 4. Summary of different greenspace types Figure 5. Proportions of different greenspace types in local authority areas Figure 6. Greenspace contributing to the strategic objectives of the Scottish Government Figure 7. Frequency of using local greenspace Figure 8. Responses to Greenspaces should be good places for and My local greenspace is a good place for (2017) Figure 9. Council parks services costs and satisfaction Figure 10. Council expenditure on parks services compared to quality ratings and use frequency

3 Executive Summary The third report on the State of Scotland s Greenspace provides data on the amount and types of greenspace for all of urban Scotland. It also provides examples of how action on greenspace contributes to many of Scotland s policy priorities and charts local authority progress on open space strategies. The final section examines changes and trends in people s use and attitudes to greenspace, and looks at the resourcing of Council parks and open space services. The report provides a baseline for analysing future trends and examining the impacts of greenspace policy and investment. Key findings include the total area of greenspace in urban Scotland is 1,593 square kilometres that s equivalent to 22 Loch Lomonds or one-third of the area of the Cairngorms National Park this equates to 36 hectares of greenspace per 1000 people (or 27 hectares per 1000 people if private gardens are excluded that s equivalent to a tennis court size of greenspace per person) urban Scotland is more green than grey, with greenspace covering 54% of the urban land area 28% of greenspace is classified as private gardens and grounds, with amenity greenspace making up a further 37% together these two types account for two-thirds of Scotland s greenspace public parks and sports areas (which are the accessible public spaces most often used in daily life) account for 4% and 9% of greenspace respectively play spaces, allotments and community growing spaces, cemeteries and religious grounds cover relatively small areas Greenspaces contribute to urban quality of life in many different ways and play an important role in developing a healthier, safer and stronger, wealthier and fairer, smarter and greener Scotland. Understanding the extent, type, distribution, accessibility and quality is essential to inform the strategic management of Scotland s greenspace assets. Whilst most local authorities have open space strategies in place, as austerity continues to impact on public sector spending, Council expenditure on parks and greenspace services has continued to decline. The Improvement Service Local Government Benchmarking Framework records a yearon-year reduction over the six-year period from 2010/11 to 2015/16. Public use and experience of greenspace are important in realising the full range of social, economic and health benefits which are related to good quality greenspaces. The report presents key findings from the 2017 Greenspace Use and Attitude survey which shows that the downward trend in the deteriorating quality of Scotland s parks and greenspaces has continued. Whilst the survey confirms that Scots still love their parks, with over 90% of urban Scots saying it is important to have greenspace in their local area, the quality of Scotland s parks and greenspaces has continued to decline, and this means that fewer people are using their local greenspaces regularly. Greenspace is defined as all vegetated land and water in the urban environment. The Scottish Government s two-fold urban rural classification is used to define urban as settlements with 3000 or more people. For all calculations, a 500 metre buffer was applied to the urban fringe. 1

4 1. Introduction The Third State of Scotland s Greenspace Report draws together information on greenspace for the whole of urban Scotland. It is based on data from the new Ordnance Survey Greenspace products, which were first published in July 2017, and the 2017 Greenspace Use and Attitudes Survey. The State of Scotland s Greenspace Reports have been developed in response to demand from Government, local authorities and researchers for more information about greenspace quantity, quality and use. Our scoping work with these audiences indicated that a short national headline report would be useful in benchmarking their work and raising awareness. 32 The First State of Scotland s Greenspace Report, in 2009, was based on information from 20 local authorities, covering 34% of Scotland s land area and 70% of its population. It began to give a picture of which types of greenspace were most prevalent in Scotland and the quantities of greenspace in different areas. The Second State of Scotland s Greenspace Report, in 2012, used data from the first Scotland s Greenspace Map to provide information for all of urban Scotland. The Third State of Scotland s Greenspace Report again provides information for all of urban Scotland, but due to a change in the method of producing the greenspace mapping data and changes in urban geography it is not possible to directly compare greenspace quantity information with previous years. Looking forward, as the OS Greenspace products will be maintained and updated every 6 months, this report will provide a baseline against which future comparisons can be made. The report also provides a status update on work by local authorities to audit their greenspace, assess the quality of these spaces and prepare open space strategies and other plans. While it is important that local authorities understand their greenspace resource and plan for its development and management strategically, a national picture can help to track progress and tackle large scale issues of climate change and health. Understanding our national greenspace resource is vital, as it is becoming increasingly evident that good quality greenspaces contribute strongly to boosting physical activity and mental health, attracting investment and creating places where people want to live and work. Urban greenspace can also help to mitigate the impacts of climate change, including flooding, air pollution and high temperatures, as well as supporting wildlife. Data on greenspace can provide a powerful tool for planning and delivering on local quality of life issues. The report provides some brief case study examples demonstrating how greenspace contributes to the five strategic objectives of the Scottish Government: a wealthier and fairer, safer and stronger, smarter, healthier and greener Scotland. How people experience and use local greenspaces is key to delivering wider outcomes for health, quality of life, communities and the local economy. The report provides headlines from the 2017 Greenspace Use and Attitudes Survey which indicate that the downward trends in greenspace quality and use are continuing. With the method for undertaking greenspace mapping now fixed, this State of Scotland s Greenspace Report will provide a benchmark that will enable us to see the impacts of investment and policies to support greenspace. 2

5 1. Introduction 1.1 Data used in this report The information on greenspace types and quantities is drawn from the Ordnance Survey Greenspace MasterMap Layer. 1 The data is updated every 6 months and information for this report was taken from the October 2017 release. The 2011 Scotland s Greenspace Map was the first of its kind anywhere in the world. Following publication, we embarked on a collaborative project with Ordnance Survey, Scottish Government and the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to update the Scottish Greenspace Map and extend greenspace mapping to England and Wales. OS Greenspace MasterMap Layer is now Britain s most comprehensive dataset of urban greenspaces. Greenspaces are categorised into 23 open space types based on an expansion of the typology set out in Planning Advice Note 65: Planning and Open Space (PAN65). 2 This includes public parks, play areas, allotments, amenity greenspace, private gardens. In a change to the 2011 Greenspace Map, function and form types have been separated, with primary and secondary codes being used for each. This enables more accurate capture of multi-functional greenspaces and sites with woodland, water and open seminatural areas. Table 1 provides a summary of the PAN 65 and OS greenspace typologies used in this report, Appendix 6.2 provides a description of the OS greenspace function and form types, and Appendix 6.3 compares the PAN65 and expanded 2011 typologies with the new OS Greenspace products. The OS Greenspace MasterMap Layer is available to all public sector bodies as part of the One Scotland Map Agreement (OSMA) and covers all Scottish settlements with populations greater than 500 people. For this report, a sub-set of data was used in accordance with the Scottish Government s two-fold urban rural classification which defines urban as settlements with 3000 or more people; and for all calculations, a 500 metre buffer was applied to the urban fringe. Appendix 6.1 provides further details of the data sources used and the method for producing the local authority area statistics. OS Greenspace 3 is an open product which is available to members of the public and provides site extent information for greenspace types which are most likely to be used for leisure and recreation; this covers urban and rural areas. An interactive map is being developed to enable the public to view the full greenspace dataset for urban Scotland. The data on greenspace use and attitudes is drawn from the 2017 Greenspace Use and Attitudes Survey which was published in October This survey involved 1000 people living in urban Scotland. 1 OS Greenspace MasterMap Layer The Technical Specification and Release notes can be accessed Scottish Government (2008) Planning Advice Note 65: Planning and Open Space 3 OS Greenspace 4 greenspace scotland (2017) Greenspace Use and Attitude Survey Crown copyright 3

6 1. Introduction 1.1 Data used in this report Continued Table 1: Greenspace types used in this report Information about progress on open space audits, strategies and plans is based on published documents and additional information has been obtained through direct contact with local authorities. See Appendixes 6.2 and 6.3 for more detail PAN 65 Typology Public parks and gardens Private gardens or grounds Amenity greenspace Play space for children and teenagers Sports Areas Green corridors Natural/Semi-natural greenspace Allotments & community growing spaces Burial grounds Other functional greenspace OS MasterMap Greenspace types Public park or garden Private garden School grounds Institutional grounds Amenity residential or business Amenity transport Play space Playing field Golf course Tennis court Bowling green Other sports Natural Woodland Open semi-natural Inland water Beach or foreshore Manmade surface Multi-surface Allotments or community growing spaces Religious grounds Cemetery Camping or caravan park Land use changing 4

7 1. Introduction 1.2 Policy background Greenspaces contribute to urban quality of life in many different ways and play an important role in developing a healthier, safer and stronger, wealthier and fairer, smarter and greener Scotland. The breadth of greenspace s contribution to a wide range of policies is described in greenspace scotland s publication Making the Links: greenspace for a more successful and sustainable Scotland 5 and Section 3 provides some case study examples. In March 2016, a new national indicator improve access to local greenspace was added to Scotland Performs (the National Performance Framework). 6 The measure for this indicator is the percentage of adults living within 5 minutes walking distance of their nearest local greenspace. The Scottish Government states the Greenspace National Indicator is important because: Greenspace has substantial environmental and health impacts, but also links to community aspects, such as community cohesion, social connectedness and community resilience. Being able to access high quality greenspace can improve the health, wellbeing and confidence of people and communities. Quality greenspaces will help us to: increase our physical activity levels, strengthen our mental health, combat isolation and loneliness and create a sense of purpose by providing opportunities for volunteering link houses, workplaces, services and other public spaces to create joined-up spaces and connected neighbourhoods and provide safe, pleasant corridors for active travel provide opportunities for government, business and communities to come together to create places that attract investment and business development, support the health, wellbeing and morale of the workforce, and where people of all ages can find training and work opportunities support creative, stimulating learning to develop skills and confidence sustain places, bring people and nature together, support local production and consumption as well as creating a sense of place and cultural identity. See The Scottish Government 5

8 1. Introduction 1.2 Policy background Continued Scottish Planning Policy 7 recognises the importance of greenspace and green infrastructure. It states that green infrastructure and improved access to open space can help to build stronger, healthier communities. It is an essential part of our long-term environmental performance and climate resilience. Improving the quality of our places and spaces through integrated green infrastructure networks can also encourage investment and development. Planning should protect, enhance and promote green infrastructure, including open space and green networks, as an integral component of successful placemaking. National Planning Framework (NPF3) 8 aims to significantly enhance green infrastructure networks, particularly in and around our cities and towns. It also reaffirms the Scottish Government s commitment to the Central Scotland Green Network as one of the 14 National Developments. The importance and contribution of greenspace is recognised across a wide range of policies and strategies, including: Regeneration Strategy 9 ; Good Places, Better Health 10 ; National Walking Strategy 11 ; Scotland s Biodiversity Strategy 12 ; draft Climate Change Plan. 13 The Community Empowerment Act 14 places a new requirement on local authorities to produce food growing strategies and provides mechanisms of community management and ownership of greenspaces. Section 3 illustrates some of the ways greenspace and green infrastructure contributes to the five strategic objectives of the Scottish Government and the priorities set out in A Nation with Ambition: The Government s Programme for Scotland greenspace scotland (2009) Making the links: greenspace for a more successful and sustainable Scotland 6 National indicator improve access to local greenspace 7 Scottish Government (2014) Scottish Planning Policy 8 Scottish Government (2014) National Planning Framework Scottish Government (2011) Achieving a Sustainable Future: Regeneration Strategy 10 Scottish Government (2012) Good Places, Better Health for Scotland s children Recommendations/GPBHreport 11 Scottish Government (2014) Let s Get Scotland Walking - The National Walking Strategy 12 Scottish Government (2004) Scotland s Biodiversity: It s in Your Hands - A strategy for the conservation and enhancement of biodiversity in Scotland 13 Scottish Government (2017) Draft Climate Change Plan - the draft Third Report on Policies and Proposals Community Empowerment Act 15 Scottish Government (2017) A Nation with Ambition: The Government s Programme for Scotland

9 2. Findings on Scotland s greenspace 2.1 How much greenspace is there in Scotland? The total area of greenspace in urban Scotland is 159,274 hectares; excluding private gardens, the total area is 119,299 hectares. This is equivalent to 22 Loch Lomonds or one-third of the area of the Cairngorms National Park. Figure 1 shows the area of greenspace in the 32 local authority areas. Greenspace covers 54% of the land area of urban Scotland. For the mainland local authority areas, this ranges from 42% in Aberdeenshire and East Ayrshire to 64% in North Lanarkshire. This means that urban Scotland is more green than grey, with over half of the urban land area being greenspace. There are only 6 local authority areas were greenspace cover is less than 50% of the urban land area. Figure 2 shows the extent of greenspace as a percentage of urban land cover for the local authority areas. Overall, this equates to 36 hectares of greenspace per 1000 people in urban areas. This ranges from 16 hectares in Glasgow to 88 hectares per 1000 people in Argyll & Bute. If private gardens are excluded, the total of publicly available greenspace is 27 hectares of greenspace per 1000 people that s equivalent to a tennis court size of greenspace per person. This ranges from 11 hectares in Glasgow to 71 hectares in Argyll & Bute. Figure 3 shows the publicly accessible greenspace (i.e. without the private gardens and grounds category) per 1000 people for each local authority area. Appendix 6.4 provides summary statistics for each local authority area including: total area of greenspace, greenspace as a percentage of urban area and greenspace per 1000 people. Trends and baselines Due to a change in the method of producing the greenspace mapping data and changes in urban geography it is not possible to directly compare greenspace quantity information with previous years. The overall quantity of urban greenspace recorded in 2017 is significantly greater than in previous years. Analysis of the data indicates this is largely due to more comprehensive capture of amenity space by the Ordnance Survey. This includes amenity residential spaces, as well as amenity spaces associated with business (for example, around shopping centre car parks and industrial estates) and transport (for example, roadside verges, roundabouts, land adjacent to train lines). Many of these amenity spaces will have limited value for leisure and recreation (and so may have been excluded from previous audits) but with the increasing focus on green infrastructure and green networks, these amenity spaces can play a significant role as green infrastructure and in the provision of a range of ecosystem services. Looking forward, as the OS Greenspace products will be maintained and updated every 6 months, this report provides a baseline against which future comparisons can be made. 7

10 2. Findings on Scotland s greenspace 2.1 How much greenspace is there in Scotland? Continued Figure 1: Area of urban greenspace in local authority areas Aberdeen City 2. Aberdeenshire 3. Angus 4. Argyll and Bute 5. City of Edinburgh 6. Clackmannanshire 7. Dumfries and Galloway 8. Dundee City 9. East Ayrshire 10. East Dunbartonshire 11. East Lothian 12. East Renfrewshire 13. Falkirk 14. Fife 15. Glasgow City 16. Highland 17. Inverclyde 18. Midlothian 19. Moray 20. Na h-eileanan an lar 21. North Ayrshire 22. North Lanarkshire 23. Orkney Islands 24. Perth and Kinross 25. Renfrewshire 26. Scottish Borders 27. Shetland Islands 28. South Ayrshire 29. South Lanarkshire 30. Stirling 31. West Dunbartonshire 32. West Lothian Area of greenspace in Local Authorities (ha) < >

11 2. Findings on Scotland s greenspace 2.1 How much greenspace is there in Scotland? Continued Figure 2: Greenspace as percentage of urban land area Aberdeen City 2. Aberdeenshire 3. Angus 4. Argyll and Bute 5. City of Edinburgh 6. Clackmannanshire 7. Dumfries and Galloway 8. Dundee City 9. East Ayrshire 10. East Dunbartonshire 11. East Lothian 12. East Renfrewshire 13. Falkirk 14. Fife 15. Glasgow City 16. Highland 17. Inverclyde 18. Midlothian 19. Moray 20. Na h-eileanan an lar 21. North Ayrshire 22. North Lanarkshire 23. Orkney Islands 24. Perth and Kinross 25. Renfrewshire 26. Scottish Borders 27. Shetland Islands 28. South Ayrshire 29. South Lanarkshire 30. Stirling 31. West Dunbartonshire 32. West Lothian Greenspace as a percentage of urban land area (%) < >

12 2. Findings on Scotland s greenspace 2.1 How much greenspace is there in Scotland? Continued Figure 3: Publicly accessible urban greenspace per 1000 people Aberdeen City 2. Aberdeenshire 3. Angus 4. Argyll and Bute 5. City of Edinburgh 6. Clackmannanshire 7. Dumfries and Galloway 8. Dundee City 9. East Ayrshire 10. East Dunbartonshire 11. East Lothian 12. East Renfrewshire 13. Falkirk 14. Fife 15. Glasgow City 16. Highland 17. Inverclyde 18. Midlothian 19. Moray 20. Na h-eileanan an lar 21. North Ayrshire 22. North Lanarkshire 23. Orkney Islands 24. Perth and Kinross 25. Renfrewshire 26. Scottish Borders 27. Shetland Islands 28. South Ayrshire 29. South Lanarkshire 30. Stirling 31. West Dunbartonshire 32. West Lothian Publicly accessible greenspace per 1000 people (ha) < >

13 2. Findings on Scotland s greenspace 2.2 Types of greenspace Reporting against the PAN 65 typology (and using only the OS primary function greenspace codes), Figure 4 shows that amenity greenspace (37%) and private gardens or grounds (28%) together account for two-thirds of Scotland s urban greenspace. Public parks and sports areas, which are the accessible public spaces most often used in daily life, account for 4% and 9% of greenspace, respectively. Golf courses make up the bulk of the sports area at 6%, with playing fields at 2%; and the remaining 1% being tennis courts, bowling greens and other sports areas. Play spaces, allotments, cemeteries and religious grounds tend to cover only small areas. Natural greenspace accounts for nearly one-fifth (19%) of urban greenspace; this is made up of open semi-natural (8%), woodland (5%), beach or foreshore (4%) and inland water (2%). Figure 4: Summary of different greenspace types Amenity greenspace Private gardens and grounds Natural and semi-natural greenspace Playing fields and sports areas Public parks and gardens Land undergoing change Religious grounds and cemeteries Allotments, community growing and play spaces 37% Amenity greenspace 28% Private gardens and grounds 19% Natural and semi-natural greenspace 9% Playing fields and sports areas 4% Public parks and gardens 2% Land undergoing change 1% Religious grounds and cemeteries <1% Allotments, community growing and play spaces 11

14 2. Findings on Scotland s greenspace 2.2 Types of greenspace Continued Figure 5: Proportions of different greenspace types in local authority areas The quantity of different greenspace types varies widely between local authorities, with rural and suburban areas often having different types and distributions of greenspace when compared to inner cities. The proportions of greenspace types in the 32 local authority areas are shown in Figure 5. Local Authority West Lothian West Dunbartonshire Stirling South Lanarkshire South Ayrshire Shetland Islands Scottish Borders Renfrewshire Perth & Kinross Orkney Islands North Lanarkshire North Ayrshire Na h-eileanan an lar Moray Midlothian Inverclyde Highland Glasgow City Fife Falkirk East Renfrewshire East Lothian East Dunbartonshire East Ayrshire Dundee City Dumfries & Galloway Clackmannanshire City of Edinburgh Argyll and Bute Angus Aberdeenshire Aberdeen City 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Public parks & gardens Play spaces Allotments & community growing spaces Private gardens and grounds Playing fields and sports areas Religious grounds & cemetries Amenity greenspace Natural & semi-natural greenspace Land undergoing change 12

15 2. Findings on Scotland s greenspace 2.2 Types of greenspace Continued Appendix 6.5 provides summary figures for the percentage of greenspace types for each local authority area, using the full range of OS Greenspace Function and Form types. Greenspaces are often multi-functional and one area can contain different types of greenspace, for example, a children s play area within a public park, or woodland within an amenity greenspace around housing. Primary and secondary codes, for both function and form, are used to represent these multi-functional greenspaces. Appendix 6.6 provides area summaries using both the primary and (where relevant) secondary greenspace codes. This makes a particular difference to, for example, the area of play space and playing fields - these types of greenspace are often recorded with a secondary code as being a sub-area within a larger park or amenity greenspace. Using primary and secondary codes means that some areas of greenspace are effectively counted twice and so it is important that the summary figures are used appropriately to avoid overstating the total area of greenspace. Within local authorities, the greenspace type and distribution of greenspace can vary widely. The historic settlement and development pattern of cities, towns and neighbourhoods can have a significant impact on the amount, type and distribution of greenspace. Examples of this are shown in the case studies below. Variation in greenspace type across a city Glasgow The development of Glasgow s draft Open Space Strategy drew on the greenspace mapping data and a quality audit of representative spaces to develop a picture of the open space resource across the city. This shows that, while Glasgow has a significant open space resource, the distribution, type and quality varies considerably across the city. Glasgow has a high proportion of public parks and gardens; these are significant in scale and fairly evenly distributed across the city. There are large swathes of natural and semi-natural greenspace; these are generally towards the edges of the city. There are also significant areas of amenity greenspace across the city, with higher concentrations in the south-west and north-east. Variation in greenspace type in rural and urban settlements Fife Fife Council used the greenspace data to map and create a publicly available greenspace typology in 112 settlements, with some surprising findings. Glenrothes (a post-war new town) has more than three times the Fife average of publicly usable greenspace, whereas many of the villages in rural East Fife had much lower amounts of greenspace, in some cases as little as onesixth of the Fife average. 13

16 2. Findings on Scotland s greenspace 2.3 Greenspace quality While many people are concerned with the quantity of public greenspace and the perception that this may be reducing, the quality of greenspace is often the most critical factor in determining whether greenspace meets local needs and delivers a full range of benefits to local communities. Open space audits, including assessments of greenspace quality and accessibility, are undertaken by local authorities, as part of the process of preparing open space strategies. Appendix 6.7 provides a summary of local authority progress on open space strategies. There is no single standard method for quality assessment and a range of methodologies have been employed by local authorities. greenspace scotland and Glasgow & Clyde Valley Green Network Partnership produced Greenspace quality a guide to assessment, planning and strategic development. 16 to provide practical guidance on the assessment of greenspace quality and ways in which quality standards can be developed and delivered. Over a third of Councils have used this approach, three authorities have used criteria from the Green Flag Award Scheme 17 and several authorities developed their own bespoke or semi-bespoke assessment approaches. The range of approaches used to assess quality makes it difficult to provide a consistent national picture of greenspace quality. There may be opportunities to explore the potential to develop and agree a common Scotland-wide approach to assessing and benchmarking quality. Bespoke Council-wide quality audit - Edinburgh The City of Edinburgh Council was one of two Scottish local authorities which initially piloted the Green Flag Award, and its associated quality standards, in Scotland. These standards had been used to assess the quality of all Council owned parks and gardens across the City before work commenced on the qualitative aspects of the open space audit. The team leading on the audit developed a methodology for other spaces which combined elements of the Quality Guide and Green Flag Award to ensure a compatible set of audit results across all of the City s open space. Glasgow s quality matrix Glasgow City Council is currently developing a more nuanced approach to quality requirements for new spaces required as part of approved developments in the City. In 2017, the Council consulted on draft Supplementary Guidance as part of the development of the Glasgow Local Development Plan including SG6: Green Belt & Green Network. 18 SG6 includes a quality matrix outlining what would constitute quality greenspace for a variety of purposes and uses. The matrix covers elements like site size, shape and aspect as well as setting a priority on multifunctionality. Consideration is already being given to adapting this matrix for assessing existing spaces both in Glasgow and elsewhere. 16 greenspace scotland (2008) Greenspace quality a guide to assessment, planning and strategic development 17 Green Flag Award 18 SG6: Green Belt & Green Network aspx?articleid=20791 XX 14

17 2. Findings on Scotland s greenspace 2.4 Access to greenspace Accessibility assessments have been undertaken by several local authorities. This has enabled them to identify deficiencies (as well as over-provision) in accessible greenspace. Accessibility analyses can be carried out, using either Euclidean (straight line) distances or, preferably, using network analysis (which involves modeling real world networks (such as roads and paths) and greenspace entry points. Network analysis gives a more accurate analysis of a greenspace s catchment area enabling local planners to determine whether some neighbourhoods are underprovided in terms of access to greenspace. Accessibility maps can be complemented by statistics on the percentage of households with access to good quality greenspace within an acceptable travel distance. The Scotland Performs national indicator on improving access to greenspace is based on people living within a 5 minute walk of greenspace. This is currently measured using data from the Scottish Household Survey. Work is ongoing to explore the potential to develop a more robust assessment method using the new OS Greenspace products. 15

18 2. Findings on Scotland s greenspace 2.5 Use of greenspace datasets The availability of accurate, consistent and up-to-date greenspace data offers immense potential for supporting decision making and research. The greenspace data can be combined with information such as statistics on deprivation, health and economic status, to support more informed decision making on greenspace provision and investment. A range of applications of the greenspace data are illustrated in the following case studies. Open Space Strategies Data on greenspace quantity and distribution lies at the heart of all Open Space Strategies and associated Supplementary Guidance. Appendix 6.7 shows the status of such strategies and guidance across all Scottish local authorities. All Councils have some recognised form of spatial plan relating to greenspace and open space. Many are based on data from the 2011 Scotland s Greenspace Map and they will use the OS Greenspace products in future iterations. Local Context statements Drawing on good practice from local authorities such as Stirling and Fife which have included Open Space Statements for each of their settlements to aid local interpretation of strategic commitments, Glasgow City Council has developed a series of Local Context statements which highlight open space quantity, quality and accessibility issues in sections of the City. The statements also highlight any mismatches between supply and demand of certain greenspace types and identify opportunities to enhance the local open space provision. These statements will be published for consultation in spring 2018 and it is hoped they will be a valuable resource for communities, as well as planners and developers. greenspace scotland is working with Glasgow City Council to explore ways of making the statements as user friendly as possible especially for community organisations as part of the Connecting Nature Horizon 2020 research project. Local Food Growing Strategies The Community Empowerment Act places a new requirement on local authorities to produce Local Food Growing Strategies. greenspace scotland is working with several Councils to support them to develop their Local Food Growing Strategies. These are using the greenspace quantity data matched with other datasets (such as Vacant and Derelict Land) to identify potential locations for new community growing sites including allotments. Overlaying these datasets with information on community demand for growing opportunities is allowing a strategic overview of opportunities and the identification of the early wins which can quickly deliver new growing sites. 16

19 2. Findings on Scotland s greenspace 2.5 Use of greenspace datasets Continued Identifying strategic Green Network opportunities in Glasgow and Clyde Valley The Glasgow & Clyde Valley Green Network Partnership (GCVGNP) used the Scotland s Greenspace Map data as the starting point for identifying Green Network Spatial Priorities in the Development Plan Main Issues Report for the region. They developed a GIS based analysis to spatially identify strategic Green Network opportunities. The analysis considered four data layers: existing greenspace provision and path network (from Scotland s Greenspace Map and Core Path Plans) strategic biodiversity opportunities (derived from Integrated Habitat Network modeling) access to greenspace model (network analysis using Scotland s Greenspace Map and pedestrian routing network) major land use change and social need (Flagship Development Areas, Community Growth Areas and Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation) By overlaying these layers, the analysis identified locations with strong correlation between the data layers. This highlighted opportunities to deliver multiple benefits through targeting resources, leading to the identification of 14 regional strategic Green Network opportunities in the proposed Strategic Development Plan. Greenspace and health research A wide range of research studies have demonstrated that exposure to greenspace has an independent influence on health and health-related behaviours. Previously researchers had to rely on quite coarse measures of greenspace, such as the percentage of greenspace in an area. It is now possible to explore types of greenspace at a very fine level, such as parks, woodlands, private gardens, and determine which types are the most important for health and gain more knowledge on the ways in which greenspaces influence health. Researching the role of natural space in children s development in Scotland There is growing evidence that living near to greenspace can be good for mental and physical health, for adults and children. A CRESH study 19 (published in Environmental Research 158) sought to work out if having access to greenspaces can set young children on a healthier developmental trajectory. Using data for 2909 urban-dwelling children who had participated in the Growing Up in Scotland survey, the survey measured children s mental development at ages 4, 5 and 6 using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. The amount of total natural space (public and private) and public parks within 500m of the child s home was calculated using Scotland s Greenspace Map. The survey also indicated whether the child had access (sole or shared) to a private garden. Children with access to a garden had significantly lower levels of hyperactivity, emotional problems, conduct problems, and total difficulties than those without. Children with access to more natural space also had significantly better prosocial behaviour. But CRESH found little evidence that access to these spaces influenced children s developmental trajectories between 4 and 6 years, suggesting that any beneficial influences may have occurred at younger ages. Looking at subsets of the children indicated that parks were important for boys mental health, and garden access was important for the development of children from low-education households. The researchers concluded that neighbourhood greenspace may reduce social, emotional and behavioural difficulties for 4 to 6 year olds, although private garden access may be most beneficial. Urban planning policies that ensure children have nearby access to nature could help improve children s development. 19 The role of public and private natural space in children s social, emotional and behavioural development in Scotland: A longitudinal study sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s ?via%3dihub 17

20 3. Scotland s greenspace delivering for Scotland Greenspaces make a big difference to our quality of life and quality of place. An extensive body of evidence demonstrates the benefits they provide in terms of health and wellbeing, safer and stronger communities, active travel and play, economic development and inward investment, as well as a host of environmental services like climate change adaptation, air quality and natural flood management. Figure 6: Greenspace contributing to the strategic objectives of the Scottish Government restorative power of greenspace PLACES WHERE PEOPLE WANT TO LIVE & WORK GREENER NEIGHBOUR- HOODS HAVE LESS CRIME BUILDING CONFIDENCE & SKILLS GETTING TO KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOURS GROWING MORE COHESIVE & VIBRANT COMMUNITIES WEALTHIER AND FAIRER COMMUNITIES space to unwind & relax SAFER AND STRONGER COMMUNITIES MENTAL HEALTH & WELL BEING places to meet people PLACES FOR SPORT & PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES NATURAL PLAY SPACE FOR CHILDREN HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES GREEN CORRIDORS FOR ACTIVE TRAVEL HEALTHY EATING What Can greenspace Do? community growing places GROWING LOCAL FOOD GREENER COMMUNITIES sustainable travel SMARTER COMMUNITIES GREEN NETWORKS SUPPORTING BIODIVERSITY GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE people and nature ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION LIFELONG LEARNING SUDS & flood management improving air quality adapting to climate change ATTRACTS INWARD INVESTMENT GREEN WORKPLACES FOR HEALTHIER EMPLOYEES ENVIRONMENTAL VOLUNTEERING COMMUNITY SKILLS & CONFIDENCE TRAINING SCHEMES 18

21 3. Scotland s greenspace delivering for Scotland 3.1 A wealthier and fairer Scotland Quality, usable greenspace and green infrastructure is embedded in Scottish Government policy and in the tools and approaches which have been developed in recent years. The Place Standard 20 developed by Scottish Government and NHS Health Scotland includes Natural Space as one of the 14 place elements in its framework. There are also greenspace components to other elements within the assessment Streets and Spaces ; Social Interaction ; Play and Recreation and Moving Around. The Town Centre Toolkit 21 developed by Scottish Government and Scotland s Towns Partnership highlights the importance of greenspaces and other green infrastructure in successful town centres. The toolkit includes sections on Improving Greenspace; Introducing Green Streets and Creating New Greenspaces, and case studies based on the work of greenspace scotland and its partners. Greenspace delivers a good return on investment in Edinburgh The social, economic and environmental value of greenspace is increasingly being recognised and quantified. The City of Edinburgh Council prepared a Social Return on Investment (SROI) assessment of the city s parks. 22 This analysis demonstrated that the parks deliver multiple benefits and make a significant contribution to making people in Edinburgh feel healthier, wealthier, smarter, safer and greener. The study found that every 1 invested in Edinburgh s parks, generates a return of at least 12 in social, environmental and economic benefits. The Council s investment of 9.6million in parks and greenspace produces benefits worth 114million. 20 The Place Standard 21 The Town Centre Toolkit 22 City of Edinburgh Council, Social Return on Investment info/20064/parks_and_green_spaces/1300/the_value_of_city_of_edinburgh_councils_parks 23 London Natural Capital Account environment/parks-green-spaces-and-biodiversity/green-infrastructure/naturalcapital?source=vanityurl 24 Stirling City Deal MasterPlan 25 Access to Nature Reduces Health Inequalities: An IEEP Briefing publications/access-to-nature-reduces-health-inequalities-an-ieep-briefing Natural Capital Accounts for parks and greenspaces in London In 2017, the London Mayor s Office published the first London Natural Capital Account. 23 In an urban context, Natural Capital assets are our parks, rivers, trees, and features such as green roofs that collectively form an essential green infrastructure. This analysis (which covers a wider range of benefits than was possible for the Edinburgh study) shows that London s public greenspaces have a gross asset value of more than 91 billion, providing services valued at 5 billion per year. The study estimates that for each 1 spent by local authorities and their partners on public greenspace, Londoners enjoy at least 27 in value. The account also indicates that there is a fairness and equality agenda that must be addressed in future funding and investment since the economic benefits are not spread equally across or within London boroughs. Towards a Greener City Deal in Stirling The Stirling City Region Deal is aiming to deliver Scotland s first example of One Planet Prosperity a successful, prosperous city region which lives within the capacity of the planet rather than using up natural capital faster than it can replenish. 24 Quality greenspace is a major feature of the City Deal masterplan with the creation of a new iconic City Park, new green cycling and walking links along the river, and new public and greenspaces throughout the urban areas. This will be supported by work to make existing greenspaces more multifunctional. Greenspace reducing inequalities A growing body of research evidence shows the potential for greenspace access to tackle health inequalities. A 2017 briefing from the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) demonstrates that closer proximity to natural areas drastically reduces health inequalities related to income, in turn offsetting the effects of deprivation. 25 The briefing paper looks at examples from across Europe and quotes Ward Thompson et al s study from 2013 which showed that in deprived Scottish towns with significant greenspace, the death rate of Scottish middle-aged men was found to be 16% lower than those lacking access to nature. 19

22 3. Scotland s greenspace delivering for Scotland 3.2 A smarter Scotland Learning outdoors actively engages young people and connects their broader learning with the world around them. Greenspace offers an ideal setting for outdoor learning greenspaces within and near to school grounds provide pupils and teachers with ready access to the outdoors. There is good evidence to show that learning in an outdoor environment delivers social and personal development benefits as well as enhancing student performance. 26 A recent study carried out in Barcelona showed the benefits of simply having nearby greenspace. 27 The study found that each degree of increase in surrounding greenness led to a 5% improvement in the development of short-term, or working memory over a period of one year. It also improved the progress of superior working memory the ability to update memories with changing information by 6%, and reduced inattentiveness. Greenspace our children s outdoor classroom The Learning in Local Greenspace project (led by Scottish Natural Heritage) aims to help 100 schools serving some of the most disadvantaged areas of Scotland to get their pupils learning outdoors on a regular and frequent basis. This will be achieved by improving the access to and quality of a local greenspace and building confidence in teachers to take learning outdoors. The project is supported by Education Scotland and the Scottish Government. A resource pack called Beyond your Boundary provides easy steps to learning in local greenspace. 28 Outdoor & Woodland Learning Scotland (OWL Scotland) 29 is an initiative dedicated to increasing the use of Scotland s outdoor environments for learning. OWL Scotland is supported by Forestry Commission Scotland and evolved out of the Forest Education Initiative (FEI) which has run successfully for over 20 years. Nationally OWL Scotland supports outdoor and woodland learning for local OWL groups through provision of resources, training and networking opportunities. Grounds for Learning 30 is the Scottish programme of the UK charity Learning through Landscapes. The programme aims to enrich the lives of Scotland s children by helping them to connect with nature, become more active, learn outdoors, develop social skills and have fun. The programme helps schools and early years settings to transform their outdoor spaces, bringing learning to life in their outdoor spaces - from uninspiring stretches of asphalt and grass to active, friendly, natural spaces that enrich learning and play and to transform learning. 26 See for example e.g Green spaces and cognitive development in primary schoolchildren 28 Beyond your Boundary 29 Outdoor & Woodland Learning Scotland 30 Grounds for Learning 20

23 3. Scotland s greenspace delivering for Scotland 3.3 A healthier Scotland The evidence base for greenspace contributing to positive health outcomes continues to grow. A 2016 report by the World Health Organization summarises evidence on the beneficial effects of urban greenspaces, including improved mental health, reduced cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, obesity and risk of type 2 diabetes, as well as improved pregnancy outcomes. 31 The report suggests that there is a need for small, local greenspaces very close to where people live and spend their day, as well as large greenspaces, offering formal provisions such as playing fields, and opportunities to experience contact with nature and relative solitude. An increasing number of health projects are including greenspace as an intervention Greenspace our natural health service The Our Natural Health Service initiative, led by Scottish Natural Heritage, aims to show how greater use of the outdoors can help to tackle physical inactivity, mental health issues and health inequalities. 32 A range of partners across environment, transport, sport, education and health are involved. The initiative s main objectives are to: increase public awareness of the use and benefits of green exercise as part of daily life include the use of nature-based health promotion initiatives and structured interventions in routine health and social care practice An action programme seeks to address the barriers and demonstrate good practice in making more use of green exercise within health and social care delivery. At its core are three strategic partnership interventions: NHS Greenspace for Health Partnerships will test partnership models that contribute to the management of the NHS outdoors estate and its use by patients, staff, visitors and local communities Local Green Health Partnerships will develop area-wide, coordinated, cross-sectoral action to increase the use of green exercise in prevention, treatment and care Green Infrastructure for Wellbeing Partnerships will maximise the health benefits from planned investment in new green infrastructure Health centres without roofs Glasgow has over 40 community health walks a week across the city, as well as closed walks led by Glasgow Life staff for service users. The majority of the walking routes take in a local park or greenspace. In 2015, there were 1691 led health walks with 19,315 attendances. Participants reported that the walks make them feel fitter, healthier and happier. They really enjoy the park walks where they can get away from busy roads and into a pleasant green environment in the company and safety of others. 21

24 3. Scotland s greenspace delivering for Scotland 3.3 A healthier Scotland Continued A hospital or a park? The building of the Forth Valley Royal Hospital and associated redevelopment of the old Royal Scottish National Hospital estate at Larbert involved the sensitive restoration of an iconic landscape, including loch, policy woodland and parkland, to create a superb setting for a major new hospital and effectively a new park for the area. The result, which was shortlisted for a Scottish Award for Quality in Planning, is a new resource for recreation, education and rehabilitation. The project was jointly devised by NHS Forth Valley, Falkirk Council, Central Scotland Forest Trust and Forestry Commission Scotland, and is an exemplar of successful joint working between health and environmental bodies. The ongoing positive use of the wider estate has provided opportunities for healing, recovery and wellbeing in a more holistic way; woodland management, path improvements and new signage have helped create a welcoming space that encourages people to use and explore their greenspace. The importance given to creating good quality greenspace was also a factor in the choice of locating a new Maggie s Centre on the shore of the restored loch. Its location clearly demonstrates Maggie s philosophy of providing support for cancer patients and their families in high quality surroundings, with access to the natural environment as a vital part of healthcare. Greener neighbourhoods, better health Research by the Centre for Research on Environment, Society and Health (CRESH) has shown that: people who live in neighbourhoods which have a lot of greenspace are more likely to have better health and to have lower risk of dying from heart or lung disease 33 the health gap between richer and poorer people may be smaller in neighbourhoods that have a lot of greenspace green/recreational services were the only neighbourhood service that had a link with reducing inequalities in mental wellbeing 34 CRESH s current and future work on greenspaces asks whether the apparent health benefits of greenspace are the same for everyone regardless of age, sex and background, if they are the same across different countries, how these effects come about and whether creating or promoting access to greenspaces can be used as a tool to improve public health and reduce health inequalities. 31 WHO Europe (2016) Urban greenspaces and health: a review of evidence data/assets/pdf_file/0005/321971/urban-green-spacesand-health-review-evidence.pdf?ua=1 32 SNH Our Natural Health Service contributing-healthier-scotland/our-natural-health-service 33 CRESH

25 3. Scotland s greenspace delivering for Scotland 3.4 A safer and stronger Scotland Greenspace projects offer an opportunity for communities to become more involved in local decision making and management an important element of community empowerment Bags of Help supporting community projects Since the first funding round opened in October 2015, the Tesco Bags of Help programme 35, which is delivered in partnership with greenspace scotland and Groundwork UK has supported over 1200 community projects in Scotland and has provided over 5 million in funding. Around 90% of these are greenspace or environmental projects. Projects include community gardens and orchards, outdoor kitchens, greening school grounds, play spaces, environmental education, sports activities, and community events. Young placechangers in Dunfermline The park was the starting point for this Scottish Government supported pilot project where greenspace scotland worked with Youth Scotland, Youth First and the Fife Youth Advisory Group on a placemaking project to improve the town centre in Dunfermline. 36 The project trained and empowered young people to develop their role in leading place change. It used innovative approaches to engage people in planning and delivering town centre improvements. The young people used placemaking tools alongside the Place Standard and the Town Centre Toolkit, leading to work with the local community to identify opportunities for urban greening and increasing the connections between local greenspaces and the town centre, making it a more attractive and enjoyable place. Growing together in Edible Twechar Residents in Twechar came together to find out what spaces in and around the village could be used for community growing. 37 They used the Our Growing Community toolkit and local knowledge to decide what type of growing could happen in the spaces. They created an action plan to make it happen, worked with a graphic artist to produce the Edible Twechar map, and have already established two new community growing spaces. Resilient communities are weathering change Greenspace projects provide opportunities for communities to work with public authorities and agencies. The Weathering Change project 38 a partnership between greenspace scotland, Sniffer, Glasgow Centre for Population Health and Glasgow City Council looked at the ways in which communities and institutional players can work together more effectively in a series of greenspace projects linked to climate change resilience. This showed that projects which build on local place priorities; involve joint working between community groups and organisational approaches, and draw on local knowledge and community capacity are more likely to deliver better outcomes and increase the resilience of communities in the face of climate change challenges. 35 Tesco Bags of Help 36 Young Placechangers town_centre and 37 Edible Twechar 38 Weathering change 23

26 3. Scotland s greenspace delivering for Scotland 3.5 A greener Scotland Scotland is home to the largest greenspace initiative in Europe. The Central Scotland Green Network (CSGN) 39, a national development within the National Planning Framework, is changing the face of Central Scotland by restoring and transforming the landscape of an area stretching from Ayrshire and Inverclyde in the west, to Fife and the Lothians in the east. The CSGN has the core aim that By 2050, Central Scotland has been transformed into a place where the environment adds value to the economy and where people s lives are enriched by its quality. To achieve this, the initiative involves public agencies and stakeholders working together to align their policies, programmes and actions, supporting a wide range of greenspace and green infrastructure projects. Edinburgh s Living landscapes The Edinburgh Living Landscape partnership 40 is working to create, restore and connect green areas of the city to make attractive and biodiverse landscapes, that can be enjoyed by residents and visitors. For parks and greenspaces, the Living Landscape approach involves changing the way some outdoor spaces are managed. This involves a range of measures such as creation of floral meadows, reducing how often some areas of grass are cut and allowing natural grassland to thrive, mowing pathways through areas of longer grass so they can still be explored and enjoyed, tree planting and creating woodlands, increasing the use of herbaceous perennial planting, and bulb planting. Allowing grassland habitats to develop in a more natural manner in urban settings by reducing grass cutting or sowing flowering plants offers many benefits: biodiversity will be increased as birds, mammals and insects are attracted to wilder or more natural areas; costs of intensively maintained areas of grassland can be reduced; planting flowering species will add colour to the cityscape throughout the seasons; and less regular cutting reduces CO 2 release and helps lock-up carbon in soils. This means the city s landscapes and greenspaces will be healthy, nature rich and resilient to climate change. Aberdeen s climate resilient parks greenspace scotland has worked with the City Council and community groups in Aberdeen to develop the concept of climate change greenspaces. 41 This initially involved work to develop a new management plan for Hazlehead Park (one of the city s flagship parks). The plan s aim was to climate proof the park and ensure that the park s design and management contributes to climate change mitigation and adaptation. This involved surface water management to reduce local flood risks; changes to management to reduce CO 2 emissions; new approaches to building management; active travel links and improvements in the connectivity of the local green network to support biodiversity. Learning from Hazlehead has been used inform management approaches in greenspaces across the city both by the Council and community organisations. 24

27 3. Scotland s greenspace delivering for Scotland 3.5 A greener Scotland Continued Glasgow s greener streets In Glasgow, there has been a wide range of work on retrofitting greenspace into the existing urban fabric. The Five Streets project 42 which greenspace scotland carried out with Glasgow City Council, looked at the placemaking opportunities offered by green infrastructure such as rain gardens and green walls and roofs. This was followed by a Glasgow City Centre urban greening study with the Glasgow and Clyde Valley Green Network partnership which explored the potential to reduce predicted temperature rises in the city centre. The learning from these and other studies is being taken forward by the City Centre Enabling Infrastructure Integrated Public Realm Programme 43 (part of the Glasgow City Deal) which is introducing greenspace and green infrastructure into seven key thoroughfares beginning with Sauchiehall Street. Natural flood management in Cumbernauld Greenspaces and green infrastructure can also reduce the risk and severity of flooding and other climate events. This includes building green infrastructure into new developments but also the retrofitting of climate interventions into existing greenspaces. Through the Cumbernauld Living Landscapes project 44 the Scottish Wildlife Trust has worked with Scottish Water to incorporate several key sustainable drainage wetlands into the Trust s woodland reserves around the town. They have also succeeded in incorporating greater biodiversity benefits into sustainable drainage ponds elsewhere in Cumbernauld. 39 Central Scotland Green Network 40 Edinburgh Living Landscapes and_green_spaces/1160/edinburgh_living_landscape 41 Climate change greenspaces 42 Glasgow 5 Streets project 43 Glasgow City Centre Enabling Infrastructure Integrated Public Realm Programme 44 Cumbernauld Living Landscape our-projects/living-landscapes/cumbernauld-living-landscape/ 25

28 4. Trends in public perception and use of greenspace While quantitative data greenspace is a valuable resource, the full benefits of greenspace can be shown by how it is experienced, used and valued by people Since 2004, greenspace scotland has commissioned five surveys of public opinion on urban greenspace. 45 The surveys have examined use of greenspace, public attitudes about greenspace and perceptions of local spaces. The 2017 Greenspace Use and Attitude Survey confirms that Scots still love their parks, with over 90% of urban Scots saying it is important to have greenspace in their local area. However, the respondents opinions reveal a view that the quality of Scotland s parks and greenspaces has continued to deteriorate. The survey also showed that fewer people are using their local greenspaces regularly. Further key findings from the surveys are described in the following sections. 45 Each survey contacted over 1000 adults living in urban Scottish settlements (defined as settlements with a population of 3000 or over) as part of a telephone omnibus survey or online panel. The full survey results can be found at 26

29 4. Trends in public perception and use of greenspace 4.1 Use of greenspaces Urban greenspaces continue to be popular outdoor destinations, with nearly half (43%) of urban residents visiting their local greenspace once a week or more often. This is, however, a decrease since 2011 (54%) and continues the downward trend in decreasing frequency of weekly People who think that their local greenspace meets their needs and/or are very satisfied with the quality of their local greenspace are significantly more likely to visit at least once a week greenspace use which peaked in 2009 when nearly twothirds (63%) of urban Scots reported that they used their local greenspace once a week or more often (see Figure 7). People are still using their local greenspaces but less often; with increases in the proportion of respondents visiting 3-4 and 1-2 times a month. Between 2004 and 2011, the proportions of respondents living in the 15% most deprived areas who reported that they used their greenspace weekly remained lower than the overall urban sample; in 2017, the percentages were the same (43%). However, the gap has been closed as a result of a reduction in weekly use among the overall population, rather than by increasing use amongst people living in the 15% most deprived areas. 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% Figure 7: Frequency of using local greenspace (Data from those answering once a week or more often ) Urban Scotland 15% most deprived areas 27

30 4. Trends in public perception and use of greenspace 4.2 Greenspace quality Regular greenspace users seem to be more aware of falling standards in the quality of Scotland s parks and greenspaces Most respondents (74%) said they were satisfied to some extent with the quality of their local greenspace, a decrease of 6 percentage points from 2011 (80%). The percentage indicating that they were very satisfied has fallen sharply since 2011 (from 40% in 2011 to 23% in 2017 for the overall sample). The survey found that 40% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the quality of my local greenspace has reduced in the past 5 years (up from 33% in 2011). This figure rises to 50% for respondents from the 15% most deprived areas (up from 35% in 2011). Regular greenspace users seem to be more aware of falling standards in the quality of Scotland s parks and greenspaces. Respondents who visit their greenspace once a week or more often, were more likely to strongly agree that the quality of their local greenspace had reduced, compared to people who visited every 2-3 months (21% and 9%). 28

31 4. Trends in public perception and use of greenspace 4.3 Proximity to greenspace People who live within a 5 minute walk of their local greenspace are significantly more likely (61%) to visit once a week or more often, compared to those living further away (40% for those who live 5 to 10 minutes walk away and 18% for people living 11 to 20 minutes away). Almost half (44%) of urban Scots reported that they live within a 5 minute walk of their nearest greenspace, with a further third (30%) living 5 to 10 minutes walk away. These findings are particularly important in relation to the Scottish Government s national indicator to improve access to local greenspace. The indicator measure is the percentage of adults within 5 minutes walking distance of their nearest greenspace. The source for this indicator is the Scottish Household Survey which covers all of Scotland (urban and rural) and shows that currently 67% of adults in Scotland live within a 5 minute walk of greenspace. How far people live from their greenspace 44% Less than a 5 minute walk 30% Within 5 10 minute walk 26% More than a 10 minute walk 29

32 4. Trends in public perception and use of greenspace 4.4 Perceptions of greenspace Greenspace matters to people: 92% of respondents agree to some extent that it is important to have greenspace in their local area. Since 2004, the surveys have revealed a consistent belief that greenspaces should be good places for play, physical activity, relaxation and seeing nature. People also believe that greenspaces should be attractive, make an area a great place to live and are good places to meet others from the local community. In 2017: over 70% of respondents agreed strongly that greenspaces should be good places for play, physical activity and relaxation 66% agreed strongly that greenspace should provide opportunities to see nature 53% thought they should be good places to meet others from the local community Physical activity 72% However, across all statements there has been a general downward trend in expectations from 2009 and 2011, to Nature 66% Meeting others 53% 30

33 4. Trends in public perception and use of greenspace 4.5 Expectations gap Figure 8 shows the gap between expectations and reality this difference was statistically significant for all of the statements 77% Greenspaces should be places where you can relax and unwind 43% My local greenspace is somewhere I can relax and unwind Despite these positive expectations about greenspaces in general, most people report that their local greenspaces perform less well. Expectations and perceptions were generally higher among people who visit their greenspace once a week or more often, who live less than 5 minutes walk away and/or are very satisfied with the quality of their local greenspace. People with a disability or illness were significantly less likely to strongly agree that their local greenspaces are places to relax and unwind, safe spaces to encourage physical activity, attractive places, good places for children to play, and make their area a great place to live. 66% Greenspaces should opportunities to see nature 33% My local greenspace allows me to explore nature on my doorstep 72% Greenspaces should be places to encourage physical activity 45% My local greenspace is a safe play for physical activity 72% Greenspaces should be attractive places 42% My local greenspace is an attractive place 70% Greenspaces should be good places for children to play 43% My local greenspace is a good place for children to play 53% Greenspaces should be good places for people to meet others from the local community 27% My local greenspace is a good place for people to meet others from the local community 71% Good quality greenspaces make an area a great place to live 36% My local greenspace makes the area a great place to live 31

34 4. Trends in public perception and use of greenspace 4.6 Getting involved with greenspace 50% of people want to have more of a say in how their greenspace is managed and 43% want to get involved with activities to improve their local greenspace Half (50%) of all respondents agreed to some extent that they would like to have more of a say in how their greenspace is managed. For respondents from the 15% most deprived areas, this figure rises to nearly two-thirds (60%). Compared to the 2011 results, there has been an increase across the board in people wanting to have more of a say in how their greenspace is managed, this is seen most strongly in the responses from people living in the 15% most deprived areas, younger age groups and those who visit their local greenspace once a week or more often. Interest in getting involved with greenspace extends beyond just having a say with nearly half (43%) agreeing or strongly agreeing that they would like to get involved with activities to help improve my local greenspace (and 49% of people living in the 15% most deprived areas). Over a quarter (27%) of respondents living in the 15% most deprived areas agreed strongly with this statement (compared to 16% in other areas and 17% in overall sample). Again, regular greenspace users are more likely to agree strongly that they would like to get involved in activities to help improve their local greenspace. These findings have important implications for volunteering, the development of Friends groups, as well as opportunities for community management and ownership under the provisions of the Community Empowerment Act. 32

35 4. Trends in public perception and use of greenspace 4.7 Other surveys Further evidence on greenspace use and attitudes can be drawn from the following national surveys Scottish Household Survey 46 The Scottish Household Survey (SHS) includes questions about greenspace use, access and satisfaction. It covers all of Scotland (urban and rural areas) whereas the Greenspace Use and Attitude Survey covers adults living in urban Scotland only. Key findings from the Scottish Household Survey 2016 Annual Report include: People who live within 5 minutes of their nearest greenspace use it more frequently than those who live further away Nearly two-thirds (65%) of adults reported they live within a 5 minute walk of their nearest greenspace Over a third of adults visit their nearest greenspace several times a week But nearly a quarter (23%) reported that they hadn t visited their local greenspace in the last 12 months The survey also allows us to look at the link between reported health levels and frequency of using greenspace. More people who describe their health as good or very good report using their greenspace several times a week (39%), compared with those who describe their health as bad or very bad, where only 20% report using their greenspace several times a week. Furthermore, a higher proportion of people who describe their health as bad or very bad report not visiting greenspace at all in the last 12 months (50%) than those people describing their health as good or very good (19%). Three-quarters (75%) of adults described themselves as satisfied with their nearest greenspace. People who describe their neighbourhood as a fairly good or very good place to live are more satisfied with their local greenspace than those who rate their neighbourhood as a fairly poor or very poor place to live. This may be because higher levels of satisfaction with local greenspace contribute to a more favourable impression of the neighbourhood in general, or vice versa. 46 Scotland s People Annual Report: Results from the 2016 Scottish Household Survey 33

36 4. Trends in public perception and use of greenspace 4.7 Other surveys Continued The survey found significant differences in the results for people living in the most deprived areas Adults living in the most deprived areas are: more likely to live further away from their nearest greenspace less likely to be satisfied with their nearest greenspace less likely to use their nearest greenspace A greater proportion of adults in deprived areas live at least an 11 minute walk away from their nearest greenspace compared to adults in the least deprived areas (17% compared to 11%). Adults in the most deprived areas are more likely than adults in least deprived areas not to have used their nearest greenspace in the past 12 months (31% compared to 17%); they are also less likely to use their nearest greenspace several times a week. The report notes that greater distances from greenspace and lower levels of satisfaction with the nearest greenspace in the most deprived areas may lead to fewer people using their greenspace regularly, as people are more likely to use greenspace if it is close by and of good quality Local Government Benchmarking Framework 47 The Improvement Service s Scottish Local Government Benchmarking Framework (LGBF) reports on two measures for parks and open spaces: net expenditure per 1000 people and satisfaction with Council parks services. Over the six-year period from 2010/11 to 2015/16, net expenditure per 1000 people has reduced in real terms by 20.1%, from 27,814 to 21,794. There has been a year-onyear reduction across the period, with the rate of reduction accelerating in the last 12 months. In 2015/16, the range in costs across Councils was ,942 per 1000 people. However, when excluding Islands Councils which have significantly lower costs, the range was 5,515-40,942. The range across Councils has narrowed since the base year due to a reduction in costs at the higher end. Despite the reductions, there has been little change in the Scottish average for satisfaction with Council parks services and levels generally remaining high (85% in 2015/16). 48 The LGBF reports that satisfaction levels for all culture and leisure services vary considerably across Scotland, for parks the range is 74% 93%. The difference between satisfaction levels recorded in the LGBF and the 2017 Greenspace Use and Attitude Survey may be because the latter asks respondents to focus specifically on their local greenspace, whereas LGBF looks at the Council service more generally. 47 Local Government Benchmarking Framework - National Benchmarking Overview Report 2015/16 documents/2017_overview_report.pdf 48 It should be noted that three year rolled averages are used to ensure the required level of precision at local levels XX 34

37 4. Trends in public perception and use of greenspace 4.7 Other surveys Continued Figure 9: Council Parks Services costs and satisfaction COSTS / SATISFACTION 30K 90% EXPENDITURE ON PARKS PER 1000 PEOPLE 25K 20K 15K PARKS Satisfaction PARKS Expenditure 85% 80% 75% % SATISFACTION WITH COUNCIL PARKS SERVICE 10K 70% 2010/ / / / / /16 35

38 4. Trends in public perception and use of greenspace 4.7 Other surveys Continued Figure 10: Council expenditure on parks and greenspace services (Improvement Service Local Government Benchmarking Framework) compared to quality ratings and use frequency (2017 Greenspace Survey) % satisfied with quality of local greenspace (strongly agree) % using local greenspace once a week or more often 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% (a) 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% Council expenditure on parks/greenspace services [LGBF] and how satisfied are you with the quality of your local greenspace data for respondents answering agree strongly 2017 Greenspace Survey Urban Scotland 15% most deprived areas ,000 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 0 Council Expenditure 30,000 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 0 average Council parks service expenditure per 1000 people average Council parks service expenditure per 1000 people (b) Council expenditure on parks/greenspace services [LGBF] and frequency of visiting local greenspace (data for respondents answering once a week or more often [2017 Greenspace Survey Urban Scotland 15% most deprived areas Council Expenditure 36

39 4. Trends in public perception and use of greenspace 4.7 Other surveys Continued State of UK Public Parks 49 The State of the UK s Public Parks report, commissioned by the Heritage Lottery Fund, provides a picture of the state of parks across the whole of the UK. The 2016 report is informed by three UK-wide surveys: a survey of local authority park managers (over 70% of Scottish Councils responded), a survey of parks friends and user groups and a public opinion survey undertaken by BritainThinks. An overview of the survey indicates that parks and park services in each country have been affecte by the cuts in different ways. The 2016 report confirms that parks matter to people and communities. More than half of the UK population (57%) visit their local park at least once of month, with the figure rising to 61% in urban areas Parks are very important to families 54% of households with children under the age of five use their local parks at least once a week The condition of parks may influence level of use with 76% of those who consider their local park to be improving using it at least once a month Resources and staffing The downward trends in resourcing have continued: 92% of park managers report cuts to their revenue budgets over the past 3 years 95% of Scottish Councils reported their parks budget had decreased in the last 3 years (for 59% of Councils the decrease was between 10 and 20%) 95% of park managers expect their revenue budget to be cut over the next 3 years Over three quarters of local authorities have reduced their park management teams over the past 3 years and expect this to continue over next 3 years 81% of councils lost park management staff and 77% lost operational staff Condition Looking at the condition of parks across the four nations, Scotland reporting the largest change (compared to the 2014 report): the proportion of good Scottish parks has fallen by 10%, with a small percentage of managers (4%) reporting poor parks in comparison to none in % of park managers and 38% of Friends Groups expect their parks to decline in condition over the next 3 years 50% of Scottish park managers expect their parks to decline over the next 3 years Community Activity Partnerships between Councils and Friends Groups are on the increase and communities are increasingly doing more for their parks. Alongside an increase in the number of Friends Groups, there has been a corresponding increase in the level of volunteering with the estimated value of Friends Group volunteering in parks rising to at least 70 million per year. But there is a general reluctance amongst communities to take on a more formal responsibility for managing sites, with less than 10% stating they would consider taking on formal and long-term responsibilities for the management and maintenance of their site through full asset transfer. The 2016 State of UK Public Parks report identifies that adequate funding remains the most critical issue and notes that there are no simple solutions. It predicts that the quality and condition of many parks will continue to decline if urgent action is not taken. 49 Heritage Lottery Fund (2016) State of UK Public Parks 37

40 5. Conclusion With greenspace comprising over half of our urban land area, and the equivalent of a tennis court size of publicly accessible greenspace per person, Scotland can rightly claim to be a nation of green towns and cities. This offers huge potential to capitalise on the vision for the Central Scotland Green Network and fully realise the potential of green networks and integrated green infrastructure. Our parks and greenspaces really matter: they are our natural health service, our children s outdoor classrooms, our town and cities green lungs essential to our quality of life, our sense of place and community As green infrastructure, greenspaces provide a wide range of environmental services from improving air quality to water management. They support and sustain Scotland s rich urban biodiversity. Adopting a green network and living landscape approach has the potential to further benefit Scotland s wildlife and improve the resilience of our communities in the face of climate change. The importance of greenspace is widely recognised in Scottish policy, from health to regeneration, early years to planning, biodiversity to climate change. Quality is an important aspect. Quality greenspace is good for local economies: places that are well-cared for, attractive and well-used project a powerful image of energy, confidence and success signalling to investors, entrepreneurs and skilled workers that this is a good place to do business. 74% of respondents to the 2017 Greenspace Use and Attitudes Survey said they were satisfied to some extent with the quality of their local greenspace. However, the 2017 Survey does show an increase in the percentage of people who said that the quality of their local greenspace has declined (from 33% in 2011 to 40% in 2017). Scottish Planning Policy sets out how planning should protect, enhance (which may include retrofitting) and promote green infrastructure as part of successful placemaking. 95% of Scottish Councils reported their parks budgets had decreased in the last 3 years. Difficult decisions on priorities have to be taken, but greenspace is an example of preventative spend, where spending money now saves money later. There is a substantial body of evidence which demonstrates the positive impact that greenspace can have on our quality of life and particularly on health and wellbeing. The Edinburgh study found that every 1 invested in the city s parks and greenspaces delivered 12 return in social and environmental benefits. Recent Natural Capital Accounts in England have demonstrated even larger returns and asset valuations. We are also seeing new ways of maintaining greenspace being explored and a rise in partnerships between Councils and Friends of Park Groups, with communities doing more for their parks. With the 2017 survey recording the lowest levels of weekly greenspace use since the survey began, this Third State of Scotland s Greenspace Report provides an opportunity for reflection and to reassess whether the right investment and management decisions are being made to fully realise the potential of Scotland s greenspace to deliver for Scotland. XX 38

41 6. Appendices Appendix 6.1 Data sources and method for producing local authority area statistics Data sources The Scottish Government s two-fold urban rural classification is used to define urban as settlements with 3000 or more people. 50 The data sources for the extraction of greenspace statistics for urban Scotland local authority areas are: OS Greenspace MasterMap Layer (October 2017 release) 51 local authority boundaries from Ordnance Survey BoundaryLine (May 2017 version) 52 urban settlement boundary from National Records of Scotland (mid-2012) 53 local authority population estimates from National Records of Scotland (mid-2012) 54 percentage of local authority population by urbanrural classification from Scottish Government (mid-2012) 55 For all calculations, a 500 metre buffer was applied to the urban fringe. Method The methodology to calculate the summary statistics was a two stage process consisting of a preparation phase and a calculation phase. (a) Preparation One aim of this phase was to split up the greenspace features by local authority, and ensure only greenspace features (or parts of features) within the buffered urban Settlement boundaries were included in the calculations. This was achieved using the Identity tool in ArcGIS. First, the Identity tool was run on the OS Greenspace MasterMap Layer and the local authority boundaries, to allocate each greenspace feature (or part of a feature) to a local authority. Another part of the preparation phase involved the calculation of the population in urban Settlements per local authority. Due to the fact that Settlements can cross local authority boundaries, it was not possible to use the published Settlement population figures for the calculations. Instead, the population figures were calculated using the mid-year population estimates by local authority, and the percentage of the population in each urban-rural category per local authority figures (see sources above). Data from mid-2012 were used to match the date-stamp of the Settlement boundaries. The total proportion of the population living in urban areas was calculated by summing the percentages in categories 1 to 4 of the 6-fold Scottish Government urban-rural classification. The proportion calculated in the step above was then applied to the mid-2012 population estimate per local authority. Finally, the total amount of urban area per local authority was calculated, ensuring that the buffered urban Settlement boundaries were split by the relevant local authority boundaries, and that parts of buffers which extended beyond the coastline were removed. Run the Identity tool with the buffered Settlement boundaries and local authority boundaries as inputs population/population-estimates/special-area-population-estimates/settlements-andlocalities/mid population/population-estimates/mid-year-population-estimates 55 The output from the step above was then run against the buffered Settlement boundaries to flag each greenspace feature (or part of a feature) as either within or outwith a buffered Settlement. On completion of this process, all features were split at the relevant boundaries, and included local authority attribution. 39

42 6. Appendices Appendix 6.1 Data sources and method for producing local authority area statistics (b) Calculation To obtain greenspace statistics from these outputs, summary statistics were calculated as required on the Primary Function, Primary Form, Secondary Function and Secondary Form fields. Selections of features were chosen to ensure only features matching the criteria were calculated. Publicly accessible greenspace was calculated by first removing any features with the Primary Function of Private Garden. Output tables created through the Summarize Statistics tool in ArcGIS were exported into an Excel Pivot table to calculate area figures / percentages per greenspace category per local authority. It should be noted that when using this method: The order in which the analyses are carried out means that any urban Settlements which are split by a Council Area boundary will not have the 500m buffer applied to their boundary along the CA boundary, so the greenspace in this area will not be counted in the numerator, and the buffer area will not be included in the denominator for the area calculations. This method excludes greenspace 500m South of Scotland-England border as the Identity tool uses un- buffered Council Area boundaries as an input. As above, this affects both the greenspace and the total urban Settlement area, so the numerator and denominator are consistent with one another. The population figures only include population in the Settlements before the buffers are applied. 40

43 6. Appendices Appendix 6.2 Greenspace types used in OS Greenspace MasterMap Layer (a) Primary and Secondary FUNCTION types All features will have a primary function. Where appropriate for the feature, a secondary function may also be recorded. Type Public park or garden Private garden School grounds Institutional grounds Amenity residential or business Amenity transport Play Space Playing field Golf Course Tennis Court Bowling Green Other sports Allotments or community growing space Religious grounds Cemetery Camping or caravan park Land use changing Natural Description Areas of land designed, constructed, managed and maintained as a public park or garden. These normally have a defined perimeter and free public access, and generally sit within or close to urban areas. Access is granted for a wide range of uses and not normally restricted to paths or tracks within the area. May include areas with managed facilities such as benches and flowerbeds, and more natural areas. Areas of land normally enclosed and associated with private residences and reserved for private use. Areas of land normally enclosed that is associated with a school and primarily reserved for their use. Areas of land normally enclosed and associated with institutions. Grounds may be reserved for private use or have restricted access. Includes: universities, hospitals, nursing homes, emergency services, prisons, military sites, government and community buildings providing public services, libraries, museums, zoos and theatres. Landscaped areas providing visual amenity or separating different buildings or land uses for environmental, visual or safety reasons. Where the area is better described by another category this will be used in preference (e.g. playing field, public park, play space). Landscaped areas providing visual amenity or separating different buildings or land uses for environmental, visual or safety reasons when related to a transport function, such as a road, or within a transport hub. A specially prepared area intended for children s play, usually linked to housing areas or parks and containing purpose build equipment. Not captured if within schools or paid-for tourist attractions. Large, flat areas of grass or specially designed surfaces, generally with marked pitches, used primarily for outdoor sports, i.e. football, rugby, cricket. A specially prepared area intended for playing golf. A specially prepared area intended for playing tennis. A specially prepared area intended for playing bowls. Land used for other sports not specifically described by other categories. Includes facilities for sport spectating (e.g. stadiums) as well as participation. Areas of land for growing fruit, vegetables and other plants, either in individual allotments or as a community activity. Produce is for the growers own consumption and not primarily a commercial activity. Areas of land associated with churches and other places of worship. Areas of land associated with burial areas or crematoriums. An organised area of ground designated for tents or caravans, intended for temporary occupation by holidaymakers. Areas of land that are currently under development or awaiting redevelopment. Land use areas with no other greenspace function but with Form attribute of woodland, open seminatural, open water, beach or foreshore. 41

44 6. Appendices Appendix 6.2 Greenspace types used in OS Greenspace Mastermap Layer (b) Primary and Secondary FORM types Features may have up to two of the following types. Type Woodland Open semi-natural Inland water Beach or foreshore Manmade Multi Surface Description Areas of land covered with trees with an area size larger than 0.1 hectares and width greater than 5 metres. Areas of undeveloped or previously developed land with natural habitats (except woodland) for example, scrub, heath and rough grassland. Static water bodies (e.g. reservoirs, lakes and ponds) and rivers above the normal tidal limit. Areas of beach above the tidal minimum low tide, for example, sand and shingle. Manmade areas within sites used for exercise and recreation, for example, paths and car parks within a public park. Polygons which may be comprised of multiple surface types, such as grass, decking and hard standing making up a private garden polygon. This applies to Private Gardens* and is generated from the Topography Layer Descriptive Term of Multi-Surface for the corresponding polygon. *Note: While the majority of polygons with this Form will have a primary function of Private Gardens, this will not always be the case due to the Function Hierarchy 42

45 6. Appendices Appendix 6.3 Comparing expanded PAN 65 typology used in 2011 Scotland s greenspace map with types in OS Mastermap Greenspace layer PAN 65 Typology 2011 Scotland s Greenspace Map OS MasterMap Greenspace Layer Expanded PAN 65 typology FUNCTION types FORM types Public parks and gardens 6.1 Public park and garden Public park and garden Private gardens or grounds 6.21 Private gardens Private gardens 6.22 School grounds School grounds 6.23 Institutional grounds Institutional grounds Amenity greenspace 6.31 Amenity residential Amenity residential 6.32 Amenity business or business 6.33 Amenity transport Amenity transport Play space for children and teenagers 6.4 Play space Play space Sports Areas 6.51 Playing fields Playing field 6.52 Golf courses Golf course 6.53 Tennis courts Tennis court 6.54 Bowling greens Bowling green 6.55 Other sports Other sports Green corridors 6.61 Green access routes 6.62 Riparian routes Natural/Semi-natural greenspace 6.71 Woodland Natural Woodland 6.72 Open semi-natural Open semi-natural 6.73 Open water Open water Beach or foreshore Manmade Allotments & community growing spaces 6.81 Allotments & community growing spaces Allotments or community growing spaces Burial grounds 6.82 Churchyard Religious grounds 6.83 Cemetery Cemetery Other functional greenspace 6.84 Other functional greenspace, e.g. caravan park 99 Areas undergoing land use change Camping or caravan park Areas undergoing land use change Unknown 43

46 6. Appendices Appendix 6.4 Local authority area summary statistics Local Authority Total Area of Greenspace (ha) Area of publicly accessible greenspace (ha) Greenspace as percentage of urban area (%) Publicly accessible greenspace as percentage of urban area (%) Area of greenspace per 1000 people (ha) Area of publicly accessible greenspace per 1000 people (ha) Aberdeen City 6,338 4, Aberdeenshire 5,858 4, Angus 3,536 2, Argyll and Bute 3,768 3, City of Edinburgh 8,997 6, Clackmannanshire 2,124 1, Dumfries and Galloway 4,323 3, Dundee City 3,478 2, East Ayrshire 3,171 2, East Dunbartonshire 3,880 2, East Lothian 3,242 2, East Renfrewshire 2,569 1, Falkirk 6,463 5, Fife 12,101 9, Glasgow City 9,647 6, Highland 9,032 7, Inverclyde 3,126 2, Midlothian 2,946 2, Moray 2,572 1, Na h-eileanan an Iar 1,691 1, North Ayrshire 5, 699 4, North Lanarkshire 12,995 10, Orkney Islands Perth and Kinross 4,009 2, Renfrewshire 5,886 4, Scottish Borders 3,900 3, Shetland Islands South Ayrshire 3,552 2, South Lanarkshire 9,421 6, Stirling 3,205 2, West Dunbartonshire 3,343 2, West Lothian 7,178 5, Urban Scotland 159, , *Note: Publicly accessible greenspace is defined as all greenspace with the exception of the Private Garden Primary Function category 44

47 6. Appendices Appendix 6.5a Percentages of greenspace types in local authority areas (primary codes only) Public Park Or Garden Private Garden School Grounds Institutional Grounds Amenity Play Space Playing Field Golf Course Tennis Court Bowling Green Other Sports Facility Natural Natural Natural Natural Natural Total Allotments Or Community Growing Spaces Religious Grounds Cemetery Camping Or Caravan Park Land Use Changing Local Authority Beach Or Foreshore Inland Water Open Semi-Natural Woodland Aberdeen City 8% 27% 2% 2% 31% <1% 2% 6% <1% <1% 2% 2% 1% 5% 5% 14% <1% <1% <1% <1% 5% Aberdeenshire 1% 28% 2% 1% 23% <1% 2% 7% <1% <1% 1% 5% 3% 11% 12% 31% <1% <1% 1% <1% 3% Angus 4% 26% 3% 3% 25% <1% 2% 6% <1% <1% 1% 14% 1% 7% 5% 26% <1% <1% 1% 1% 1% Argyll and Bute <1% 19% 1% 1% 19% <1% 1% 5% <1% <1% 1% 8% 1% 28% 16% 52% <1% <1% <1% <1% <1% City of Edinburgh 7% 33% 3% 3% 28% <1% 2% 9% <1% <1% 1% 4% 2% 3% 2% 10% <1% <1% 1% <1% 1% Clackmannanshire 1% 21% 2% 1% 37% <1% 1% 6% <1% <1% <1% 4% 1% 16% 7% 29% <1% <1% 1% <1% <1% Dumfries and Galloway 1% 26% 2% 2% 25% <1% 2% 6% <1% <1% 1% 6% 3% 12% 9% 30% <1% <1% 1% 1% 2% Dundee City 6% 33% 3% 3% 32% <1% 3% 6% <1% <1% 2% 6% 1% 2% 1% 10% <1% <1% 1% <1% 1% East Ayrshire 4% 30% 3% 1% 31% <1% 2% 4% <1% <1% 1% <1% 2% 12% 8% 22% <1% <1% 1% <1% 2% East Dunbartonshire 1% 32% 2% 1% 48% <1% 1% 8% <1% <1% 1% <1% 4% <1% <1% 4% <1% <1% 1% <1% 1% East Lothian 4% 20% 3% 1% 34% <1% 1% 10% <1% <1% 1% 11% 1% 4% 2% 19% <1% <1% <1% 1% 4% East Renfrewshire 7% 40% 3% <1% 35% <1% 2% 8% <1% <1% 1% <1% 1% <1% <1% 1% <1% <1% 2% <1% 1% Falkirk 3% 22% 2% 1% 47% <1% 1% 4% <1% <1% 1% 8% 3% 3% 3% 17% <1% <1% 1% <1% 1% Fife 3% 25% 2% 1% 35% <1% 2% 5% <1% <1% 1% 8% 1% 7% 6% 22% <1% <1% 1% <1% 1% Glasgow City 10% 30% 3% 2% 39% <1% 2% 4% <1% <1% 2% <1% 2% <1% <1% 2% <1% <1% 2% <1% 3% Highland 1% 18% 1% 1% 28% <1% 1% 4% <1% <1% <1% 9% 2% 19% 12% 43% <1% <1% 1% <1% 1% Inverclyde 2% 22% 2% 1% 24% <1% 1% 5% <1% <1% 1% 4% 1% 28% 6% 40% <1% <1% 1% <1% <1% Midlothian 5% 25% 3% 1% 31% <1% 2% 5% <1% <1% <1% <1% 1% 14% 9% 25% <1% <1% <1% <1% 2% Moray 3% 25% 3% 1% 31% <1% 2% 8% <1% <1% <1% 5% 2% 12% 8% 26% <1% <1% 1% <1% 1% Na h-eileanan an Iar <1% 12% <1% <1% 26% <1% <1% 2% <1% <1% <1% 4% 1% 48% 4% 58% <1% <1% <1% <1% <1% North Ayrshire 8% 22% 2% 1% 28% <1% 1% 6% <1% <1% 1% 8% 3% 13% 6% 30% <1% <1% 1% <1% <1% North Lanarkshire 2% 21% 2% 1% 62% <1% 1% 4% <1% <1% 1% <1% 2% 1% 1% 3% <1% <1% <1% <1% 1% Orkney Islands <1% 38% 3% 2% 25% 1% 1% 7% <1% <1% 4% 8% 3% 2% 2% 14% <1% <1% <1% 1% 4% Perth and Kinross 3% 28% 3% 1% 19% <1% 1% 12% <1% <1% 2% 5% 3% 11% 10% 28% <1% <1% 1% <1% 1% Renfrewshire 5% 25% 2% 1% 50% <1% 2% 6% <1% <1% 2% 2% 2% <1% <1% 4% <1% <1% 1% <1% 2% Scottish Borders 4% 18% 1% <1% 31% <1% 2% 4% <1% <1% 1% 1% 4% 14% 16% 35% <1% <1% 1% 1% 1% Shetland Islands <1% 10% 1% <1% 22% <1% <1% 1% <1% <1% 1% 5% 7% 52% <1% 63% <1% <1% <1% <1% 1% South Ayrshire 2% 30% 2% 1% 25% <1% 2% 14% <1% <1% 3% 12% 1% 3% 2% 18% <1% <1% 1% <1% 1% South Lanarkshire 4% 29% 2% 1% 46% <1% 2% 4% <1% <1% 1% <1% 2% 4% 3% 9% <1% <1% 1% <1% 2% Stirling 4% 23% 2% 4% 32% <1% 1% 3% <1% <1% 1% 1% 2% 10% 14% 28% <1% <1% <1% <1% 1% West Dunbartonshire 4% 21% 2% 1% 51% <1% 2% 4% <1% <1% 1% 8% 3% <1% <1% 11% <1% <1% 1% <1% 1% West Lothian 4% 21% 2% 1% 59% <1% 1% 4% <1% <1% 1% <1% 2% 2% 2% 6% <1% <1% 1% <1% 1% Urban Scotland 4% 25% 2% 1% 37% <1% 2% 6% <1% <1% 1% 4% 2% 8% 5% 19% <1% <1% 1% <1% 2% 45

48 6. Appendices Appendix 6.5b Percentages of greenspace types in local authority areas (primary and secondary codes only) Public Park Or Garden Private Garden School Grounds Institutional Grounds Amenity Play Space Playing Field Golf Course Tennis Court Bowling Green Other Sports Facility Natural Natural Natural Natural Natural Total Allotments Or Community Growing Spaces Religious Grounds Cemetery Camping Or Caravan Park Land Use Changing Local Authority Beach Or Foreshore Inland Water Open Semi-Natural Woodland Aberdeen City 8% 27% 2% 2% 30% <1% 3% 6% <1% <1% 2% 2% 1% 5% 6% 14% <1% <1% <1% <1% 4% Aberdeenshire 1% 27% 2% 1% 22% <1% 3% 7% <1% <1% 1% 4% 3% 11% 14% 32% <1% <1% 1% <1% 3% Angus 4% 25% 2% 3% 25% <1% 3% 6% <1% <1% 1% 13% 1% 6% 8% 27% <1% <1% 1% 1% 1% Argyll and Bute <1% 18% 1% 1% 18% <1% 1% 5% <1% <1% 1% 7% 1% 27% 19% 54% <1% <1% <1% <1% <1% City of Edinburgh 6% 32% 3% 3% 27% <1% 3% 9% <1% <1% 1% 4% 2% 3% 3% 11% <1% <1% 1% <1% 1% Clackmannanshire 1% 20% 2% 1% 36% <1% 2% 6% <1% <1% <1% 4% 1% 15% 10% 31% <1% <1% 1% <1% <1% Dumfries and Galloway 1% 25% 2% 2% 24% 1% 3% 6% <1% <1% 1% 6% 3% 12% 12% 31% <1% <1% 1% <1% 2% Dundee City 6% 32% 3% 3% 31% <1% 4% 6% <1% <1% 2% 6% <1% 2% 2% 11% <1% <1% 1% <1% 1% East Ayrshire 3% 28% 2% 1% 29% <1% 3% 3% <1% <1% 2% <1% 2% 11% 12% 25% <1% <1% 1% <1% 1% East Dunbartonshire 1% 32% 2% 1% 47% <1% 2% 8% <1% <1% 2% <1% 4% <1% <1% 4% <1% <1% 1% <1% 1% East Lothian 4% 19% 2% 1% 33% <1% 2% 10% <1% <1% 2% 11% 1% 4% 4% 19% <1% <1% <1% 1% 4% East Renfrewshire 7% 40% 3% <1% 35% <1% 2% 8% <1% <1% 1% <1% 1% <1% <1% 1% <1% <1% 2% <1% 1% Falkirk 3% 22% 2% 1% 46% <1% 2% 4% <1% <1% 1% 8% 3% 3% 4% 18% <1% <1% 1% <1% 1% Fife 3% 24% 2% 1% 33% <1% 3% 5% <1% <1% 1% 7% 1% 7% 9% 24% <1% <1% 1% <1% 1% Glasgow City 10% 30% 3% 2% 38% <1% 3% 4% <1% <1% 3% <1% 1% <1% <1% 2% <1% <1% 2% <1% 3% Highland 1% 17% 1% 1% 27% <1% 2% 4% <1% <1% <1% 9% 2% 18% 15% 44% <1% <1% 1% <1% 1% Inverclyde 2% 21% 2% 1% 23% <1% 1% 5% <1% <1% 1% 4% 1% 26% 11% 43% <1% <1% 1% <1% <1% Midlothian 5% 22% 3% 1% 28% <1% 3% 5% <1% <1% 1% <1% 1% 13% 16% 30% <1% <1% <1% <1% 2% Moray 2% 23% 2% 1% 28% <1% 3% 7% <1% <1% 1% 4% 2% 11% 13% 30% <1% <1% 1% <1% 1% Na h-eileanan an Iar <1% 11% <1% <1% 26% <1% <1% 2% <1% <1% <1% 4% 1% 47% 5% 58% <1% <1% <1% <1% <1% North Ayrshire 7% 21% 2% 1% 27% <1% 2% 6% <1% <1% 1% 7% 3% 13% 8% 31% <1% <1% 1% <1% <1% North Lanarkshire 2% 21% 2% 1% 61% <1% 2% 5% <1% <1% 1% <1% 2% 1% 1% 3% <1% <1% <1% <1% 1% Orkney Islands <1% 37% 3% 2% 25% 1% 3% 7% <1% <1% 3% 8% 3% 2% 2% 14% <1% <1% <1% 1% 4% Perth and Kinross 3% 26% 3% 1% 18% <1% 2% 11% <1% <1% 3% 5% 3% 10% 14% 32% <1% <1% <1% <1% 1% Renfrewshire 5% 25% 2% 1% 49% <1% 3% 6% <1% <1% 2% 2% 2% <1% <1% 5% <1% <1% 1% <1% 2% Scottish Borders 4% 17% 1% <1% 29% <1% 2% 4% <1% <1% 1% 1% 4% 13% 21% 38% <1% <1% 1% 1% 1% Shetland Islands <1% 10% 1% 1% 22% <1% 1% 1% <1% <1% 1% 5% 7% 51% <1% 63% <1% <1% <1% <1% 1% South Ayrshire 2% 30% 2% 1% 25% <1% 3% 14% <1% <1% 3% 12% 1% 3% 3% 19% <1% <1% 1% <1% 1% South Lanarkshire 4% 28% 2% 1% 45% <1% 2% 4% <1% <1% 2% <1% 2% 4% 5% 10% <1% <1% 1% <1% 2% Stirling 4% 21% 2% 4% 29% <1% 3% 5% <1% <1% 1% 1% 2% 10% 17% 30% <1% <1% <1% <1% <1% West Dunbartonshire 4% 20% 2% 1% 51% <1% 3% 4% <1% <1% 2% 7% 3% <1% <1% 11% <1% <1% 1% <1% 1% West Lothian 4% 20% 2% 1% 58% <1% 2% 4% <1% <1% 1% <1% 2% 2% 2% 6% <1% <1% 1% <1% 1% Urban Scotland 4% 24% 2% 1% 36% <1% 2% 6% <1% <1% 1% 4% 2% 8% 7% 20% <1% <1% 1% <1% 1% 46

49 6. Appendices Appendix 6.6a Summary area totals for greenspace types in local authority areas (primary codes only) Public Park Or Garden Private Garden School Grounds Institutional Grounds Amenity Play Space Playing Field Golf Course Tennis Court Bowling Green Other Sports Facility Natural Natural Natural Natural Natural Total Allotments Or Community Growing Spaces Religious Grounds Cemetery Camping Or Caravan Park Land Use Changing Total Local Authority Beach Or Foreshore Inland Water Open Semi-Natural Woodland Aberdeen City 492 1, , ,338 Aberdeenshire 59 1, , , ,858 Angus ,536 Argyll and Bute , , ,768 City of Edinburgh 589 2, , ,997 Clackmannanshire ,124 Dumfries and Galloway 57 1, , , ,323 Dundee City 206 1, , ,478 East Ayrshire ,171 East Dunbartonshire 28 1, , ,880 East Lothian , ,242 East Renfrewshire 180 1, ,569 Falkirk 181 1, , , ,463 Fife 409 3, , , ,101 Glasgow City 1,000 2, , ,647 Highland 53 1, , ,745 1,074 3, ,032 Inverclyde , ,126 Midlothian ,946 Moray ,572 Na h-eileanan an Iar ,691 North Ayrshire 442 1, , , ,699 North Lanarkshire 287 2, , ,995 Orkney Islands Perth and Kinross 132 1, , ,009 Renfrewshire 290 1, , ,886 Scottish Borders , , ,900 Shetland Islands South Ayrshire 63 1, ,552 South Lanarkshire 407 2, , ,421 Stirling , ,205 West Dunbartonshire , ,343 West Lothian 264 1, , ,178 Urban Scotland 6,288 39,975 3,468 2,283 58, ,673 9, ,738 6,723 3,173 12,429 7,993 30, , , ,274 47

50 6. Appendices Appendix 6.6b Summary area totals for greenspace types in local authority areas (primary and secondary codes only) Public Park Or Garden Private Garden School Grounds Institutional Grounds Amenity Play Space Playing Field Golf Course Tennis Court Bowling Green Other Sports Facility Natural Natural Natural Natural Natural Total Allotments Or Community Growing Spaces Religious Grounds Cemetery Camping Or Caravan Park Land Use Changing Total Local Authority Beach Or Foreshore Inland Water Open Semi-Natural Woodland Aberdeen City 492 1, , ,490 Aberdeenshire 59 1, , , ,112 Angus , ,815 Argyll and Bute , , ,934 City of Edinburgh 589 2, , , ,322 Clackmannanshire ,215 Dumfries and Galloway 57 1, , , ,565 Dundee City 206 1, , ,588 East Ayrshire ,350 East Dunbartonshire 28 1, , ,920 East Lothian , ,406 East Renfrewshire 180 1, ,613 Falkirk 181 1, , , ,603 Fife 409 3, , ,164 3, ,808 Glasgow City 1,000 2, , ,908 Highland 53 1, , ,745 1,386 4, ,431 Inverclyde , ,331 Midlothian ,253 Moray ,809 Na h-eileanan an Iar , ,721 North Ayrshire 442 1, , , ,946 North Lanarkshire 287 2, , ,190 Orkney Islands Perth and Kinross 132 1, , ,312 Renfrewshire 290 1, , ,957 Scottish Borders , , ,145 Shetland Islands South Ayrshire 63 1, ,631 South Lanarkshire 407 2, , , ,730 Stirling , , ,505 West Dunbartonshire , ,384 West Lothian 264 1, , ,293 Urban Scotland 6,288 40,043 3,469 2,312 58, ,997 9, ,249 6,723 3,181 12,429 11,543 33, , , ,517 *Note: using primary and secondary codes means that some areas of open space are effectively counted twice and so it is important that the summary figures are used appropriately to avoid overstating the total area of greenspace 48

51 6. Appendices Appendix 6.7a Progress on open space strategies and related policies and guidance in local development plans KEY current undergoing review/ revision expired? Open Space Strategy Current OSS adopted Quality Assessment Approach Open Space Policy/Guidance in Local Development Plan Green Network/ Green Infrastructure Policy/Guidance in Local Development Plan Open Space Strategy weblink Aberdeen City 2011 Quality Guide and Green Flag Aberdeenshire 2011 CABE guidance Greenbelt only Angus Argyll and Bute The 6 'Main Towns' have open space protection areas identified from Open Space Audits Bespoke City of Edinburgh 2016 Quality Guide and Green Flag space_strategy Clackmannanshire 2013 Quality Guide supporting_documents/oss%20for%20consultation% web.pdf Dumfries and Galloway Dundee 2008 Green Flag dundee-public-open-space-strategy East Ayrshire Within Green Infrastructure and Green Network Strategy Green Flag and LEAMS october%202015/finalised%20green%20infrastructure%20and%20green%20 network%20strategy.pdf East Dunbartonshire 2015 Quality Guide East Lothian 2011 Bespoke lothian East Renfrewshire 2008 Bespoke Eilean Siar Bespoke Falkirk 2016 Bespoke Fife 2011 Quality Guide display&p2sid= bf-00f7-dffb08a9218b63fd&themeid=98a a a43c-68e07ccae64e Glasgow Quality Guide Highland No OSS as such green networks and open space covered in Local Development Plan Inverclyde Quality Guide Midlothian 2013 Quality Guide Committee/ /CM_PC_ _11_2.pdf Moray 2012 Quality Guide North Ayrshire 2016 LEAMS open-space-strategy.pdf North Lanarkshire Orkney 2014 Quality Guide and Bespoke PPA_and_SG/OOSS_Vision_and_Action_Plan/OOSS_Vision_and_Action_Plan.pdf Perth and Kinross Renfrewshire No OSS as such largely covered by Community Planning Greenspace Asset Management Plan Bespoke Bespoke Scottish Borders 2016 Household survey Shetland In development South Ayrshire 2012 Quality Guide South Lanarkshire 2011 Quality Guide Stirling 2012 Bespoke West Dunbartonshire 2011 CABE guidance and Quality Guide West Lothian 2004 Bespoke *Note: Information was sourced from Council websites and/or provided by Council officers in response to request from greenspace scotland in November

52 6. Appendices Appendix 6.7b Status and future plans for open space strategies and green network/infrastructure guidance Open Space Strategy Status Green Network / Green Infrastructure Guidance Status Aberdeen City Currently finalising plans for third OS audit. Strategy revision scheduled for end of 2018 Green network is GIS mapped and covered in Open Space Supplementary Guidance. Supplementary guidance on Green Space Network and Open Space was adopted along with the Local Development Plan January 2017 Aberdeenshire Angus Argyll and Bute City of Edinburgh Parks and Open Space Strategy updated and approved in January LDP Policy P2 Open space and access in new development references OSS standards and requirements Consultants working on Open Space Audits. Stakeholder consultation in 2018 will set key aims and objectives for final strategy. DP Policy PV2 Open Space within Settlements Argyll and Bute LDP REC/COM 2 covers Open Space. The 6 'Main Towns' have open space protection areas identified from Open Space Audits Open Space 2021 approved linked to physical activity and sport strategy. 4 Open Space Action Plans plans, aligned with Edinburgh s Localities. Strategy also links with the ATAP, LBAP and Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan and revised Edinburgh Design Guidance (2017) LDP references Greenbelt but not Green Networks or Green Infrastructure. Settlement accounts show the typology of open space LDP Policy PV1 Green Networks and Green Infrastructure. Planning Advisory note on GN and GI to be developed LDP supplementary guidance: SG LDP ENV 8 Protection and Enhancement of Green Networks; SG LDP HOU 3 Housing Greenspace LDP 'aims to protect, promote and enhance the wildlife, recreational, landscape and access value of the green network'. LDP includes 11 strategic greenspace proposals. Green network requirements throughout the LDP Clackmannanshire Open Space Strategy adopted 2015 with LDP OSS contains chapter on CSGN. Supplementary Guidance (SG6) on GI. Spatial mapping of Clackmannanshire Green Network Renewal timing Open space audit and strategy revision scheduled for end of 2018 P&OS Strategy and audit review due 2018 OSS expected 2018 LDP adopted in LDP2 scheduled for 2020 Next iteration of LDP scheduled for adoption 2020 Next iteration of LDP scheduled for adoption 2020 Dumfries and Galloway Open space strategy adopted as Supplementary Guidance in LDP2 under development Next iteration of LDP scheduled for adoption 2019 Dundee Open space strategy Currently working on greenspace hierarchy and mapping of greenspace in the city. Assessing greenspaces both internally and externally using the Green Flag Criteria. LDP policies include Policy 36: Open Space; Policy 37: Open Space Maintenance; Policy 38: Trees and Urban Woodland; Policy 52: Gardens and Designed Landscapes Draft LDP - August 2017: Policy 28 - Protecting and Enhancing the Dundee Green Network, Policy 29 - Outdoor Access and the Dundee Green Network, Policy 30 - Green Infrastructure Maintenance, Policies 31 / 32 - National, International and Local Nature Conservation Designations, Policy 35 - Trees and Urban Woodland, Policy 37 - Sustainable Drainage Systems, Policy 53 - Gardens and Designed Landscape. Supplementary guidance on Developer Contributions includes section on the green network. Green Network non statutory planning guidance / material consideration in decision making. Review is underway East Ayrshire OSS subsumed within (non-statutory) GI and GN Strategy. Statutory public and private green infrastructure / open space standards will be consulted on in 2017/18 by planning authority Green Infrastructure and Green Network Strategy 2015 East Dunbartonshire Open Space Strategy Green Network Strategy Green Network and Green Infrastructure one of 5 Principal Policies in the LDP (adopted 2017). Draft Supplementary Guidance East Lothian Consultants currently reviewing and refreshing OSS LDP Section on Diverse Countryside and Coastal Areas includes Green Network (and GN is referenced throughout the LDP). Supplementary guidance (Development Briefs for specific areas) include 'Landscape, open space and green infrastructure framework' East Renfrewshire Greenspace strategy 2008 Green network supplementary planning guidance produced in 2012 Eilean Siar Open space audit (of Stornoway) in Local development plan adopted contains policy (25) on open space Falkirk OSS approved October Supplementary Guidance on OS and Development adopted currently reviewing this to bring it in line with OSS (by end of 2017) Greenspace Strategy set out vision for Falkirk's Green Network and its links to wider CSGN 2nd LDP will allow development of new supplementary guidance amalgamating OS/trees/SuDS etc into GI (2019) Fife Greenspace Strategy exploring resourcing options for revising this strategy Green networks mapped and available to public. GI SPG adopted in Open Space guidance is included in Making Fife s Places supplementary guidance Glasgow OSS will be out for public consultation in Spring 2018 Consultation on IPG 6: (SG 6) Green Belt and Green Network completed summer 2017 (in support of the Glasgow Local Development Plan) - may be reviewed in light of OSS consultation Highland Inverclyde Green Networks, Open Space and Physical Activity covered in 2012 Local Dev Plan. OS in residential development adopted in 2013 OS Audit redone in Discussing an OSS as an extension to auditing - hopefully to complement emerging Food Growing Strategy and Active Travel Strategy Green Networks Supplementary Guidance adopted in 2013 Supplementary guidance on Green Network adopted linked to 2014 LDP Midlothian Open Space Strategy review underway - due to be finished 2018 "Local Development Plan Policy ENV 2 Midlothian Green Network - supplementary guidance 'to be produced' Moray Open Space Strategy changes agreed by the Planning and Regulatory Services Committee in August The finalised version will be submitted to Scottish Government for approval as Supplementary Guidance with the strategy thereafter forming part of the Moray Local Development Plan North Ayrshire OSS (from Streetscene and Commercial Services) New LDP expected end of no reference to greenspace or open space in MIR. Green networks strategy may be part of the spatial strategy North Lanarkshire OSS adopted in Proposed Local Development Plan (2017) includes Supplementary Guidance on Amenity Space and Play Space (within 'Contributing to Infrastructure) Proposed Supplementary Guidance refers to green networks within 'Environmental Quality' Orkney OSS adopted SG Planning for Open Space (Planning Advice) also 2014 Local Development Plan (adopted 2017) includes Policy 10 Green Infrastructure (largely relates to access and green networks) Perth and Kinross LDP adopted No OSS (see adjacent) as such but number of strategies and policies covering most of key greenspaces which sit within the umbrella of the Community Greenspace Asset Management Plan (CGAMP). This document is due to go to Committee for approval in December GI Supplementary Guidance adopted A number of strategies and policies cover most key greenspaces within the umbrella of the Community Greenspace Asset Management Plan (CGAMP) - due to go to Committee for approval late 2017 Renfrewshire OS audit carried out in LDP adopted in 2014 (contains an open space policy) LDP contains a Green Network Policy. Open Space/GI included in Residential Design Guide Scottish Borders Green Space Strategy adopted in 2009 with SPG on greenspace in new developments. LDP (2016) has policy in protection of greenspace Shetland South Ayrshire South Lanarkshire Reference to OSS in LDP. LDP (2014) has policy on open space - SG under development OSS finalised in OS covered in LDP policy and settlement maps. Planning guidance (nonstatutory) includes: Open Space and Designing New Residential Developments, Open Space Strategy and Environmental Reports Working on a new open space strategy which should become live during Initial qualitative assessment of all open spaces, in partnership with GCVGNP - the intention is that this will inform the new strategy. LDP (2015) has policy on Green Network and Greenspace Supplementary guidance on greenspace and on SuDS proposed. Green Networks within Strategic Development Areas under discussion CSGN link included in LDP Supplementary Guidance 8 Green Networks and Greenspace (2014) Stirling OSS ( ) adopted in 2012 GN opportunities captured in Settlement Opportunity Plans within OSS. Supplementary Guidance SG2 Green Network and SG3 Green Belt adopted 2014 as part of Local Development Plan Plan West Dunbartonshire Adopted in 2011, covering period Our Green Network' Planning Guidance drafted 2015 (linked to new LDP which was out for consultation summer 2017) West Lothian Refresh of OSS up to 2020 (underway) and working on a complete OSS re-write for LDP Policy 8 Green Networks. Renewed supplementary guidance on Green Networks and Residential Development Guide (including some guidance on open space provision, biodiversity and green networks) - currently in the consultation phase Review will considered alongside reviews and updates of Supplementary Guidance SG2 Green Network and SG3 Green Belt (part of ongoing review of the Stirling Local Development Plan and associated Supplementary Guidance. It is currently anticipated draft SG s will be published in Spring Ongoing 50

53 Production of the Third State of Scotland s Greenspace report was supported by: For further information please contact: greenspace scotland Jubilee House Forthside Way Stirling FK8 1QZ info@greenspacescotland.org.uk February 2018 IBSN Number: greenspace scotland is a registered Scottish Charity (No. SC034078) and a Company Limited by Guarantee registered in Scotland (No ) Designed by