Call for Evidence on Local Green Spaces

Local Green Space designation is an extra layer of protection against development for parks and green spaces.

For an area to be identified as a Local Green Space, it has to meet the following criteria from the National Planning Policy Framework:

• it's reasonably close to the community it services;
• demonstrably special to a local community and holds a particular significance, for example because of its beauty, historic significance, recreational value (including as a playing field), tranquillity or richness of its wildlife; and
• local in character and is not an extensive tract of land.

In 2016, as part of the preparation of the Local Plan, we wanted to gain this extra layer of protection for all of parks and green spaces that met the criteria. All were put forward, however, none of them were granted the Local Green Space designation as the Planning Inspector felt there was not enough local evidence to prove how these spaces were special/important to local communities, or that they hold any particular local significance.

We want to put our parks and green spaces forward for Green Space designation again. To help get this extra layer of protection we want to take the opportunity to gather evidence needed to demonstrate how these spaces are special/important to local communities. To do this, we need communities to tell us how these spaces are used and why they are important.  

It is unlikely that all of the sites mapped in the survey below will successfully gain the designation, however, we know from other local authority planning reviews that evidence from local communities can make all the difference.

You can get involved by completing our survey 'Local Plan Partial Review - Call for Evidence on Local Green Spaces' below. Select one of the green spaces from the map and tell us how you use it and why it is important to you. If you would like to tell us about more than one of the mapped spaces, please complete one survey for each space.