Inequalities in access to green space

Natural England’s new People and Nature Survey has revealed that during April-June 2020, almost nine in ten adults in England reported that protection of the environment is important to them personally. Nearly three quarters of adults were concerned about biodiversity loss in England.

The nation’s gardens, parks, woodlands and rivers have played a huge part in helping us all through the coronavirus pandemic, with almost nine in ten adults in England reporting that being in nature makes them ‘very happy’. Four in ten adults reported spending more time in nature than before the coronavirus pandemic, with health and wellbeing being amongst the main reasons for getting outside.

A new report from the Ramblers has shown that easy access to green spaces makes us healthier and happier, improves our sense of community and encourages us to take positive action to protect the environment. It’s good for the economy too: in England, over £2 billion every year could be saved in health costs alone if everyone had good access to green space – a result of increased physical activity.

However, the research indicates clear inequalities in opportunity for engagement with nature; the official statistics show that socio-economic status is related to access to natural spaces. You are less likely to have visited a natural space if you are living in an area of high deprivation, have a low income, have a low level of education, or are not working. Older people, people from minority ethnic groups and those with a long-term illness or condition were also less likely to have visited a natural space. Some adults were not getting outside very often (if at all) with one in three not visiting a natural space in a two-week period, and one in five adults not having visited nature in a month. This widens the gap in health outcomes between the richest and poorest in society.

Urban green space (such as a park, field or playground) are the most frequently visited natural environments. Yet, nearly 3 million people across Great Britain live more than a 10-minute walk from a park. Our most deprived communities are less likely to have green space close to home and are more likely to live outside the catchment area of nationally important green space, like our National Parks.

We need to address the gaps in access to green space. The Ramblers Association are calling on the government to guarantee that no-one lives more than five minutes’ walk from green spaces, by requiring national targets for access to nature under the Environment Bill. Write to your MP today.

View the full results of The People and Nature Survey for England here.

View the full Ramblers report here.