Green infrastructure and access to nature
Information to inform development of county-wide environmental agenda.
What is Green Infrastructure (GI)?
Natural England’s (NE) Green Infrastructure Framework and the National Planning Policy Framework (2024) define Green Infrastructure (GI) as:
“a network of multi-functional green and blue spaces and other natural features, urban and rural, which is capable of delivering a wide range of environmental, economic, health and wellbeing benefits for nature, climate, local and wider communities and prosperity.”
An effective GI approach should consider and integrate all the different opportunities to bring nature and green spaces into peoples’ lives. This network includes familiar features such as street trees, parks, gardens, wildlife areas, waterways and sustainable drainage systems that benefit our day-to-day life. It also links to the public rights of way network, green roofs and green walls or improvements proposed as part of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) and Nature Recovery Plans. Green infrastructure should complement infrastructure such as roads, footways and cycle paths.
There is a strong link between GI and ‘blue’ infrastructure such as lakes, ponds, rivers and canals.
Green Infrastructure Standards
Accessible natural greenspace
People benefit in many ways from having access to nature. Natural England (then English Nature) developed a standard that local authorities and others could use to assess the provision of green space for use in strategic planning. This tool is the Accessible Natural Green Space Standard (ANGSt).
Green Infrastructure Framework
Natural England have meanwhile developed a Green Infrastructure Framework to create healthier, more sustainable and resilient communities and bring people together with nature. The Green Infrastructure Framework consists of five GI Framework standards: ‘Green Infrastructure Strategy Standard’, ‘Accessible Greenspace Standard’, ‘Urban Nature Recovery Standard’, ‘Urban Greening Factor Standard’ and ‘Urban Tree Canopy Standard’ to offer guidance and practical tools to support the development of high-quality green spaces.
Green Infrastructure in Oxfordshire
In 2017 Oxfordshire County Council commissioned Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre to undertake a county-wide assessment of green space against the ANGSt recommendations.
The ANGSt is a strategic planning tool rather than for use at a detailed local level. It is important to note that the ANGSt does not take account of the benefit that people gain from general access to the wider countryside such as via the rights of way network.
In addition to the ANGSt review, Oxfordshire County Council commissioned a review of the role and benefits of GI to Oxfordshire in 2020. This work was undertaken by Dr Ingo Schüder of Oxfordshire-based consultancy Brillianto. The report “Making the Case for Investment in Green Infrastructure in Oxfordshire” can be downloaded below. There is also a summary report for policymakers and a one-page infographic that highlights the key challenges and opportunities.
- Green infrastructure - summary report (pdf format, 597Kb)
- Green infrastructure - full report (pdf format, 4.3Mb)
- Infographic (pdf format, 154Kb)
The county’s GI assets are under the ownership and control of many different people and organisations including landowners, farmers and land-managers, communities, companies, local authorities and third sector organisations. Partnership working and effective co-ordination of efforts are required to bring the different elements of GI together.
Oxfordshire County Council already seeks to improve the county’s GI assets where possible through partnership working, hosted projects such as the Lower Windrush Valley Project and the maintenance and enhancement of assets we control such as highway verges and trees.
District authorities have also developed their own Green Infrastructure Strategies to inform and further the planning and delivery of green and blue infrastructure in their district areas. These strategies can be found on the District Councils’ websites.