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Recommendations Greenspace Interventions

Policy Brief

Community Perceptions of Greenspace Interventions delivered by Local Authorities

Adding greenspace infrastructure to a local area is good for everyone: the environment, the local people, and the authorities. Benefits include biodiversity, carbon storage, air pollution removal and noise mitigation, with positive effects on health and wellbeing. But people are sometimes resistant to change, and authorities may hear complaints more often than supporting voices. Our project took a closer look at what people think and found that very few people are really against new trees or wildflower meadows. But they might have specific suggestions as to where new greenspace would fit best – and they want to be involved.

In 2023, our collaborative project assessed the ecosystem benefits of delivering the ‘Climate and Ecological Change’ Strategy of Denbighshire County Council, and the community’s perceptions of the environmental schemes happening in their neighbourhood, in the coastal town of Rhyl. We compared the views of Rhyl residents against a nationally representative sample of the United Kingdom. Project partners were: Bangor University (Prof. Thora Tenbrink and Dr Sofie Roberts), the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (Prof. Laurence Jones) and Denbighshire County Council (Liz Wilcox-Jones). UKCEH ran models to calculate the benefits of existing and planned green infrastructure (GI) in Rhyl. Bangor University developed an online survey to gather social data across the UK on perspectives on tree planting and wildflower meadows and compared them with Rhyl residents’ perceptions. Individual interviews with Rhyl residents helped gather further insights on the community’s reactions to these GI projects. RECLAIM Network Plus funded the project.

  • Greenspace interventions are best developed through co-creation and place-based approaches, recognising that what works in one place may not work elsewhere. Co-creation enables local councils to consider new greenspace, on identified council land, to create nature spaces beneficial to each local community. Residents are in tune with their home patch and can offer specific suggestions as to where this would be most welcome.
  • Involving residents whenever feasible can increase support for greenspace projects.
  • Nature spaces need clear signage about biodiversity benefits and the purpose of this new greenspace. Otherwise people may assume that a place has simply been neglected. Care for bees and butterflies is one example positively viewed by residents.
  • Some people expect beauty throughout the year when hearing the term ‘wildflower meadows’. The acceptability of wildflower meadow sites can be improved by scattering flowers to add colour to the grasses. The term ‘biodiversity meadows’ or ‘biodiversity strips’ may help better convey what wildflower sites look like and their main purpose.
  • Providing performance figures for a given size of greenspace allows council officers to calculate the multi-functional benefits and plan future greening in their location.
  • Based on Denbighshire data the ecosystem service models revealed that one hectare of trees can provide an economic value of up to £3,669 for noise, air pollution and carbon, if planted in the right places.
  • The vast majority of people surveyed (> 70%) and interviewed (> 80%) were in favour of green infrastructure (GI) schemes (in this case, tree planting and wildflower meadows).
  • Additional information about the benefits they provide did not alter their perceptions around trees and wildflower meadows, suggesting that one-off information campaigns tend not to change people’s existing perceptions.
  • A large majority of Rhyl interviewees indicated that they are very interested in Denbighshire County Council’s GI schemes, and most would like to be part of the process to engage with the Council and have their say. 89% of interview participants said that they would like to get involved in tree or wildflower meadow activities in Rhyl.
  • Mental health & wellbeing and bees were the most cited benefits by people who were surveyed or interviewed.
  • An on-line questionnaire survey was conducted with 1,866 people across the UK who were not informed about the topic prior to participating. Additionally, 60 Rhyl residents volunteered to participate in the survey after hearing about the topic.
  • There was overwhelmingly positive perception of trees and wildflower meadows with over 70% of respondents across both the national and Rhyl survey stating they wanted more trees and wildflower meadows in their neighbourhoods.
  • Residents in Rhyl showed greater positive perceptions about trees than the UK average.
  • The most preferred (> 70%) locations for trees across the national and Rhyl surveys were rural areas and parks while the least preferred (45%) were along walking and bicycle routes. For meadows, the most preferred locations were rural areas and parks (and in Rhyl, along walking and bicycle routes) while the least preferred were city or town centres. The term ‘meadow’ may have influenced this as a suggestion of an open habitat which would be seen as inappropriate for a town centre.
  • In the national survey positive views on trees and wildflower meadows were stronger in more affluent areas. However, in Rhyl this relationship was reversed and deprived areas wanted more trees and wildflower meadows.
  • 28 in-person interviews were conducted in Rhyl. Participants were recruited by posters in public places, social media, word-of-mouth, and direct communication. This encouraged both supporters and critics of the Council’s actions to participate.
  • Rhyl residents overwhelmingly supported GI schemes of this kind. Those that argued against planting more trees or establishing wildflower meadows were a small minority whose complaints mostly concerned specific areas where changes were implemented.
  • 100% of participants said that trees improve the visual attractiveness of the area and 96% of participants stated that trees and wildflower meadows mattered to them.
  • 82% of participants thought that more trees and more wildflower meadows would be good for the community.
  • Health and wellbeing benefits were important to 100% of respondents. Biodiversity benefits were important to 96% of respondents. Carbon storage benefits were important to 57% of respondents.
  • 89% were interested in taking part in tree or wildflower activities or to maintain them as safe and clean public places.