Home  Projects  Green infrastructure

Green infrastructure   

What is Green Infrastructure?

Green Infrastructure is the natural environment that lies within and between our cities, towns and villages. It is the network of open spaces, waterways, gardens, woodlands, green corridors, street trees and open countryside that link town and country, providing multiple social, economic and environmental benefits and underpinning sustainable development.

What is the idea behind Green Infrastructure?

The vision for Green Infrastructure (GI) is to bring together a coherent network of components (such as open spaces, green corridors, woodlands etc…) for the benefit of people and wildlife. This will be achieved through adopting a more systematic approach to planning and managing these components across local authority boundaries and all spatial planning levels. In this way GI will become as important a consideration in the growth and development of communities as transport, grey infrastructure, built infrastructure and social infrastructure. GI differs from conventional approaches to open space planning by considering the multiple functions and benefits of green infrastructure alongside land development, growth management and built infrastructure planning issues. As such it is integral to the management of growth and development and essential for building well designed and sustainable communities.

What are the benefits of Green Infrastructure?

The quality and accessibility of the natural environment which surrounds us is fundamental to the quality of life and economic productivity of a region. The diverse network of components which make up the Green Infrastructure (such as open spaces, woodlands, street trees, lakes, hedges, village greens, gardens and parks) are multi-functional, providing benefits for people and communities, the environment, wildlife and the economy. With the right planning, delivery and management Green Infrastructure can –

• Improve health and mental well-being and general quality of life;
• Promote a sense of community and reduce fear of crime and anti-social behaviour
• Provide opportunities for exercise, sport, active recreation and relaxation
• Provide community resources for learning and training as well as opportunities for community involvement
• Help establish a local identity or sense of place
• Improve environmental quality, better air and water quality, local climate control, and noise reduction
• Help to contribute to a sustainable drainage and flood mitigation
• Help maintain and enhance biodiversity and geodiversity
• Improve and sustain land values and provide enhanced environmental surroundings to assist business and inward investment

Green Infrastructure in the North West

The Liverpool and Manchester City-regions are leading the GI agenda in the North West. Despite being surrounded by outstanding landscapes of global significance these areas bear deep physical scars from previous unchecked industrial and social development. Much of the existing green infrastructure resource within the city regions is an undervalued asset and is delivering socio-economic and environmental benefits way below its potential. 

We want to see GI contributing to the vibrancy and sense of place across the Liverpool and Manchester regions, a showcase for well designed and sustainable communities and underpinning quality of life, climate change adaptation and natural resource protection.

In 2005 the Green Infrastructure Unit North West was set up to deliver and develop the concept of Green Infrastructure. Its key role is to circulate information and stimulate debate among local and regional stakeholders. The Green Infrastructure Unit is a partnership between The Mersey Forest and Red Rose Forest along with other partners and it is supported by Natural England.

What is Red Rose Forest doing on the Green Infrastructure agenda?

• Advising on and promoting Green Infrastructure as a tool for Climate Change adaptation/mitigation
• Promoting Green Infrastructure though the Planning Process
• Creating new Green Infrastructure
• Improving the management of existing Green Infrastructure
• Supporting the development of quality GI within Growth Areas/Points
• Engaging communities and creating new Green Infrastructure through the  Green Streets approach

More information

For more information about Green Infrastructure in the North West and the work of the GI Unit please visit the Green Infrastructure North West website.