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| 7. GREENSPACE | |||
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| Introduction | |||
| 7.1 | The term “Greenspace” relates to areas of open space which have grass, shrubs, trees or any sort of greenery. It may have formal recreational uses such as playing fields, or more informal uses such as parks and other areas of public open space. It may have no obvious recreational use, such as the brook valleys which run through parts of Preston, but it will always be of visual amenity value. Greenspace may be in public ownership (public open space), or be owned and managed by the private, educational, or voluntary sectors. | ||
| 7.2 | Greenspace is an important element in overall leisure provision, catering as it does for outdoor sport and informal recreation. It is also important in terms of nature conservation, forming links between open countryside and the urban area. Individual areas of greenspace often fulfil a variety of functions. For example, playing fields are primarily for formal recreation, but they also have amenity value as green open spaces in an otherwise built up environment. Other areas, like woodlands and brook valleys, have great amenity value but are also important wildlife habitats. | ||
| 7.3 | The Government’s PPG17: ‘Planning for Open Space, Sport and Recreation’ stipulates that development plans should ensure that adequate land and water resources are allocated for organised sport and for informal recreation. It stresses that open space, whether or not there is public access to it, is important for its contribution to the quality of urban life. Greenspace is of equal status to other land uses and there is no presumption in favour of its development. | ||
| Greenspace Protection | |||
| 7.4 | Preston is a fairly compact City, but it is densely built up, particularly in the inner areas, and therefore it is important to protect all greenspace which gives some relief in otherwise urban surroundings. | ||
| Current Greenspace Provision | |||
| 7.5 | The Council has carried out an audit of current levels of greenspace provision, which is published in a separate report (An Audit of Greenspace - 1995). This audit draws a distinction between recreational and amenity greenspace. | ||
| 7.6 | Recreational greenspace is that which falls into the categories defined as ‘outdoor playing space’ by the National Playing Fields Association (NPFA) in ‘The Six Acre Standard’ (NPFA, 2001). The NPFA have for many years advocated that, in order to meet the needs of the community, outdoor playing space is required at a level of at least 6 acres (2.4 hectares) per 1000 of the population. This is generally accepted as the minimum requirement for recreational greenspace, and is adopted as a target in the Local Plan. | ||
| 7.7 | The NPFA guidelines sub-divide recreational greenspace into two distinct elements, that is: | ||
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| 7.8 | These recommended minima are expressed as a range to take account of variations in the age structure of the population. Compared to the national average, Preston’s population contains a slightly higher proportion of children, but is otherwise regarded as being fairly typical. | ||
| 7.9 | Children’s playing space includes casual or informal playing space within housing estates, outdoor equipped playgrounds for children, and other facilities, such as adventure playgrounds. | ||
| 7.10 | The Council’s audit has shown that the provision of children’s play facilities generally falls well below the NPFA’s recommended minimum, of 0.70 hectares per 1000 population. Within this overall figure 0.25 hectares per 1000 is required for outdoor equipped play areas, whilst the remainder is for casual or informal play space within housing areas. An estimated 4.5 hectares of equipped play area exists in urban Preston, whereas 28.8 hectares are needed to meet the recommended minimum. Casual or informal play space is more difficult to quantify, and an element of this will be met in the areas of amenity greenspace. | ||
| 7.11 | In assessing the adequacy of children’s playing space provision, distribution and access are also important. Provision is generally poor, in both inner areas and the suburbs. Need is certainly greater in the inner areas because private and public open space are generally scarce, and yet there are few opportunities to make new provision. | ||
| 7.12 | The audit has also revealed that the existing level of outdoor playing space for sport is 1.2 hectares per 1000 population, which is significantly below the NPFA recommended minimum. This implies that about 70 hectares of additional outdoor playing space for sport are required to meet the shortfall. The University of Central Lancashire’s recent development of outdoor sports facilities on a 24 hectare site at Cottam will clearly make a very significant improvement in overall provision in the City. | ||
| 7.13 | It is imperative therefore that all new housing development includes appropriate recreational greenspace provision to meet its own needs otherwise the existing general shortfall will get worse. | ||
| 7.14 | Existing amenity greenspace in the urban area has been quantified in the audit at 3.60 hectares per 1000 population. | ||
| 7.15 | There are no generally recognised standards or guidelines for amenity greenspace. However, it is important that the Local Plan should provide some positive guidance to protect important sites from development and ensure that new development makes adequate provision. As well as quantity, the quality of amenity greenspace is also an important factor, reflected in its attractiveness, and its contribution to the overall character of an area. | ||
| 7.16 | To conclude, it is important that policies in the Local Plan protect or control the use of all categories of greenspace, and ensure that all opportunities to increase provision are taken. | ||
| Objectives: | |||
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| Parks and Public Open Space | |||
| 7.17 | The Council owns and manages a large amount of greenspace in the form of major and local parks, playing fields, children’s' play areas, and other areas of public open space. Other such greenspaces are in Parish Council ownership. They fulfil a vital role in providing formal recreation facilities such as playing fields and children’s’ play areas, as well as being of amenity value and catering for informal recreation uses. | ||
| 7.18 | English Partnerships currently owns and maintains significant areas of amenity greenspace associated with housing developments at Cottam, Longsands Lane, and elsewhere, and it is assumed that these will be transferred to the City Council’s ownership during the early part of the plan period. They are therefore included within the following policy. | ||
| Policy G1 | Parks and Public Open Space | ||
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| Parks, recreation grounds, play areas, and other areas of public open space identified on the Proposals Map will be retained for their recreation and amenity value. Development will only be permitted where: | |||
| (a) | it is in connection with and will enhance the recreational or amenity value of the greenspace; and, | ||
| (b) | it is of a size and scale which does not detract from the character of the open space; and, | ||
| (c) | it will not have a detrimental effect on any site of nature conservation value. | ||
| Amenity Greenspace | |||
| 7.19 | There are areas of open land which contribute significantly to the character of an area. Such amenity greenspace includes areas of open land such as brook valleys, undeveloped land on the urban fringe, and, in some cases, the grounds of large residential properties. | ||
| 7.20 | Its value lies in the contribution it makes to the appearance and character of an area, and (where there is public access) in the opportunity afforded for informal recreation. The Council will endeavour to protect these areas, to improve access to them, where appropriate, and to link them to other greenspaces by extending the footpath network. | ||
| 7.21 | The Council will endeavour to have any footpaths, thus created included on the Definitive Footpath Map. | ||
| Policy G2 | Amenity Open Space | ||
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| Development in areas of amenity greenspace, as indicated on the Proposals Map, will not be permitted unless: | |||
| (a) | it would lead to greater public access, and enhance the visual amenity of the greenspace, and it would not detrimentally affect any site of nature conservation value; or, | ||
| (b) | the development involves a change of use or extension to an existing building appropriate to the character of the area of amenity greenspace. | ||
| Private, Educational, or Institutional Greenspace | |||
| 7.22 | Playing fields, other recreational greenspace and amenity greenspace in private or institutional ownership, or associated with schools and colleges, may not be for the benefit of the general public but nevertheless represents an important resource. In the inner urban area especially, private greenspace has essential amenity value because, very often, it is the only form of greenspace in a locality. | ||
| 7.23 | In recreational terms, these categories of greenspace are primarily for the benefit of the members of private clubs, pupils, or the users of the institutions. However, they also relieve pressure on public facilities and therefore merit protection in the Local Plan. In the inner areas in particular, where greenspace provision falls well short of the target levels defined in Policy G8, it is vital that the potential of these sites is preserved for future community use, should the opportunity arise. As a matter of corporate policy, the Council will co-operate with the education authority in encouraging schools to make available their playing fields and other facilities for general public enjoyment. | ||
| Policy G3 | Private, Educational and Institutional Greenspace | ||
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| Development which involves the loss of recreational greenspace, as indicated on the Proposals Map, whether in private ownership or associated with a school or other institution, will not be permitted unless: | |||
| (a) | the facilities now provided can be retained or enhanced through the development of only a small part of the site; or, | ||
| (b) | alternative provision of similar or better facilities in terms of community benefits can be implemented on another site in the area and be available for use at the same time as, or before, the existing facilities cease to be available; or, | ||
| (c) | it is demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Council that the retention of the site is not required to satisfy a local or other recreational need; or, | ||
| (d) | the proposed development is intended to accommodate the expansion or improvement of existing educational or institutional facilities. | ||
| The Council will also take into account the amenity and nature conservation value of the site. | |||
| 7.24 | The criteria included in this policy reflect the advice in PPG17: ‘Planning for Open Space, Sport and Recreation’. It is important to ensure that where alternative provision is proposed this is ready and available for use by the community at the time of loss of existing facilities. Some facilities such as sports pitches can take up to 2 years to establish before they are ready for use. Proposals that involve the expansion or improvement of a school or other institution should be designed to avoid any loss of recreational facilities if possible. Where some loss is unavoidable, this should be kept to a minimum. | ||
| Small Amenity Greenspaces In Housing Areas | |||
| 7.25 | Small areas of amenity greenspace that are provided within housing developments as part of the landscaping are not (because of their number and size) identified on the proposals map, in the same way as major greenspaces. Nevertheless, they contribute to the quality of the environment and can provide opportunities for informal recreation. They should therefore be protected from development proposals which would result in a loss of amenity. | ||
| 7.26 | However, some of these areas, such as those found on older Council estates in the City, can sometimes be of little visual amenity or recreational value. Some development may actually yield greater benefit to the community, like the provision of off-street parking places or a community centre. | ||
| Policy G4 | Small Amenity Greenspace in Housing Areas | ||
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| Development affecting small areas of amenity greenspace within housing areas will not be permitted unless it is part of a proposal which would provide equivalent community benefit and would not lead to a significant loss of amenity. | |||
| Road Verges and other Incidental Greenspace | |||
| 7.27 | Highway verges and other areas of incidental greenspace that exist or are provided as part of landscaping schemes contribute significantly to the quality of the local environment. They should, therefore be protected from development proposals which would result in a loss of amenity. | ||
| 7.28 | However, there may be occasions where highway improvement or some other development would provide community benefit sufficient to outweigh the loss of such greenspace. This should include for example, pedestrian crossings or improved facilities for cyclists. | ||
| Policy G5 | Road Verges and other Incidental Greenspace | ||
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| Development will not be permitted within highway verges and other incidental greenspace, as identified on the Proposals Map, unless: | |||
| (a) | it is required to accommodate highway improvements in accordance with Policies T7 and T8; or, | ||
| (b) | it can be demonstrated that the proposed development will provide an equivalent community benefit and will not lead to a significant loss of amenity, or wildlife habitat. | ||
| Golf Courses | |||
| 7.29 | Golf courses represent a unique category of greenspace because their primary purpose is to meet the recreational needs of a very specific group of people. Yet they are of such a scale as to make a very significant impact on the character of the surrounding urban area. Most golf courses are also crossed by public footpaths, and are attractively landscaped, so they also provide for informal recreation. | ||
| 7.30 | The Council will encourage owners and managers to maintain golf courses in a way which maximises their amenity and nature conservation value. | ||
| Policy G6 | Golf Courses | ||
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| Development will only be permitted within defined golf courses provided that the proposals: | |||
| (a) | complement the existing use of the site as a golf course; | ||
| (b) | do not reduce the extent or usage of the facility; and | ||
| (c) | do not detrimentally affect the amenity or nature conservation value of the course. | ||
| Development on land adjacent to a golf course will be permitted provided that it does not compromise the normal operation of the golf course. | |||
| 7.31 | The NPFA’s recommendations specifically exclude golf courses, so they do not form part of the Council’s target for recreational greenspace. This is because they primarily exist to meet the needs of fee paying members. Neither are golf courses included in the Council’s target for amenity greenspace but they are locally very important in this respect. | ||
| 7.32 | If development is permitted too close to the edge of a golf course, it is possible that stray golf balls may cause nuisance or damage to property. Resolving such problems has led in the past to solutions which compromise the operation of the golf course. The Council will take such issues into account when considering proposals near to golf courses. | ||
| 7.33 | Golf courses are also important for wildlife. Where development is permitted, the opportunity should be taken to enhance habitats, and create new ones. | ||
| Cemeteries | |||
| 7.34 | Preston’s cemeteries and the grounds of the crematorium represent a specialised land use, but also have an important role in the visual appearance of the local area. The mature trees within and around them create a very attractive setting which it is essential to protect. | ||
| Policy G7 | Cemeteries and Crematoria | ||
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| The areas identified as cemeteries or crematoria on the Proposals Map will be retained for those purposes. Development will only be permitted where: | |||
| (a) | it is related to the operation of the cemetery or crematorium; and, | ||
| (b) | it will not have a detrimental effect on their amenity or nature conservation value. | ||
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