The quality of housing green space has a huge impact on the lives of tenants, residents and other people living in local neighbourhoods. A new good practice guide from Neighbourhoods Green, sponsored by Zurich Municipal, makes the case for excellent quality housing green spaces.
Greener Neighbourhoods: A good practice guide to managing green space draws on a review undertaken by the University of Sheffield, offers illustrative case studies of ten key principles and provides a practical resource signposting to further information. The guide aims to inspire and support social landlords and their residents to take more action to plan for and improve their green space assets.
At the launch hosted by the National Housing Federation, Helen Williams, Director of Neighbourhoods, said: ‘Housing associations play an important role in ensuring that good quality open spaces are accessible to all. This publication and the wider work of the Neighbourhoods Green partnership illustrates what can be achieved through effective partnership approaches to managing green space.’
17 % of households in England have social housing tenure and social landlords are providers of affordable housing for 8.2 million people. In some areas, the landscape managed by social landlords is estimated to be equal to or greater than that which is managed by the local authority park’s service.
Nicola Wheeler, Neighbourhoods Green project coordinator, said: ‘Local open spaces are effective arenas for promoting healthy lifestyles, bringing about community cohesion and tackling inequality. They provide volunteering and employment opportunities, facilitate civic action and mitigate the effects of climate change.’
Notes to Editors:
1. Neighbourhoods Green is a national partnership initiative which champions the importance of housing green space. The project is supported by Design Council Cabe, the Green Flag Plus Partnership, Groundwork, the Landscape Institute, Natural England, the National Housing Federation and the Wildlife Trusts. For more information, please contact Nicola Wheeler, project coordinator Nicola.wheeler@housing.org.uk 020 7067 1079.
2. For more information on the work of the partnership, please visit www.neighbourhoodsgreen.org.uk.
3. Zurich Municipal works with a broad range of bodies across the spectrum including registered providers of social housing, local authorities, charities, voluntary groups, fire & police services and educational establishments. Handling some of the most significant incidents in the public sector, from catastrophic floods to major fires, their team of experts advise these organisations on how to identify and manage risk effectively. www.zurich.co.uk.
4. The National Housing Federation is the voice of affordable housing in England. We believe that everyone should have the home they need at a price they can afford. That’s why we represent the work of housing associations and campaign for better housing. Our members provide two and a half million homes for more than five million people. And each year they invest in a diverse range of neighbourhood projects that help create strong, vibrant communities.
Nicola Wheeler, Neighbourhoods Green Project Co-ordinator.
