Natural England - Parks and Greenspace
Parks and Greenspace
Greenspace is all of the accessible green places we can visit and enjoy. They provide opportunities for recreation, relaxation, social interaction, play and spiritual refreshment.
In turn, these give health and quality of life benefits to people and communities as part of a Natural Health Service. They also provide essential ecosystem services, such as water cleaning and storage, air temperature control, decomposition of waste and biodiversity.
Providing an accessible network of quality parks and green spaces can make all of this happen.
Nature nearby
For most people, particularly the 80 per cent of people in England who live in urban areas, having nature nearby in their local greenspace is very important. It provides a daily experience of wildlife. Being connected to nature, even unconsciously, can make life worth living. It is here that most of our diverse communities live and where greenspace brings people of all abilities, backgrounds and beliefs together
Greenspace comprises a wide variety places, from the most natural such as:
To more formal spaces more commonly found in urban areas and including:
Some of the most inspiring greenspaces are found in our National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and along our coasts. Covering mostly rural areas, they serve communities within them and, in many cases, urban communities can access them easily by public transport.
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Standards for accessible natural greenspace - ANGSt
Natural England's Accessible Natural Greenspace Standard (ANGSt) provides a set of benchmarks for ensuring access to places near to where people live.
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Quality standards for visitors to parks and greenspace
Having a set of quality standards for accessible parks and greenspace helps to ensure that visitors are more likely to enjoy and be inspired by every visit they make.