A national benchmark for green infrastructure

Lead Research Organisation: University of the West of England
Department Name: Faculty of Environment and Technology

Abstract

Green infrastructure (GI) is recognised globally as an essential component of liveable and sustainable places. It is generally defined as encompassing most vegetated elements in the built environment, for example trees, shrubs, wetlands and other planting. It is widely acknowledged that GI provides numerous benefits to health and well-being and there is a substantial body of research demonstrating these benefits. Despite this there is still considerable uncertainty amongst the multiple stakeholders of 'what good GI is'. Currently, there is no overarching benchmark or standard for GI. This Innovation Fund will address this by developing a national benchmark for GI.

The Centre for Sustainable Planning and Environments at the University of the West of England, Bristol are already developing a local benchmark for GI with the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust through a Knowledge Transfer Partnership. This benchmark is, however, focussed on local priorities in Gloucestershire and the West of England. This Innovation Fund will expand the local benchmark to ensure it can be used across England in a wider range of GI initiatives.

This benchmark will allow an assessment of the process of GI creation, from policy, through to planning, design, delivery and long-term management, ensuring that current good practice has been adopted at all stages. The stakeholders, or end-users, for the national benchmark include planners, property developers, ecologists, urban designers, landscape architects, engineers, public health professionals, urban foresters, community safety officers and maintenance contractors.

The objectives are as follows:
- To work with a range of end-users to expand the local benchmark into a national benchmark and ensure that it is fit-for-purpose and user-friendly.
- To apply this national benchmark to a series of GI demonstration projects including new commercial and residential developments and retrofitting initiatives across England to demonstrate its effectiveness.

The national benchmark will then be formally launched and made available online for anyone to use for free. User documentation and reports detailing the demonstration projects will be available on a website for the benchmark.

The outcome of the Innovation Fund is ultimately the delivery of high quality GI. This will maximise the benefits provided by GI including to nature conservation, health and well-being, economic growth, climate change adaptation and resilience.

The key impacts include:

Allowing developers to demonstrate to planning authorities, stakeholders and customers that they are providing high quality GI, which will act as a selling point for their developments.

Enabling local authorities to communicate their expectations for GI in new developments and retrofitting projects (e.g. of social housing) and its maintenance; easily identify those planning applications that are meeting their requirements for the GI elements of developments; and demonstrate the quality of their own GI assets.

Allowing built environment consultants to demonstrate compliance with a respected and recognised benchmark to their clients.
Enabling policy makers to develop more effective policies, by being able to specify their expectations for GI at a national and local level in a range of contexts. This will improve clarity on the requirements for GI.

Benefit residents and communities in both new and existing neighbourhoods who will gain from the provision of high quality GI and the associated benefits. This will ultimately improve, for example, their quality of life, health and well-being, environmental quality, resilience to climate change and the local economy.

Benefit broader society which will have more consistent access to high quality GI and the associated positive outcomes from this including, for example, improved population health and well-being, inward investment, biodiversity, climate change adaptation and environmental justice.

Planned Impact

The outcome of the Innovation Fund is ultimately the delivery of high quality, multi-functional GI. This in itself has beneficial outcomes related to the ecosystem services provided by GI including to nature conservation, health and well-being, economic growth, climate change adaptation and resilience. Specifically this Innovation Fund will:

- Improve the quality of GI through the provision of a robust, evidence-based benchmark that will create a shared understanding of 'what good GI is' across the multiple end-users involved with GI policy, planning, design and delivery raising the standard and expectations of GI in England.

- Allow the multi-functionality of GI to be robustly addressed in one transparent benchmark that has been developed by a range of organisations and sectors.

- Reduce the costs of development (for example by speeding up the planning process) by providing a benchmark of good practice that can be used by policy makers, local planning authorities and clients (e.g. developers) to specify GI requirements.

- Maximise the benefits of GI to society by ensuring that a range of factors are considered and that a whole-life approach is taken from conception through to long-term maintenance.

- Improve the impact from the NERC-remit research used to develop the benchmark (for example good practice in designing GI for biodiversity, impact of different species choices on ecosystem services such as air quality improvements, soil conditions necessary for sustainable vegetation establishment in urban settings).

- Add value and impact from the Innovate UK/NERC-funded KTP by providing a national benchmark, developed using knowledge acquired from the local benchmark.

The outcomes will therefore translate into social, economic and environmental benefits for a range of end-users and stakeholders. Key beneficiaries and impacts will include:

The development sector: which will gain from a transparent benchmark for GI that it can use when planning new residential and commercial developments. This will clarify the requirements for GI (e.g. from local authority planning authorities) enabling developers to incorporate this into their planning applications from the outset. Ultimately, this will allow developers to demonstrate to planning authorities and customers that they are providing high quality GI, which will act as a selling point for their developments.

Local authorities: which will be able to: use the benchmark to communicate their expectations for GI in new developments and retrofitting projects (e.g. of social housing) and its maintenance; easily identify those planning applications that are meeting their requirements for the GI elements of developments; and demonstrate the quality of their own GI assets.

Built environment consultants (e.g. environmental, ecological and landscape): who will be able to demonstrate compliance with a respected and recognised benchmark to their clients.
Policy makers: who will be able to develop more effective policies, by being able to specify their expectations for GI at a national and local level in a range of contexts. This will improve clarity on the requirements for GI.

Residents and communities in both new and existing neighbourhoods: who will benefit from high quality GI and the ecosystem services that it provides. This will ultimately improve, for example, their quality of life, health and well-being, environmental quality, resilience to climate change and the local economy.

Broader society: which will have more consistent access to high quality GI and benefit from its multiple ecosystem services. This will include, for example, improved population health and well-being, inward investment, biodiversity, climate change adaptation and environmental justice.

The project partners in this Innovation Fund represent the key professions involved with the delivery and management of GI and we will work collaboratively to ensure these impacts are realised.
 
Description This research examines whether a market exists for a national benchmark for green infrastructure (GI) in England. This builds on a Knowledge Transfer Partnership between the University of the West of England (UWE) and Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, a project which includes the development of a local benchmark for Gloucestershire and the West of England and which focusses, naturally, on local priorities.
This feasibility project sought to answer three main questions:
• What is the demand for a GI benchmark in the built environment sector?
• What types of GI and corresponding ecosystem services should the benchmark include?
• What is the most appropriate model to ensure the long-term success of the benchmark?
First, a desktop review of relevant assessment systems was conducted to examine a) if, and how, GI is incorporated into such systems and b) their overall operation to understand current practice within the built environment sector. The desktop review included 22 assessment systems, including benchmarks for green developments (building and community-scale) and other infrastructure, and audits, awards, guidance and tool kits that related more specifically to GI, green space or biodiversity.
Second, five Expert Symposia were held to test the findings of the review as well as the initial work completed in the KTP on experts from the built environment and GI professions. Thus, the five symposia were co-hosted by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Landscape Institute, Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), The Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT), and Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA). Whilst the first three of these were quite profession specific, the latter two included participants from a broader range of backgrounds. A total of 55 experts participated in the symposia.
Key Findings: What is the demand for a GI benchmark in the built environment sector?
The review suggested that assessment systems can be successful. With only one exception, those reviewed appear to have maintained their status over time and are certifying a large number of projects. The most established systems were focussed on the assessment of green developments (buildings and community-scale infrastructure). The review also suggested that whilst there were some audits and toolkits related to GI there was not a benchmark specifically dedicated to GI.
Symposia participants generally supported the creation of a national benchmark for GI, viewing it as a way of improving GI provision. However, this was caveated as being dependent on characteristics felt to be necessary for its success. These included careful planning and testing, surpassing a tick box exercise and being adaptable to the requirements of different locations. There was less certainty around the existence of sufficient commercial interest. It was felt that developers would need to be persuaded of the benefits of the benchmark compared to other assessment systems. The importance of buy-in from national and local politicians was also highlighted, as was the role of the general public due to its influence on decision makers. A number of bodies that may be able to contribute to the success and delivery of the benchmark were suggested.
Participants suggested a wide range of uses that the benchmark could have, including, appraisal of developments sites, shaping local policy, drafting planning conditions and agreements, and facilitating discussions between developers, the general public and other stakeholders. Although it was also recognised that the benchmark, at least initially, should be focussed.
The study concludes that a GI benchmark would be helpful in improving consistency in the planning, design and management of GI. The benchmark will need to offer clear benefits to applicants, not offered by current, neighbouring systems.
Key Findings: What types of GI and corresponding ecosystem services should the benchmark include?
This question used the initial development of the local benchmark to test the approach with delegates. This includes three thematic areas of GI: water management, wildlife, and health and well-being, as well as underpinning features: meeting key definitions of GI, long-term management and maintenance. Generally, the symposia found that the approach taken so far is appropriate. The importance of ensuring the key aspects of the definitions of GI as a strategic multifunctional network operating at different spatial scales are recognised in the benchmark was highlighted. However, it was felt that additional elements important to GI including historic environment and resilience need to be explicit in the benchmark. It was agreed that the benchmark should assess the provision of GI to achieve desired outcomes, as well as more procedural elements such as management and maintenance. It was also recognised that the benchmark will not be able to include every aspect of GI, and the team were advised to keep the benchmark focused.
Key Findings: What is the most appropriate model to ensure the long-term success of the benchmark?
The review provided valuable rationale for preliminary ideas about what form the benchmark should take. It informed initial judgements about the characteristics of the standards (or criteria) within the benchmark. It informed guiding principles for the benchmark such as transparency, user friendliness and appropriate provision of guidance. It also provided initial ideas about specific aspects of the benchmark such as the assessment process and benchmark fees.
The symposia further enhanced the findings from the review on the operational aspects of the benchmark. These included, for example, the types of development that could apply for the benchmark and the point in the process at which the benchmark could be awarded. So, whilst an initial assessment of the design of the GI was recognised as being important, it was felt that a further post-completion assessment of the GI was essential. Levels of award that could be earned were also discussed, with the benefits of having a gradation of four or five levels of award being highlighted. The identity and characteristics of suitable assessors were considered, as were potential costing structures and marketing for the benchmark, including the public promotion of developments that had performed well.

The team were also commissioned to undertake two reviews for NERC on how GI research is translated into practice. The first is focussed on grey literature for a UK audience and included two events where the GI community could share their thoughts, while the second is focussed on grey literature for an international audience (this is not yet published); both included case studies.
The two reviews of grey literature identified the evidence related to the benefits of GI to biodiversity, ecosystem services and where these have been monetised. The key findings are:
• There is some evidence presented on the role of GI in enhancing biodiversity.
• There is limited evidence in the grey literature on the role of GI in providing supporting and provisioning services. There is slightly more evidence in the international literature, mainly on the benefits of urban agriculture for the urban poor.
• There is substantial evidence cited in most pieces of grey literature on the role of GI in improving air quality, regulating air and surface temperatures and for stormwater management through reducing surface water run-off, increasing rainwater retention and reducing pollution to surface water. However, there is limited evidence in the grey literature on the role of GI in delivering other regulating services including noise abatement, carbon storage, soil regulation and pollination.
• There is substantial evidence in the grey literature on the recreational benefits of GI, with beneficial outcomes often reported in terms of mental and physical health. There is also some evidence reported that particularly greenspaces and natural features can contribute to aesthetic experience and sense of place, increase social interaction and therefore social capital and cohesion, and provide a destination for tourism in the built environment.
• There is some evidence that the ecosystem services provided by GI result in economic benefits to society and individuals. This has primarily focussed on the benefits to health and well-being (and resulting cost savings to health services) from air quality improvement and physical activity, stormwater management, carbon storage and tourism. Some grey literature also cites the economic benefits to the wider economy from greater commercial and residential property values, economic activity and job creation.
Key findings from the two events bringing together the GI community of research, policy and practice were:
There is an overload of evidence from both academia and those responsible for grey literature and some, particularly practitioners are struggling to navigate their way through this. The most common reasons for this seemed to be due to lack of resources (time, funding, skills or knowledge) on their part and/or the way research findings are presented. A need was expressed for a centralised web-based system for the GI community with evidence, links to tools, key organisations and case studies.
The evidence is not reaching out to all the sectors and disciplines that it needs to in order to raise GI on the agenda of key decision makers and delivery agents. This includes policy makers, local authorities, financial professionals, development surveyors, planners, architects, urban designers, the general public, grey infrastructure professionals and public health professionals. There is a need to ensure that evidence is tailored for each individual audience, with the input of end-users, and shared through their networks and professional bodies.
Amplifier organisations were generally highly regarded. These organisations and networks were seen as important in the task of sharing evidence with the disciplines and sectors identified above. The different language and terminology used across the GI community was seen as problematic and amplifiers have a role to play here too.
Academic evidence was often respected (e.g. methodology, robustness) but was often seen as divorced from the needs of the end-user. Generally, the involvement of end-users at the beginning and throughout the research process was seen as essential to its usefulness in practice. This including end-users having a strong role in shaping the research question and the way findings are presented.
There is a need for research funding for high quality monitoring and evaluation studies in GI. This does not fit into current funding programmes as it is not discovery science or innovation but it critical to developing a greater understanding of the role of GI. Similarly, it was felt that applied research does not fit into traditional funding streams and this is hindering progress in GI.
A number of gaps exist in the evidence base. These include studies to examine the benefits of GI, for example, health outcomes, financial value particularly to property developers, contribution to natural capital, as well as what works (and doesn't work) in the planning, design, implementation and long-term management of GI. The events were seen as a useful starting point in bringing academics and end-users to start identifying research priorities and more effective mechanisms for collaboration.
Exploitation Route We used findings from the feasibility study to inform the development of the Building with Nature benchmark for GI. This was extremely useful in setting the parameters for the benchmark, clarifying how it will operate and raising the profile of this work nationally. Building with Nature was launched in 2017, and is now being used nationally. For example, there are 14 new developments accredited, with others underway, and 30 LAs are using the benchmark in their planning policies. It is cited in the National Model Design Code and Homes England's Garden Committee's toolkit.
Others may use the outcomes to shape their understanding of how to delivery high quality GI, and the barriers and enablers to doing so.
Sectors Communities and Social Services/Policy,Construction,Environment,Government, Democracy and Justice,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections,Retail,Transport,Other
URL http://www.buildingwithnature.org.uk
 
Description The findings from the feasibility study have informed the Building with Nature benchmark for green infrastructure to ensure that it is also appropriate for use nationally. This has been developed through a KTP between Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and the University of the West of England. Building with Nature was launched on 9th November 2017 at an event attended by over 100 stakeholders. The benchmark would not have been developed without the underpinning research outlined above. It seeks to balance the need for delivering new homes, as highlighted by the 'Housing White Paper' (2017) with the Government's commitments set out in the '25 Year Environment Plan' (2018) to safeguard habitats and ecosystems for people and wildlife. We have identified the following beneficiaries and societal impact from this research: The built environment sector: The sector has gained a transparent benchmark for green infrastructure that it can use when planning new developments. We are starting to see the outcomes of this in the 'early adopters' who have reported very positively on how the benchmark provided certainty on what is expected in planning applications. Both developers and local planning authorities have stated that this has resulted in higher quality green infrastructure being included in the planning applications that have used the benchmark. Building with Nature has now certified fourteen developments in Scotland and England with a further 44 underway across the UK, as well as a regeneration scheme in Lambeth. This represents in excess of 30,000 homes, and includes commercial space, a hospital, and two motorway service stations. Early adopters were awarded Building with Nature in 2017 or 2018, and the impact includes: - an enhanced masterplan for a residential-led scheme of 4115 homes at Elms Park, for example with greater ecological connectivity at the landscape-scale. The applicant highlighted the additionality brought by having a 'shared framework of principles', and planning officers in the local authority suggested that Building with Nature provided them with a user-friendly, independent guide for quality to communicate the benefits of the scheme to elected members. - providing an independent assurance of the quality of the green infrastructure in the 2350-home development at Chesterton Farm. This is an area with significant pressure from communities and elected members to resist development on land valued for its landscape quality, but with a high demand for new homes. Cotswold District Council are now adapting the Design Code that was created for this development for use more generally in new developments throughout the district. - increasing space for nature in Elderberry Walk, for example, by including habitat for a number of species in the design of public seating, and Gloucester Services who have increased the wetland area; and are reviewing their management plan to enhance the functionality of the SuDS. - enhancing the design of the regeneration Cheltenham High Street to include rain gardens, and improvements to the management of open space to increase the quantity of functional green infrastructure to benefit biodiversity. - re-designing the green infrastructure in the outline planning application for The Maidenhill scheme in East Renfrewshire to improve functionality, for example, by improving access for people to a strategic blue corridor across the site. This demonstrates that Building with Nature is having significant impact on decision making by ensuring new development delivers positive outcomes for health, wellbeing and sustainable development. The nature of the planning system means that this impact is ongoing as the developments progress through the planning system and construction takes place. Policy makers: Policy makers are able to develop more effective policies, by being able to specify their expectations for green infrastructure at a local level in a range of contexts reducing the inconsistencies and weaknesses in planning policy. For example: - Cotswold District Council's draft 'Green Infrastructure Open Space and Play Space Strategy' (2017) has been awarded 'candidate' status. The tension between the need to build new homes and environmental protection is particularly acute in the Cotswolds, which has more Conservation Areas than any other district in England, and a high number of sites designated for their value for wildlife. This policy also encourages developers to use Building with Nature in new development. - Building with Nature has also formed the basis of a review of the planning policies across the nineteen local authorities in the Central Scotland Green Network (2018; see evidence below). The standards in Building with Nature have been used to assess the quality of policies related to green infrastructure. This work is informing planning policy development in Scotland and is being used to develop a 'template' for green infrastructure planning policy. We are starting to see local authorities engage with Building with Nature as they revise their planning policies (normally this is a 5 year cycle). Thirty LAs are now using Building with Nature to develop their policies, and Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust secured a further £88K from the Ministry of Housing and Local Government to embed Building with Nature into planning policy in the districts of West Oxfordshire, Cotswold and the Forest of Dean. Residents and communities in both new and existing neighbourhoods: The public and wider society will benefit from high quality green infrastructure and the ecosystem services that it provides. We will not be able to test the impact of this until the developments that have used the benchmark have been built. However, a unique aspect of Building with Nature is that the full award is not granted until construction has been completed meaning that the quality envisaged during the planning stages must be maintained throughout the development process. Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and the wider Wildlife Trust movement: A key outcome of the KTP was to embed green infrastructure skills and knowledge in Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust. The project has had significant impact on the trust who are now seen as a leader in green infrastructure planning and delivery in the wider Wildlife Trust movement. For example, the KTP Associate Dr Gemma Jerome has provided training to staff in the Cornwall Wildlife Trust consultancy, Cornwall Environmental Consultancy, to allow them to support the developments seeking accreditation in their area. Building with Nature has generated new income streams for Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust via their consultancy service, Wild Service, who can support those wishing to apply for Building with Nature, and through the applicant fees to accredit a scheme or policy. The funding from NERC was instrumental in both undertaking the primary research and securing impact from it. The KTP allowed us to work closely with stakeholders from across the built environment sector in way that would have been challenging with traditional research funding. It meant that we could work closely with planning and development teams, developing a deeper understanding of the day to day challenges they face. In addition, the NERC Green Infrastructure Innovation Fund allowed us to reach national audiences to further test our findings and promote the work we were undertaking in Gloucestershire and the West of England. For example, the Innovation Fund led to an approach from the Glasgow Clyde Valley Green Network to use Building with Nature across Central Scotland and we are currently working with them to achieve this (see above). The Innovation Fund also allowed us to develop a close relationship with the Town and Country Planning Association who have been extremely effective at championing green infrastructure to the sector through the Green Infrastructure Partnership; they are providing the final certification to those applying for Building with Nature. We have also been working with NERC's KE Fellow Prof Alistair Scott, for example, presenting at a session at EcoBuild 2018. Finally, we are securing further impact from Building with Nature by capacity building. We were invited to present to the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM) Spring Conference 2018, and ran a series of workshops for CIEEM members across the South West. We have also run three CPD seminars for the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) as part of their 'Architecture for Social Purpose' series in November 2018.
First Year Of Impact 2017
Sector Communities and Social Services/Policy,Construction,Environment,Government, Democracy and Justice,Other
Impact Types Societal,Economic,Policy & public services
 
Description Benchmarking new developments
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Contribution to new or Improved professional practice
Impact By the end of 2020, Building with Nature had certified fourteen developments in Scotland and England, with a further 44 underway across the UK. The certified developments amount to 9,158 homes, where green infrastructure is a key aspect of the design, 108 hectares of employment land, including a 10 ha new business park and two motorway service areas and an 860 inpatient bed hospital with 28 hectares of woodland. The additional 44 developments will bring this total to over 30,000 new homes, and include those delivered by volume housebuilders.
URL https://www.buildingwithnature.org.uk/
 
Description Citation in national and local planning policy
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Citation in other policy documents
Impact Since 2019 Building with Nature is referenced in the English National Design Guide by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. It has been highlighted as a tool for achieving high quality design in garden communities by Homes England and climate action by the Royal Town Planning Institute. It has also been recommended for use by housing associations by Linc Cymru and formed the basis of a review of the planning policies across the Central Scotland Green Network. Thirty local authority planning policies are being certified with Building with Nature. For example, West Cheltenham's Cyber Central Garden Community Supplementary Planning Document and West Dunbartonshire's Local Development Plan have been awarded Building with Nature "Excellent" accreditation as 'an exemplar in policy making with regards policy commitment and clear policy requirements for high-quality green infrastructure through the planning and development process'. The framework is also referenced as Supplementary Guidance in the Essex Design Guide, covering fourteen local planning authorities.
URL http://www.buildingwithnature.org.uk/
 
Description Training in green infrastructure planning, design and delivery
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Influenced training of practitioners or researchers
Impact The benchmark is now also supported by a training package for Building with Nature Assessors to further increase knowledge in the sector, resulting in a network of 50 assessors in the UK. In December 2020 Newcastle City Council became the first local authority to undertake Building with Nature training.
URL http://www.buildingwithnature.org.uk/
 
Description Presentation at EcoBuild 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Gemma Jerome presented the Building with Nature benchmark in the Green and Blue Infrastructure seminar session of EcoBuild on 21st March 2018. EcoBuild is the largest trade fair for green building and sustainable construction in the UK. Gemma Jerome and Danielle Sinnett also participated in the Trees and Design Action Group stand at EcoBuild promoting Building with Nature and developing new contacts, for example in local authorities and ecological consultancies, interested in using the benchmark.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
URL https://www.ecobuild.co.uk/