Parks and green spaces are important for walking. They offer spaces to wander at will, attractive walking routes, and destinations for walkers to enjoy other recreational activities and to connect with nature.
BWA was among the organisations that campaigned successfully this year against big cuts in the council’s budget for parks. We have met council officers to discuss their current review of the strategy on parks and green spaces in general and management for nature in particular.
In our response in March to the consultation on managing more green spaces for nature. While welcoming the clear explanation of what might be done, we expressed concern that a particular use was being considered in isolation. The scale of proposals was unclear and site selection methodolgy took no account of recreational use. Both habitat creation and new maintenance regimes could significantly reduce the areas that were walkable and available for recreation generally.
We understand that there will be consultation on the overall parks and green spaces shortly. We hope that this will cover the allocation of space to particular uses.