|
Following the completion of Version
1 of the accessible woodland data, the Woodland Trust produced Space for People,
which builds on the accessible woodland data, to target action for
woodland access. We have recently completed the Version 4 data. This is
available free of charge if you
contact us.
Space for People sets out the Woodland Trust’s analysis of access
to woodland in the UK. By developing a strategy for accessible woodland
near to where people live, in both urban and rural areas, we believe
society will enjoy many of the other benefits that woodland offers,
including improvement of health, landscape enhancement, filtration of air
pollution, soil stabilisation and flood alleviation. In all woodland can
help deliver 10 of the UK Government’s 20 headline quality of life
indicators.
Space for People describes how we have assessed the extent of
permissively accessible woodland in the UK, presents the
Woodland Access
Standard and the research and thinking behind it, and finally establishes
targets across the UK for opening up existing woods for public access and
creating new woods where insufficient woodland currently exists. It is the
first time such assessment of woodland, or any other greenspace, has been
undertaken at a UK level and while the targets may seem challenging they
do represent the result of detailed, and soundly based, analysis of
provision and need. This research is however ongoing work. As
updated or new data on woodland access becomes available, the extent of
access to existing woods can be reviewed and targets for woodland creation
can be recalculated. The tables at the end of the document illustrate
current targets.
Space for People is targeted at decision-makers and those working
in the planning and greenspace sectors. It is hoped that the work will
incite debate on the quantity and quality of woodland access in the UK,
and the valuable role that woodland has to play in the greenspace debate.
The work presents the various steps involved in creating targets for
woodland access, both to existing sites and through creation of new ones,
and thereby includes a number of elements that may serve as useful tools
for decision-making at the local level.
For any comments or views, or to request hard copies of the Space for
People, please contact us
Woods for People data
While the data from Woods for People, forms the starting point for the
wider Space for People analysis, the data also shows some
interesting results in its own right. One example of this is the table
below, which shows the proportion of all woodland, by country and
English region, that is accessible. This tables suggests two things:
Firstly that the woodland area in some parts of the UK is very low and
that this suggests the need for more new woodland. Secondly, that in
terms of access to woodland, it is not just about new woodland, but also
about making existing woods accessible.
| Country/Government Office region |
Woodland area |
Publicly accessible woodland
(permissive) |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Woods for People dataset |
% of woodland area |
| Country |
Area (ha) |
Area (ha) |
Area (ha) |
|
| England |
13,295,236 |
1,059,771 |
488,240 |
46 |
| Northern Ireland |
1,431,496 |
115,192 |
82,385 |
72 |
| Scotland |
8,023,384 |
1,339,736 |
813,074 |
61 |
| Wales |
2,122,450 |
281,171 |
149,741 |
53 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Region |
|
|
|
|
| East Midlands |
1,581,477 |
74,443 |
35,503 |
48 |
| Eastern |
1,957,502 |
117,004 |
56,707 |
48 |
| London |
159,472 |
6,074 |
4,300 |
71 |
| North East |
867,642 |
104,460 |
97,427 |
93 |
| North West |
1,491,831 |
94,314 |
50,936 |
54 |
| South East |
1,941,293 |
267,756 |
94,573 |
35 |
| South West |
2,439,224 |
213,612 |
72,165 |
34 |
| West Midlands |
1,300,380 |
88,667 |
28,557 |
32 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber |
1,556,415 |
93,398 |
48,072 |
51 |
|
|
