8 October 2024
£15million to help put nature at the heart of our towns and cities
Millions of people living in urban areas lack vital access to nature and green space. Nature Towns and Cities will tackle this by helping local authorities work together with communities and partners to bring nature into every neighbourhood for all to enjoy.
Everyone feels the benefit when nature is part of our daily lives. Evidence shows it makes us healthier, happier, more connected and more resilient. But years of squeezed resources and competition for urban space has meant that nature, green spaces and parks have been neglected or lost from many places.
Urban communities are suffering the effects – few green spaces to play, relax or socialise and neighbourhoods that are too hot, with polluted air and more likely to flood. Recent data shows that 87% of urban households in England (over 56 million people) don’t have access to green space within an easy 5 minute walk from home.
We’re committed to enabling 100 UK towns and cities become better places to live and work, by putting nature and green space at the heart of their priorities and investment. Through supporting their progress, we want to benefit those communities currently missing out, so that by 2035:
- 5 million more people have easy access to nature and green space in their neighbourhoods
- 1 million more children can grow and play in greener streets and spaces very close to home
We are including every kind of green and blue space freely accessible to people and where nature lives, from street trees to community gardens, from urban woods to historic public parks, from river and canal-sides to recreation grounds.
We’re offering places a package of support including funding to build capacity and partnerships, peer networks to share learning and practical solutions, and schemes to attract new investment.
The scale and urgency of this challenge requires a strong coalition of partners and funders from across UK society, business and government. We will build that collective around ambitious shared goals, respecting different strengths and prioritising local needs.
Achieving the ambitious, long lasting changes we all want to see for the UK is challenging but achievable if we work together. We’re making it as easy as possible to take part, supporting organisations from across sectors to lead for change. We want to build Nature Towns and Cities together, learning and developing as we go, responding to the help that places need.
From now until 12 November, you can submit an Expression of Interest.