Green Infrastructure

Green Infrastructure consists of all those elements of the landscape that are not entirely man-made such as the network of open space, woodlands, wildlife habitat, lakes and rivers and other perceived natural areas, which sustain clean air, water, and provide resources to enrich the quality of all our lives.   It is not simply about the natural environment; however, and can include designed green space within settlements, modified or designed water bodies, farmed landscapes, forestry and parks.   Green Infrastructure includes all those elements that can be termed green or blue lying within and between the urban areas rather than the brown or grey, such as buildings, roads, sewers etc.   Nevertheless, just like the grey, man-made infrastructure, full exploitation of its benefits requires consideration and planning.

As a concept it acknowledges that the landscape is as much cultural as natural and heavily human-influenced.   It seeks to ensure that future human influence is informed and well planned.   The Green Infrastructure concept recognises that our ‘natural’ systems and assets (including human-influenced and enhanced features) offer multi-functional benefits.   For example a publicly accessible pond on the edge of a business park can have a variety of uses from a school field trip to a pleasant lunch spot, offering a range of benefits from education to health.   The better existing and future Green Infrastructure can be taken into consideration planned and designed, the greater those benefits should be.   Consequently, the County Council needs to take account of Green Infrastructure through its spatial planning and development control functions.