A £15.6m green spaces project aimed at transforming communities in England has scooped a prestigious award for sustainability. The Green Spaces for People programme beat off tough competition from more than 100 businesses to win a Green Apple Award in a campaign to find Britain’s greenest projects and businesses. Previous winners include Balfour Beatty, Marks and Spencer and E-On.
Green Spaces for People is being delivered by three of the UK’s largest housing groups: Places for People, Riverside and Peabody, and is funded by the Big Lottery Fund. It is transforming 80 neighbourhoods across the country and enhancing the quality of life for local residents.
The programme began in 2008 and is regenerating over 30 hectares of under-used or derelict spaces into high quality and well designed areas for local communities to enjoy. This includes new parks, community gardens, wildlife habitats, sport facilities and new play areas. Alongside high quality design, what makes the programme extra special is the involvement of local communities in identifying priorities for their local project. This means that each space is designed to suit the needs of the local people and aims to inspire community involvement.
There is significant evidence from organisations like CABE, for example, that high quality green space can promote a number of positive benefits, including better health, enhanced wildlife and biodiversity, and reduce the environmental impact of housing.
To date, over £10.5m has been invested, transforming 56 neighbourhoods. This has included:
· Over 34,000 local people attending 450 consultation and community events;
· 434 people becoming project volunteers, and;
· The creation of 52 project related jobs.
Green Spaces for People Portfolio Manager, Gordon Dickson, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to win a Green Apple Award.
"It is recognition of the innovative work being undertaken in neighbourhoods across the country by the Green Spaces for People partners, Places for People, Riverside and Peabody.
"Good quality green spaces are essential to the well-being of our towns and cities and this exciting programme is delivering environmental and social improvements by providing local residents with new places to play and relax.”
The Green Apple Awards 2011 began in 1994 and recognise best practice in the environmental sector in the UK. The awards have become established as the country’s major recognition for environmental endeavour among business, councils and communities and are organised by The Green Organisation (http://www.thegreenorganisation.info/ ) an independent environmental group dedicated to promoting environmental best practice.
Judges for the Green Apple Awards are drawn from the Environment Agency, the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health and the Chartered Institute of Waste Management.
The Green Apple Awards 2011 will be presented by Trevor Baylis, inventor of the wind-up radio, on 20th June at University of Westminster.
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