Challenges facing green space: is statute the answer?
Journal of Place Management and Development
ISSN: 1753-8335
Article publication date: 4 March 2019
Issue publication date: 4 March 2019
Abstract
Purpose
Against a backdrop of austerity, characterised by public-sector funding cuts and a devolutionary agenda, this paper aims to explore how legislation might address two inter-related challenges which public urban green space (“greenspace) faces in England and Wales, namely, responsibility for provision and identification of supporting funds. It focuses on two proposals: first, the introduction of legislative powers to enable local authorities to create user-charging schemes, and second, the imposition of a local authority statutory duty to provide greenspace.
Design/methodology/approach
Adopting a traditional doctrinal approach, this exploratory study provides a synthesis and analysis of statutory materials.
Findings
While the study considers debates around user-charging schemes, it suggests that the imposition of a statutory duty to provide greenspace would provide a more equitable and effective solution.
Research limitations/implications
This paper calls for further research to establish the detail of such a statutory duty and how it might operate in practice.
Practical implications
There is an appetite amongst local authority stakeholders in England and Wales for such a statutory duty to better enable them to access the requisite underpinning funding.
Social implications
Imposing a statutory duty would help in protecting the well-established social, economic and environmental benefits associated with greenspace.
Originality/value
This multi-disciplinary research considers the inter-relationship between two key greenspace challenges: responsibility for provision and funding. It identifies and evaluates a potential model for imposing a greenspace statutory duty, which could address some of these issues.
Keywords
Citation
Dickinson, J., Bennett, E. and Marson, J. (2019), "Challenges facing green space: is statute the answer?", Journal of Place Management and Development, Vol. 12 No. 1, pp. 121-138. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPMD-09-2017-0091
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited