Newcastle, United Kingdom
City population: 280177
Duration: in planning stage – ongoing
Implementation status: Envisioned
Scale: Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level, Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)
Project area: unknown
Type of area: Public Greenspace Area
Last updated: October 2021

In the context of significant cuts to Newcastle City Council's budget, the issue of how best to maintain the green space in the city integrated into, and surrounds, social housing has emerged. A proposal to allow, or promote, the re-wilding of these spaces (e.g. changing turfed areas to wildflower gardens) was discussed in March 2017. The key driver appeared to be the potential to reduce the costs incurred by the council in the maintenance of green spaces around social housing. (1) During a Naturvation project meeting in March 2017, the potential for contestation around this proposal was discussed and seemed to be considerable (e.g. re-wilded green space might not be considered aesthetically pleasing by residents and might not provide preferred functions such as space to play sports).

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Grey infrastructure featuring greens
  • Alley or street trees and other street vegetation
  • Other

Key challenges

  • Water management (SDG 6)
  • Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Habitat and biodiversity restoration
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Regeneration, land-use and urban development
  • Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development

Focus

Maintenance and management of urban nature

Project objectives

The key driver appears to be the potential to reduce the costs incurred by the council in the maintenance of green spaces around social housing. While also promoting biodiversity and reducing the risk of surface water flooding. (1)

Implementation activities

Only the URIP meeting in March 2017 has taken place thus far but the goal is to do re-wilding of spaces around social housing in the form of changing turfed areas to wildflower gardens, as was discussed at the March 2017 URIP meeting.

Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities

Biodiversity conservation:

  • Protect and enhance urban habitats
  • Preserve and strengthen existing habitats and ecosystems
  • Create new habitats
  • Means for conservation governance
  • Manage biological resources for conservation and sustainable use
  • Public engagement

Biodiversity restoration:

  • Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
  • Public engagement

Main beneficiaries

  • Local government/Municipality
  • Citizens or community groups

Governance

Management set-up

  • Government-led

Type of initiating organisation

  • Local government/municipality
  • Citizens or community group

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Unknown

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

The city council maintains the green spaces around social housing (and the key driver during the meeting appeared to be the potential to reduce these costs). (1)

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? No
... a national policy or strategy? Yes (NBS is being considered as a cost-saving measure, in the context of local authority budget reductions (which are being determined by national government). (1) )
... a local policy or strategy? Yes (See above. )

Financing

Total cost

Not applicable

Source(s) of funding

  • Other

Type of funding

  • Other

Non-financial contribution

Unknown

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Unknown

Economic impacts

  • Unknown

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Unknown

Type of reported impacts

No impacts reported

Presence of formal monitoring system

No

Presence of indicators used in reporting

No

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

No

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No

References

1. Chronicle. (2017). Newcastle parks shake-up: People fear for future of city's green spaces. North East News, Newcastle City Council. Information obtained: 2017-06-30.
2. Newcastle City Council. (2011). Core strategy and Urban Core AAP. Joint Technical Papers. Gateshead Council. NCC. Website not available
3. Newcastle City Council. (2017) Newcastle explores transfer of parks to trust (Have Your Say). Council News. Website not available