The London Borough of Barnet will experience a considerable increase in its population over the next 25 years, placing additional pressure on its green infrastructure assets. Barnet Council commissioned Arkwood to develop a new Parks and Open Spaces Strategy to provide it with a plan for addressing residents’ needs in respect of open space provision over the next 10 years.
Client and Contract Period
London Borough of Barnet
February 2015 to July 2016
Project Objectives
In the face of significant population growth, Barnet needed a parks and open spaces strategy to support its transition from ‘green and leafy’ suburban borough to a more densely populated model where access to private space would be far more limited. Arkwood were commissioned to deliver the strategy for the borough, based on an assessment of the quality and value of 199 parks and open spaces.
The strategy identified the range of positive outcomes delivered by green infrastructure and a range of options available to the council in terms of future funding and governance. In parallel, the council commissioned from Arkwood the procurement of a Corporate Natural Capital Account for Barnet that quantified the value of benefit flows from the borough’s green infrastructure assets.
Issues Challenges and Outcomes
The delivery of the project involved a considerable engagement and consultation process and the final strategy had to represent a range of views expressed by a wide variety of stakeholders. The council has used the CNCA to develop a pilot capital investment project for one of the borough’s population hotspots (Burnt Oak and Colindale Wards) using the metrics described in the account to attract over £600,000 in additional external funding from the Environment Agency, the GLA and the London Marathon Trust.
This project won the College of Fellows award at the 2017 Landscape Institute Awards.
Services
- Project Management
- Landscape strategy and environmental economics
- Consultation and engagement
