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Access to nearby nature is far from equal across England. Research from the Wildlife Trusts and Liberal Democrats for Nature and Climate (LDNC) found that 238 English parliamentary constituencies—44% of the total—have at least 20% of local properties more than a 15-minute walk from a green or blue space.
The findings come as the government faces calls to make faster progress on its target for everyone to live within a 15-minute walk of a green or blue space. The Wildlife Trusts has presented a green paper to ministers in an effort to advance Labour’s manifesto promise to improve access to nature and support biodiversity.
Gaps are linked to deprivation
Seven of the 10 most economically deprived constituencies identified in the research also had low access to nature. Matthew Browne, head of public affairs at the Wildlife Trusts, said the results showed a stark relationship between economic deprivation and limited access to natural spaces.
In this context, a green space may include a park or other natural area. A blue space is an area with water, such as a river, canal, lake, pond, sea or another waterfront.
The Wildlife Trusts has compared today’s access problem, alongside extreme heat in urban areas, with Victorian Britain. Browne pointed to the period’s filthy air and water and the public park-building that followed.
Why extreme heat has added urgency
The trust says the need for cool, shady and nature-rich spaces grew after a spring and summer of extreme heat across England, when some cities and towns reached 38C.
The organisation also published responses from a public consultation involving 5,000 people about finding cool spaces in nature during summer heatwaves. One contributor described local woods as cooling and linked a brisk daily walk with physical benefits. Another said a long-term health condition affected their mobility and mental health, particularly during extreme heat, making access to natural spaces especially important.
Dom Higgins, head of health and education at the Wildlife Trusts, said research and public evidence indicated benefits for physical and mental health. He argued that nearby healthy natural spaces should be treated as a right, particularly as climate-driven extreme weather creates growing health concerns.
Higgins also said urban natural spaces can keep air cooler and cleaner and reduce strain on hearts and lungs. The fact sheet presents further health findings—including lower blood pressure among pregnant women living near an accessible park or garden, and healthier lives among young children spending longer in nature-rich spaces—as reported research and evidence rather than independently verified conclusions.
What campaigners want ministers to do
The Wildlife Trusts is seeking a meeting with ministers and is calling for several policy changes:
- Allowing local authorities to use compulsory purchase powers more affordably when buying land.
- Creating a community right to buy land for nature access.
- Treating nature as essential infrastructure and providing capital funding for the ongoing maintenance of natural spaces.
- Requiring developers to create climate- and nature-friendly housing estates.
- Making access to major rivers, particularly in urban areas, a statutory right.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs held expert workshops in the spring of last year to inform proposals for increasing access to nature. Ministers had promised a green paper for the following autumn, but it had not been published a year later, according to the source and the Wildlife Trusts’ report statement.
The government’s response
A government spokesperson said ministers were focused on restoring nature, supporting local communities and increasing access to green spaces and the countryside. The spokesperson pointed to nine new National River Walks, a Coast-to-Coast route in the North of England and the 2,700-mile King Charles III England Coast Path.
The research places access to nature alongside wider questions about health, climate resilience and the design of neighbourhoods. For residents, the central issue is practical: whether a park, woodland, river or other natural space can be reached easily and used safely close to home.
AI tools were used to assist with the preparation of this article.
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