Financing the future of green infrastructure planning: alternatives and opportunities in the UK

Abstract

With the formation of the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition government in 2010, the funding of local government in the UK changed fundamentally. Through an austerity approach to development, local planning authorities (LPAs) have been required to make significant budgetary savings, raising questions over what services are legally and morally dispensable. One service severely impacted has been green space (green infrastructure) management. In many locations, this has generated negative responses, as the proposed cuts are perceived as decreasing the liveability of urban areas. In response, LPAs are engaging in an examination of how they can manage development to more effectively fund green infrastructure provision. Such debates draw on a range of options from public, private and community funding sources, creating further complexity within LPA financing. To explore these options, this paper discusses the appropriateness of different funding mechanisms proposing a multi-option approach for the long-term management of green infrastructure.

Keywords:

• Local government
• financing
• environmental planning
• green infrastructure
• development

Notes

1. Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended) provides a mechanism through which development proposals become acceptable in planning terms to LPAs. Known most frequently as S106 agreements, they relate to site-specific contributions to mitigate the impact of development. They are commonly referred to as developer contributions (Cullingworth et al., 2015).

2. The proposal outline in the Housing and Planning Bill could undermine this process if ‘designated persons’ other than LPA officers are legally allowed to make judgements on planning applications (Department of Communties & Local Government, 2015).