Access to Nature Green Paper

Question

Asked by

To ask His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to publish an access to nature Green Paper.

My Lords, the Government recognise the importance of providing access to the outdoors for people’s health and well-being. We are committed to improving responsible access to nature, and this year we launched the first of our nine new national river walks, the Mersey Valley Way in the north-west of England. The Government have committed in their environmental improvement plan to publish an access to nature Green Paper during this Parliament.

My Lords, I thank the Minister for that reply. “During this Parliament” is a well-worn phrase which is, sadly, meaningless and I wonder whether she would accept that there is some urgency about this. A recent study has shown that around a third of children get no outdoor playtime during the course of a week. Does she agree that, if we want to get children off their phones, we owe it to them to provide them with more healthful alternatives?

The noble Baroness is absolutely right: one of the things that it is really important for us to do as a Government is get children out into nature. We know that, if you get out in nature at a young age, you are more likely to continue to do so during your life, and we know how good it is for people’s health. On children, I can reassure the noble Baroness that we have been working with the Department for Education on a number of measures where we can increase children’s connections with and understanding of nature. We are working to develop a national nature education park, for example, and looking at how we can embed it throughout the school life of children.

There are also other ways. I recently visited Low Gillerthwaite field centre, for example, to see its excellent work. It trains young people in nature conservation and brings children in to see nature. As we develop the Green Paper, which we are absolutely committed to, we are also working on myriad other ways in the meantime to ensure better access for all people, including children.

My Lords, I declare my farming interests as declared in the register. Farming for food production and the environment is eminently compatible, but does the Minister agree that with rights come responsibilities, and with the importance of adherence to the Countryside Code and a much greater awareness of it? We want to encourage so many people of all backgrounds and all regions to come and enjoy the glories of the countryside, but there must be responsibility with it. Also, I think that the countryside ticks better with pragmatism rather than ideology. We need to remember that we are relying on the farmland for food and to look after nature and there will be times when it is not advisable to have wider access, for the protection of not only food production but the thing we cherish, which is nature.

I could not agree more with the noble Lord about responsibility. I live in Cumbria, as noble Lords know, where there is damage, litter, the leaving opening of gates and sheep worrying, because people sometimes do not understand when they go to the countryside how to be responsible. I am really keen that we increase access. I do not need increased access to nature, because I have plenty and I enjoy walking. Plenty of people do not. They are the people we want to get out into nature, because we know how good it is for them. At the same time, an education process about responsibility in the countryside is incredibly important.

My Lords, the current 2p piece has an image on the back of a red squirrel. I wonder, as a serious point, whether the Green Paper could look at the establishment of red squirrel enclosures as one way of getting people access to nature. There are one or two red squirrel enclosures in England that have positive economics; I am not aware of any that have negative economics. The sad thing is that the vast majority of citizens in England have never seen a red squirrel, which is on the 2p bit. This might be a way through. Would it be something that the Green Paper could look at?

I am very happy to consider a number of things to go in the Green Paper. Anything that encourages people to get out into nature is clearly to be welcomed. In fact, one member of my staff yesterday admitted to me that she had never seen a grey squirrel. Living in Cumbria, that is—

Red squirrel.

I meant she had never seen a red squirrel, which is very sad. I am also happy to pitch for a red squirrel on the cover of the Green Paper when it comes out.

Will the Minister explain how the Government’s planning reforms will improve access to nature and identify the most nature-deprived communities, given what feels like the absence of a clear strategy? Access to nature is the strongest driver of local pride, and there is significant public support for something along these lines, including the National Trust’s own Nature = Future campaign.

One reason we are determining the new national river walks in the places we are looking at is to get more deprived communities out into nature. That is why the Mersey Valley Way, which starts in Stockport, was chosen first. It gets people from those deprived communities out into nature, close to home. The figures we are getting at the moment suggest that it is being well used. It is incredibly important and we will continue to do what we can to encourage those who do not access nature to do so for their own health and mental well-being.

Is the Minister aware that farms are businesses and that there has been a worrying trend of sheep worrying, dog attacks on sheep and wildfires started by the public accessing the countryside? Who will be responsible for ensuring that the Countryside Code is applied, both in the letter and the spirit, to ensure that farm animals are not harmed in this way?

That kind of responsibility needs to be part of the Green Paper. If we encourage people to get out and about, they need to understand responsible behaviour. On the other issues spoken to by the noble Baroness, it is important that we work with farmers and local communities, but also with local authorities. They have responsibility for the maintenance of footpaths, for example, and proper maintenance makes a difference.

My Lords, the Minister has talked a lot about access for children, which is, of course, very important, and she has used the word “walk” quite a lot. Access to nature is equally important for people who do not have the ability to walk: I am thinking in particular of elderly people with mobility issues. It is not just the green spaces themselves but the roads that lead to them, which often do not have something as simple as a dropped kerb. Can the Minister make sure that the Green Paper covers access for people of all ages and all abilities?

The noble Baroness raises such an important point. What I have not said, of course, is that with the new National River Walk and with other walks that we are doing, such as the Coast to Coast being redesignated as the National Trail, we are improving accessibility. This is in order to ensure that people in wheelchairs, those who are less able and people with pushchairs can get out and about. We are also looking to ensure that we have better cycle routes, better access for horses when people want to ride, and also for canoeing and using the rivers.

My Lords, enjoying access to nature, combined with physical activity, is medically proven to result in healthier, more prosperous and happier communities. The Minister mentioned the Environmental Improvement Plan: will she commit to the target within that plan that everyone should have access to green or blue spaces within a 15-minute walk of their home, which is not currently being met but could potentially improve life outcomes for a multitude of people?