S3 Green Assests

S3 Green Assets

The Borough’s green assets and access to them will be protected, conserved and, where possible, enhanced, through the direct action of the Council and through the support of the local community and environmental agencies. The Borough’s green assets include:

air quality;
wildlife and geology;
streams, rivers, their floodplains, canals, open water, wetlands and aquifers;
the green belt;
the countryside and landscape;
linear open space;
urban green space including parks;
agriculture; and
urban forestry

1.20 Land use planning and transport strategies have an important role to play in maintaining and improving air quality in the Borough to

meet the objectives as laid down in the national Air Quality Strategy, and the specific need to reduce health problems in the community. By minimising the need to travel, promoting sustainable transport choices, and requiring careful assessment of the impact of certain types of development on air quality (and subsequently controlling them) the UDP can contribute to the maintenance of good air quality.

1.21 The Borough has a particularly rich natural heritage including internationally important geological sites, remnants of ancient woodland, traditional grasslands and valuable habitats developed on past mineral extraction sites. Over recent years the value of urban nature conservation to overall biodiversity has been increasingly acknowledged, as has the importance of wildlife sites within the urban area, giving people access to nature close to their homes. The Birmingham and Black Country Biodiversity Action Plan seeks to protect and enhance the abundance and diversity of species and habitats in the Borough. The Black Country Urban Forestry initiative has resulted in extensive new tree planting over recent years. The emphasis is now turning to managing woodland both old and new and promoting public enjoyment of it. This complements the protection and enhancement of other locally and nationally important habitats such as flower rich grassland, heathland and wetlands.

1.22 Streams and rivers and their floodplains, canals and other open water, wetlands and aquifers in the Borough are vitally important environmental assets. They make a significant contribution to biodiversity including performing a valuable function as wildlife corridors.

1.23 The Green Belt, and Linear Open Spaces represent the foundations of the Borough’s urban structure, in particular the valuable green wedges which allow open land to penetrate to the heart of the area. This countryside, captive in the built up area, is a pleasant, well used and much loved feature of the local landscape. It provides a valuable resource for recreation and nature conservation and is a crucial element in maintaining the distinctive character of many of the historic settlements in Dudley. It also holds great potential for providing a green setting for development and so can play a major role in attracting new investment into the Borough. Its protection and enhancement will therefore have a central place in the planning of the Borough.

1.24 In addition to the strategic open space there are networks of urban green space, sometimes quite small, which provide much needed recreational and sporting areas; add to the quality of life; improve health; and help maintain biodiversity as well as contributing to local distinctiveness. Their continued protection and enhancement, balanced with the reasonable needs of development, is necessary in order to maintain the quality of life for everyone.

1.25 The new UDP will take forward the concept of the Landscape Web ensuring that its component parts - revitalising parks, developing greenways and ensuring a community focus - will endure.

1.26 Agriculture is an important environmental asset, the most basic element being the quality of the soil itself. Agriculture, which covers 12% of the Borough’s area, also has a profound impact on the quality of the Borough’s landscape and as such is important for its own sake as well as for the productive value of the land.

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