Improved governance of green or blue areas

The reserve is a biodiversity hot-spot within Cardiff Bay. The reedbed and other aquatic plants, are very productive vegetation and a habitat for birds. Prior to the construction of the Cardiff Bay Barrage, it was made up of mudflats and salt marsh. (Ref 1) The site was chosen by Cardiff Harbour Authority to create a new environment and compensate in part for the loss of the mudflats which were submerged after completion of the Cardiff Bay Barrage. Floating timber structures serve as breeding areas for birds, an underwater bund prevents wave erosion, and a boom keeps out waterborne debris (Ref 5).

“Balne Lane Fields are an area of land close to the city centre of Wakefield. The site comprises of an area of nine hectares, which includes a former landfill site that has been restored to open green space. Part of the site is within a flood zone (Balne Beck).” “The field is popular with the local population for informal recreation. The potential to improve the variety of recreational uses, ecological value and environmental quality together with its links to both local communities and strategic greenspaces make it an important piece of green infrastructure in the City of Wakefield.” (Ref. 1)

"The proposal is to create a leisure landscape in the countryside to the south of Wakefield, Featherstone and the South East Rural Renaissance areas. The project looks at integrating a series of existing environmental and historic attractions such as Nostell Priory Estate, Newmillerdam Country Park, Haw Park and Anglers Country Park in a landscape that is shaped by reclaimed open cast mining, and features e.g. an innovative forest planting scheme". The proposal is part of the ‘Strategic projects’ to deliver Wakefield’s vision for green infrastructure. (Ref. 1, 2)

The project created a friendly green recreation area for the elderly in the neighbourhood where there is a lack of spaces dedicated to the elderly. The plans involve the revitalization of a neglected square, plantings assorted greenery and preservation of the existing trees. The NBS should foster physical activity and social inclusion of the elderly residents in the neighbourhood, as well as to lead to the revitalization of the district and improved standards of living [1,2].

A long-awaited flood defence scheme which is designed to protect the city from a repeat of the devastating floods in 2007. "The ambitious project has taken 14 years of planning" and will protect the city's gateway (Westgate). The project manager from EA, said: "The work we're doing on the Ings Beck scheme will mean Wakefield is protected against the kind of flood that only has a one in 100 chance of happening in a year." The scheme involves solving the flooding problem and encourage wildlife habitat. (Ref. 1)

Bute Park is a riverside green spot with an arboretum and gardens, containing a broad range of ecosystems supporting a wide variety of living species (ref 4). The historic Mill Leat had been dry since the 1970s."The word "leat" refers to "an open watercourse conducting water to a mill". The Mill Leat sits on the same site as a former millpond at the end of the original medieval millstream. It supplied water to corn mills located to the south of the Wst Gate and contained water well into the 1970s." (Ref 10) .Mill Leat Restoration or the re-flooding of the dry water body was a major deliverable under the Bute Park Restoration project (ref 2). In 2013 the overgrown channel was excavated, lined and refilled with water as part of the Bute Park Restoration Project (Ref 2). It enhanced the character of the park and provided a new habitat for wildlife (ref 1). Now re-flooded, Mill Leat is self-contained, self-regulating and self-circulating. It has reduced the risk of flooding and created a sustainable water feature (ref 2).

A number of studies were carried out since 1984 to determine a suitable flood prevention scheme for the White Cart Water and its tributary to provide protection up to the 1 in 200 years event (corresponding to protection up to 1 in 100 years event by 2050s, according to considered climate change projections). In 2002 the development of the scheme began with the help of consulting engineers. The resulting White Cart Water Flood Prevention Scheme, the largest flood protection scheme in Scotland, was published in November 2004 and approved by the Scottish Government in 2006 (Ref 1). Phases 1 and 2 of the White Cart Water Flood Prevention Scheme were completed by late 2011 as part of Glasgow City Council's strategy, working with other key stakeholders, to reduce flood risk to residents and businesses in the south side of Glasgow. In 2017, Glasgow City Council secured funding to enable the completion of the third and final phase of the scheme. This phase involves the construction of 9 sections of flood defence - a combination of flood defence walls and embankments which will provide direct flood defence along sections of both the White Cart Water and Auldhouse Burn. Through 2017 the project team has been finalising the design and undertaking surveys etc. The project is currently ongoing (Ref 3).

The Connswater Community Greenway has created a 9km linear park project in East Belfast following the course of the Connswater, Knock and Loop Rivers, connecting the open and green spaces. As part of the project the Connswater River will be cleaned and brought back to life. The Greenway will create attractive, safe and accessible parkland for recreation and community activities. The project will improve the quality of life for the people of east Belfast as a whole new greener environment will emerge. (Ref1)

Connswater Community Greenway is a visionary urban regeneration project that is transforming East Belfast by combining improved flood protection with the creation of public spaces and pedestrian/ cycle routes that connect communities. (Ref 6)

Revival is a partnership which is committed to delivering improvements for wildlife and people on the Lower Don catchment from the Don Gorge to Goole. It enables organisations over a whole host of different sectors to come together and work under one shared vision: create a committed partnership delivering improvements for wildlife and people on the Lower Don catchment. This intervention is thus a change in the governance of natural areas in and around Doncaster that leads to projects, rather than being a specific project itself. The River Don Revival project will continue to fight for the river’s future. Firstly, an action plan will layout the manual work necessary to improve the river and the catchment as a whole. In addition, the partnership intends to work with a scheme called the NW Water Rangers to encourage the public to engage in citizen science, collecting evidence of poor water quality. The partnership will also work closely with the South Follingsby Park development to implements Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems, to create new habitats and to improve the river itself. Finally, the partnership hopes to appoint a dedicated member of staff to oversee all of the work taking place on the Don. (Ref 1, 2, 7).

A five-year project, would be the largest sustainable water drainage system project to be implemented in Glasgow. The investment follows years of study by the Metropolitan Glasgow Strategic Drainage Partnership, which includes Scottish Water, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Glasgow City Council. (Ref 1)