1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Sunderland
Region
Europe
Native title of the NBS intervention
Sunderland Green Belt
Short description of the intervention
The project involves the formation of a statutory Green Belt of 3,500 hectares as part of the broad strategy of the Tyne & Wear County Structure Plan to restrain the further spread of the built environment and to safeguard the city's countryside from encroachment (Ref 2). The Green Belt prevents small villages to merge with large towns, preserving their individual identities, and also accommodates a wide variety of the borough's environmental assets, including Local Wildlife Sites and wildlife corridors (ref 3). It is claimed to contribute significantly to the city's green infrastructure (Ref 1 & 4).
The Green Belt boundaries have not changed since 1998 (Ref 1), but it is currently (in 2020) under reassessment in response to the development needs of adjacent towns (Ref 1). Thus even though the intervention started almost 50 years ago, it is an ongoing process.
Address

Sunderland
United Kingdom

Location
The NBS is situated in an area, with clear delineation of boundaries and a specific shape (polygon). The NBS project can also have more than one area location (more than one polygon, situated close by).
NBS area image
Source of NBS area image
The Green Belt is located in a large area with multiple small areas within. Only one of them has been shown here with the map.
Red House and Fulwell Green Belt. Image Source: Sunderland City Council.
Retrieved from https://www.sunderland.gov.uk/media/18571/SD43-Sunderland-Green-Belt-Review-Stage-1-Core-Strategy-Growth-Options-Stge-March-2016-/pdf/SD43_Sunderland_Green_Belt_Review_Stage_1_-_Core_Strategy_Growth_Options_Stage_March_2016.pdf?m=636217384651470000 on 11th November, 2020.
Total area
35000000.00m²
NBS area
35000000.00m²
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Central Business District / City Centre
Other
Please specify “other type of area” before implementation of the NBS
Suburban areas
Website of the intervention
https://www.sunderland.gov.uk/media/18571/SD43-Sunderland-Green-Belt-Review-Sta…
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
pre-1990
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
pre-1990
End date of the intervention
ongoing
Present stage of the intervention
Ongoing
Please specify "other" stage of the intervention
The Green Belt boundaries have not changed since 1998 (Ref 1), but it is currently under reassessment in response to the development needs of adjacent towns (Ref 1). Thus even though the intervention started almost 50 years ago, it is an ongoing process.
Goals of the intervention
1. To prevent the unrestricted sprawl of the build-up area of Sunderland,
2. Assist in safeguarding the city's countryside from further encroachment,
3. Assist the regeneration of the urban area of the city,
4. Preserve the special character of Springwell Village,
5. Keeping land permanently open, (Ref 2),
6. Accommodate the borough's environmental assets,
7. Improve opportunities for recreation, aesthetics and biodiversity, (Ref 3).
8. To concentrate investment in the existing built-up environment (Ref 2).
Quantitative targets
Unknown.
Monitoring indicators defined
Hectares of Green Belt area within the Green Belt boundaries that adheres to the national Green Belt policy (Ref 3) and the local Unitary Development Plan (Ref 2).
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Habitat and biodiversity restoration
Green space creation and/or management
Regeneration, land-use and urban development
Regulation of built environment
Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
Inclusive governance
Effective management
Cultural heritage and cultural diversity
Protection of historic and cultural landscape/infrastructure
What types of restoration goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention?
Ecosystem-focused
What activities are implemented to realize the restoration goals and targets?
Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
Restore ecological connectivity
Implementation activities
Inclusion of specific open green spaces in a statutory Green Belt that is to be kept permanently open (only to be changed under very specific circumstances). At Stage 1 (Growth Options) it seeks to establish how well the fields meet the five Green Belt objectives set by the NPPF and eliminate from further consideration areas of the Green Belt that are essential to its
function and purpose. The following stage (Stage 2) seeks to examine the remainder of the Green Belt in more detail to establish any other constraints that impact the wider objectives of the Green Belt. (Ref 2 & 3).
Type of NBS project
Creation of new green areas
Maintenance and management of urban nature
Strategy, plan or policy development
Monitoring and maintenance of habitats and/or biodiversity
NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Grey infrastructure featuring greens
Green playgrounds and school grounds
Riverbank/Lakeside greens
Parks and urban forests
Large urban parks or forests
Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces
Green corridors and green belts
Community gardens and allotments
Allotments
Community gardens
Horticulture
Blue infrastructure
Rivers/streams/canals/estuaries
Please specify the number of plots or allotment gardens
Unknown
Vegetation Type
Shrubs
Trees
Please specify how many trees were planted
Unknown
Amenities offered by the NBS
Playgrounds
Sports areas and equipment
Cultural (museum, concert areas)
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Provisioning services
Food for human consumption (crops, vegetables)
Habitat and supporting services
Habitats for species
Maintenance of genetic diversity
Cultural services
Aesthetic appreciation
Recreation
Scale
Spatial scale
Meso-scale: Regional, metropolitan and urban level
Beneficiaries
Primary Beneficiaries
Local government/Municipality
Private sector/Corporate/Company
Citizens or community groups
Governance
Governance arrangements
Government-led
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
By the city council.
Key actors - initiating organization
Regional government
Local government/municipality
Land owners
Public space owned by the city
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
Regional government
Local government/municipality
Land owners
Public space owned by the city
Participatory methods/forms of community involvement used
Unknown
Policy drivers
NBS intervention implemented in response to an Regional Directive/Strategy
Yes
Please specify the "Regional Directive/Strategy"
1. The European Landscape Convention (ELC) is the first international treaty devoted to the management and protection of landscapes within Europe. The Government signed the convention in 2007, which embeds the convention in UK policy and through the management of landscapes. Thus altough the establishment of the Green Belt was not in response to this policy, its current management is (Ref 2).
NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan
Yes
Please specify the national regulations/strategy/plan
1. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) produced in March 2012 states that once established, Green Belt boundaries should only be altered in exceptional circumstances. This did not impact the establishment of the Green Belt but does influence its current management (Ref 2). 2. What comprises the Green Belt is dictated by the national Green Belt policy (Ref 3). 3. The need to preserve the identity of adjacent towns is guided by the "National Character Areas" guidance (Ref 2)
NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan
Yes
Please specify the "local regulation/strategy/plan"
The Green Belt boundaries were most recently set in response to the local Unitary Development Plan (UDP) in 1998 (Ref 2).
Mandatory or voluntary intervention
Unknown
Enablers
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS vision/strategy/plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify
The Green Belt contributes to green corridors that are part of the Sunderland Green Infrastructure Strategy (Ref 2 & 4).
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS section/part in a more general plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
If there is a relevant strategy or plan, please specify the theme / type of the plan.
City specific green space strategy or plan
Presence of city network or regional partnerships focused on NBS - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Presence of GI / NBS research project - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Subsidies/investment for GI / NBS in the city - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Co-finance for NBS
Unknown
Co-financing governance arrangements
Unknown
Was this co-governance arrangement already in place, or was it set up specifically for this NBS?
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
Not applicable
What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?
Unknown
What are the total amount of expected annual maintenance costs?
Unknown
What is the expected annual maintenance costs of the NBS or GI elements?
Unknown
Please specify cost savings
The Green Belt was envisioned to enhance economic activity and investments in the existing built environment (Ref 2).
Please specify total cost (EUR)
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
Unknown
Type of fund(s) used
Unknown
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Business models
Green densification model
Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?
Public actor (e.g. municipality)
Type of innovation
Social
Policy innovation
Please specify social innovation
The establishment of a statutory Green Belt legally safeguards the included open space from encroachment from the built environment (Ref 2).
Novelty level of the innovation
The innovation is copied/derived from previous initiative(s) without substantial adaptation
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
The past and more recent management of the intervention is guided by the National Green Belt Policy (Ref 3) and the local Unitary Development Plan (Ref 2) without explicit mention of deviations from these existing policies.
Replicability/Transferability
The innovation is not referred to as being transferred to new initiative(s)
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
Unknown.
Impacts, benefits
Environmental impacts
Green space and habitat
Promotion of naturalistic styles of landscape design for urban development
Increased number of protection areas
Increased green space area
Increase in protected green space areas
Reduced biodiversity loss
Increased ecological connectivity across regeneration sites and scales
Restoration of derelict areas
Description of environmental benefits
1. The project is assisting in urban regeneration, by encouraging the renovation of derelict and other urban lands.
2. The Green Belt helps to create a strategic Green Infrastructure corridor from the North Sea inland to the River Don floodplain and the edge of the Magnesian Limestone Escarpment.
3. The project includes several green spaces, which contribute to providing important habitats for species and thus keeps the biodiversity high. (Ref 2 and 3)
Economic impacts
Stimulate development in deprived areas
Description of economic benefits
1. The project is assisting in the regeneration of the urban area of the city and in adjacent towns. (Ref 2)
Social and cultural impacts
Health and wellbeing
Improved physical health
Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
Cultural heritage and sense of place
Protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure
Increased sense of place identity, memory and belonging
Description of social and cultural benefits
1. The Green Belt is continuing to check the unrestricted sprawl of the built-up area of Sunderland;
2. Assist in safeguarding the city’s countryside from further encroachment;
3. Preserve the setting and special character of historic area Springwell Village;
4. Prevent the merging of Sunderland with Tyneside, Washington, Houghtonle-Spring and Seaham, and the merging of Shiney Row with Washington, Chester-le-Street and Bournmoor.
5. The Green Belt in Sunderland forms an urban fringe landscape typified by sports pitches, allotments, amenity and natural greenspace. This encourages the residents to use the space and get involved with physical activities. (Ref 2)
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts
Achieved impacts
Indicators
Hectares of Green Belt created, number of areas included, number of suburban areas included and total green space covered. (Ref 2).
Environmental, social and economic impacts
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Analysis of specific impact categories
Job creation: The NBS created ...
No information available
Negative impacts: Did the project cause any problems or concerns?
No information was found regarding negative impacts of the project
COVID-19 pandemic
Unknown as of November, 2020.
Methods of impact monitoring
Process of recording NBS impacts
Collection of monitoring data continuously throughout the project to aid evaluation
Methods used to evaluate the impacts of NBS
Focus groups
GIS data analysis
Observation (including virtual surveillance methods)
Evidence for use of assessment
Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process
Yes
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports
Yes
Link to monitoring/evaluation reports
https://www.sunderland.gov.uk/media/17903/Unitary-Development-Plan-saved-polici…
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Impact assessment mechanism
Name of any specific impact assessment tools
GIS
Link to the output of assessments
https://data.gov.uk/dataset/sunderland-green-belt1
Use of GIS in mapping impacts
Yes
Citizen involvement
Citizens involvement in assessment/evaluation
Unknown
Citizens involvement in the analysis of the assessment/evaluation
Unknown
Follow-up to the evaluation / assessment
Unknown
References
Web links relevant to the intervention
Ref 5: Sunderland Green Belt
Ref 6: Sunderland City Council. (n.d.). Sunderland Green Belt.
Ref 3: South Tyneside Council.(2012). South Tyneside Green Belt and landscape b…
Ref 2: Sunderland City Council. (2016). Green belt review: Stage 1 - core strat…
Documents relevant to the intervention
Attachment Size
Ref 1: Sunderland City Council. (2013). Sunderland local plan: Core strategy and development management policies (630.62 KB) 630.62 KB
Ref 4: Sunderland Partnership. (2011). Green Infrastructure Strategy Framework. (3.45 MB) 3.45 MB
Ref 3: South Tyneside Council.(2012). South Tyneside Green Belt and landscape background paper. (6.37 MB) 6.37 MB
List of references
Ref 1: Sunderland City Council. (2013). Sunderland local plan: Core strategy and development management policies draft revised preferred options. [attached]
Ref 2: Sunderland City Council. (2016). Green belt review: Stage 1 - core strategy growth options stage. Rtrieved from https://www.sunderland.gov.uk/media/18571/SD43-Sunderland-Green-Belt-Review-Stage-1-Core-Strategy-Growth-Options-Stge-March-2016-/pdf/SD43_Sunderland_Green_Belt_Review_Stage_1_-_Core_Strategy_Growth_Options_Stage_March_2016.pdf?m=636217384651470000 on 11th November, 2020.
Ref 3: South Tyneside Council. (2012). South Tyneside Green Belt and landscape background paper. [attached]
Ref 4: Sunderland Partnership. (2011). Green Infrastructure Strategy Framework. [attached]
Ref 5: Sunderland City Council. (n.d.). Sunderland Green Belt. Retrieved from https://data.gov.uk/dataset/sunderland-green-belt1 on 11th November, 2020.
Ref 6: Sunderland City Council. (1998). UNITARY DEVELOPMENT PLAN . Retrieved from https://www.sunderland.gov.uk/media/19809/Unitary-Development-Plan/pdf/Unitary_Development_Plan.pdf?m=636470354227970000 on 11th November, 2020.
Ref 7: Sunderland City Council. (2016). South Tyneside Strategic Land Review
Draft Site Assessments Report. Retrieved from https://www.sunderland.gov.uk/media/18570/SD42-South-Tyneside-Strategic-Land-Review-Draft-Site-Assessment-Report-March-2016-/pdf/SD42_South_Tyneside_SLR_Mrch_2016.pdf?m=636217383985700000 on 11th November, 2020.
Ref 8: Ledwith, L. (2019) Three Sunderland green belt sites could be removed from housing plan. Sunderland Echo. Retrieved from https://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/politics/council/three-sunderland-green-belt-sites-could-be-removed-housing-plan-485905 on 11th November, 2020.
Comments and notes
Comments
1/contact for intervention: I cannot find a person or department or government body responsible for this intervention. It was a very top-down policy and management change that must have in cluded many government bodies, but thus far navigating the government website has not yielded any specific personal details.
Additional insights
Oftentimes, interventions assume that the existence of green infrastructure carries with it environmental, social and economic benefits. Thus instead of providing indicators to assess and quantify the actual benefits gained from the intervention, instead the quantity of green space is used as an indicator. This is also the case for government-led interventions that date many years back (like the Green Belt), but also more recent ones, and may thus say something about the dominant discourse in current governance.

3/domains: Reference no. 2 details what types of green infrastructure are part of the green belt (start on p. 1). Although emphasis is put on wildlife corridors, many more types are included formally.
Public Images
One of the areas under the Green Belt
Sunderland City Council
https://www.sunderland.gov.uk/media/18571/SD43-Sunderland-Green-Belt-Review-Stage-1-Core-Strategy-Growth-Options-Stge-March-2016-/pdf/SD43_Sunderland_Green_Belt_Review_Stage_1_-_Core_Strategy_Growth_Options_Stage_March_2016.pdf?m=636217384651470000