The Wildlife Trusts have warned that unequal access to nature across Britain is a public health emergency, urging Prime Minister Andy Burnham's Government to act after nearly half of English constituencies were found to lack green or blue space within a 15-minute walk of many homes.
In a paper unveiled on 17 September, Unlocking nature for all: How to increase access to nature for a fairer, healthier Britain, the charity network set out proposals to expand parks, gardens and waterways and improve access to those that already exist. The intervention follows a summer of extreme heat, when inner-city temperatures rose above 38C.
Research cited by The Wildlife Trusts found that 238 English parliamentary constituencies - 44% of the total - have 20% or more local properties more than 15 minutes' walk from green or blue space. That sits against the Government's own target of ensuring access to nature within 15 minutes for everyone.
Ministers promised a government green paper on the issue from autumn 2025, but The Wildlife Trusts say it has not appeared. Their own package includes making compulsory purchase for parks more affordable for councils, making it easier for community groups to buy land, treating nature as essential infrastructure so capital funding can cover maintenance, requiring climate- and nature-friendly housing estates, and creating a statutory right of access to major urban rivers.
Browne: 'Growth in every postcode must mean nature too'
Matthew Browne, head of public affairs at The Wildlife Trusts, said the figures showed stark inequalities that track economic deprivation, with seven of the ten most economically deprived constituencies also on the low-access list, including Bradford West and Birmingham Perry Barr.
"This research reveals stark inequalities in access to nature across England with direct parallels between economic and nature deprivation.
"Coupled with the extreme heat we're experiencing in urban areas, this access crisis is on a par with that of Victorian Britain, when filthy air and water led to a programme of public park building for the benefit of all. In facing today's challenges, we need to embrace this same level of urgency once more.
"At a time when the Prime Minister is promising growth in every postcode, he must ensure this is true in every sense of the word, building nature into the heart of community resilience and regeneration. Otherwise, he risks leading the only Labour Government since World War Two to fail to recognise the importance of access to nature."
Higgins: 'Nearby natural spaces should be every citizen's right'
Dom Higgins, head of health and education at The Wildlife Trusts, said evidence on cooler, cleaner air and reduced strain on hearts and lungs made unequal access hard to defend as climate extremes intensify.
"The mountain of research and evidence from the public that shows the impact of nature on our physical and mental health is hard to ignore - natural spaces in our cities can literally save lives by keeping the air cooler and cleaner and reducing the strain on our hearts and lungs.
"Yet, despite the growing body of scientific evidence, having access to the natural world in whatever form that takes - from a river walk to a pocket park in an urban neighbourhood - is still not equal across the UK. In an age of increasing climate-driven extreme weather events and growing health implications, access to nearby healthy natural spaces should be the right of every citizen."
Local Wildlife Trusts are already working with councils on projects the paper says should become the rule rather than the exception - Nottingham's Green Heart replacing a dated shopping centre with linked green spaces, tree planting and wildflower verges at Low Hall in Wigan, and revitalised parks, woodlands and wetlands across Sunderland's Coalfields area.
