lgib andrew gill 31.07.15 (final))

www.greenspace-management.com @morse1960

The Case for a London Green Infrastructure Board

Andrew Gill C Hort FCIHortPresident of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture

Trustee London Parks & Greenspaces Forum

Greenspace Management [email protected]


IntroductionThis presentation is intended to stimulate discussion about a potential option for the governance and management of London’s green spaces: a London Green Infrastructure Board. This model has been conceived independently of other parks and green space bodies but refined through informal discussion with peers and practitioners in the sector. This is not a proposal – it is the presentation of a concept in order to simulate discussion about a model of governance and management which I will attempt to demonstrate is feasible and may be desirable.


This is a concept, a suggested approach to GI oversight for discussion, not a research based proposal

• The context for this suggested approach• The scale of the challenge• The opportunity• The concept of a London GI Infrastructure Board• How it might be implemented• Some of the obvious barriers to such a scheme

My presentation covers


The Context• 60% of Greater London is open land (see maps)• London has a huge diversity of green spaces, owned and

managed by over 40 public authorities and agencies• Drastic budget cuts to green space maintenance and

management budgets• Growing alarm among professionals, stakeholders and

informed users • HLF predicts serious decline and a return to derelict spaces as

in the 1980s and 90s• Maintenance of GI is being increasingly

outsourced/transferred/abandoned• Huge pressure on space to generate income (events the only

viable option)

www.gigl.org.uk

Produced by Greenspace Information for Greater London. Map shows best available data July 2015. © Crown Copyright and database right 2015. Ordnance Survey 100032216. GLA

Greater London’s Green Infrastructure Map: All Open Space

www.gigl.org.uk


Public Open Space: designated public open Space and other open spaces

www.gigl.org.uk


Public Open Space: with borough boundaries

www.gigl.org.uk


All Open Space: includes public and private spaces

www.gigl.org.uk


Accessible Open Space


And…back to All Open Space

www.gigl.org.uk


Again; Accessible Open Space

www.gigl.org.uk



The Future: Accessible Open Space in 2030?


The Challenge

• The GI plan for London is largely theoretical • London Councils claims a reduction in spend over the past four

years, saying that spending on open spaces has fallen by 18 per cent

• According to CIPFA the total spend has been remarkably steady since 2011-12 at around £165M

• The data show incredible discrepancies • The latest available CIPFA figures 2013-14 show the net cost of

London’s parks including capital charges (including the GLA) is £156M.

• The total net cost for GI in London (including TRP, CoL, et al) is not easily available, but I estimate it to be £200M+.

The major challenge is to protect the GI we have, let alone enhance it


Variation in expenditure over a three year period from 2011/12

Barking and Dagenham

Barnet

Bexley

Brent

Bromley

Camden

City of L

ondon

Croydon

Ealing

Enfield

Greenwich

Hackney

Hammersmith

and Fulham

Haringey

Harrow

Haverin

g

Hillingdon

Hounslow

Islington

Kensington and Chelse

a

Kingston

Lambeth

Lewisham

Merton

Newham

Redbridge

Richmond

SouthwarkSutton

Tower Hamlets

Waltham Forest

Wandsworth

Westminste

r -

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

Exp 2011_2012 Exp 2012_2013 Exp 2013_2014

Produced by Occam’s Razor Consulting Ltd 2015


CIPFA Total Open Space Expenditure (including capital charges) 2013/14

2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 £166,547,000 £163,420,000 £179,026,000


The Challenge (contd)

• Whatever the actual cost, it is clear that the fragmentation of ownership and management of GI results in a huge duplication of effort at several levels;

• political oversight• executive management• senior and middle management (although fewer Heads of Parks) • service providers (DLO and contractors)

• London's population: 10m by early 2020s and 11m by 2050 (a 37% increase since 2011) - where are these people going to live?

• The real risk is the piecemeal selling off of parts of parks• My contention is that if we don't act now to protect GI, in 10-15

years we will wish we had


The Opportunity

• There is widespread acceptance of the health and wellbeing benefits of access to GI

• Anecdotally, many professionals in the sector believe that the time has come for concerted action to protect GI

• Some of the existing management models are themselves being questioned e.g. TRP, LVRPA

• GI has huge capacity to reduce flood risk and improve air quality

• There may be a real opportunity for the Mayor to show leadership on this issue


The Concept• A Green Infrastructure Board for London (LGIB) not dissimilar

to the London Waste and Recycling Authority• The LGIB would co-ordinate investment in and oversee the

management of green space within the GLA area above the size of 60 ha (Metropolitan & Regional parks)

• I would include under the LGIB the green space currently managed by:• London Boroughs• Lee Valley Regional Park Authority (within GLA boundary)• The Queen Elizabeth Park (ultimately)• Local authority housing land not demised to a RSL• The GLA (Transport for London, etc)• The Corporation of London• The Royal Parks


The Concept (contd)

• I do not propose to include green space;• managed by government departments e.g.

Environment Agency• already managed by the third sector e.g. Alexandra

Palace Park, Highgate Cemetery• demised to housing associations• already demised to a former agency e.g. Canal &

River Trust• managed by Network Rail


The Concept (contd)

• Other concepts (or proposals) for “reimagining” GI in London

are available!• I shall not comment on those beyond highlighting what my

concept does that the above does not;• It would not be “self-funding” although it would save

money• It would be a charity (e.g. a CIO) with statutory powers, like

the Canal & River Trust, RSPCA, RNLI,• It would have some land use planning duties

• It would have a suite of tools, incentives and powers to influence management to ensure the networks meets strategic objectives as a well as local needs


The Benefits• Reduced costs by removal of duplication of effort:

• one (admittedly large) Board• one Chief Executive, Operations Director, etc.• one function for procurement, marketing, etc.

• It would attract top calibre management • The London Green Grid or other GI strategy could be

implemented• Hugely increased influence and advocacy for GI• Game changing purchasing and procurement • It would retain capital receipts from sale or lease of land and

invest it in infrastructure improvements e.g. SUDS• It could be the recipient of endowments and philanthropic

donations• It would require that every borough, or group of• boroughs, had a small GI team


Implementation• The LGIB would be enacted via Act of Parliament • The land would be demised to LGIB under a long lease, a

licence to occupy or licence to operate • Ownership of land would NOT be transferred (too costly and

controversial)• Funding would come from a precept on every resident of

London (replacing the LVRPA precept) plus an investment vehicle

• Disposal of land would be approved by the LGIB IAW the London Green Grid and Local Plans – receipts would be invested in the service

• Maintenance budgets would be set for each participatory authority based on the mean of their past 5 years’ spend.


Problems Foreseen

• Lack of political support • Time – understanding the implications of the LGIB,

councils will sell off land and/or transfer management as quickly as they can

• Money – unless consensus among the main players can be achieved, legal challenges could prove very expensive and time consuming

• Impetus – a more strategic approach has been attractive for some time, so why has it not happened yet?


Thank you for listening

Any Questions?

Andrew Gill [email protected]

London Green Infrastructure Task Force Stakeholder Forum 31 July 2015

lgib andrew gill 31.07.15 (final))

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