Greenway planning in Britain: recent work and future plans

Abstract

The author's preferred definition of a greenway, as proposed in 1995, remains: ‘a route which is good from an environmental point of view’ (Turner, 1995). This paper is concerned with the condition of British greenway planning in the first decade of the 21st century. The aim was to discover how the concept is understood and how it is being used. A questionnaire was circulated to all local authorities in the UK. An initial set of questions dealt with definition of the greenway concept. The most supported definition was ‘A linear space containing elements planned, designed and managed for multiple purposes including ecological, recreational, cultural, aesthetic and other purposes compatible with the concept of sustainable land use’. A second set of questions dealt with the status of the greenway concept. It was found that the concept was used by 33% of authorities during the past decade but that 75% expected it to become significant during the next decade. A final set of questions dealt with a greenway project selected by the responding local authority. The typical planning period for these projects was 1997–2007 and the average length was 12.9 km. The author concludes that greenways are a landscape planning tool of considerable potential. Though comparatively neglected at the end of the 20th century, there are encouraging signs relating to the prospects for open space planning in 21st century Britain.