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The Problem

In the last decade there has been a decrease of up to 50% in the level of planting and green space appearing on planning proposals for new urban developments.

Only around half of the planting promised is ever delivered by developers.

The 2008 Greening the UK survey of councillors found that: 

  • 71% of councillors experienced occasions during the past year when a developer failed to deliver its planting commitments. 28% said this happened frequently or very frequently 
  • 73% of councillors’ local authorities never took action against developers that failed to deliver its planning commitments 
  • 56% of councillors’ local authorities never or very rarely undertook site inspections 
  • 29% of councillors could describe the level of planting in their council’s urban areas as either ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ 
  • 53% of all councillors’ local authorities offered community planting schemes 
  • 47% of councillors said their council’s urban areas had ‘only a few’ or ‘hardly any’ trees on the average street 
  • 88% of councillors said green roofs were rare or have never seen one in their council area 
  • 8% did not know what a green roof is


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Last updated: 02/11/2009 14:45