3. A framework for a better Rochford

We are pleased to see that open spaces will be safeguarded. In terms of a sustainable Rochford, the Woodland Trust would like to see trees and woods noted as an important part of sustainability.

Public health is one of the biggest challenges facing modern society. Easily accessible woods close to residential areas provide measurable benefits: they encourage people to exercise; help reduce the mental stresses of modern society; improve air quality and reduce respiratory diseases.

Woods make particularly outstanding greenspaces for public access because of the experience of nature they provide, their visual prominence alongside buildings which offers balance between the built and natural worlds, their low maintenance costs and their ability to accommodate large numbers of visitors.

The recent public health white paper (Healthy Lives, Healthy People; Nov 2010) states that: "Access to green spaces is associated with better mental and physical health across socioeconomic groups." and that "Defra will lead a national campaign to increase tree planting throughout England, particularly in areas where tree cover would help to improve residents' quality of life and reduce the negative effects of deprivation, including health inequalities.

The Woodland Trust believes that proximity and access to woodland is a key issue linking the environment with health and wellbeing provision.

Recognising this, the Woodland Trust has researched and developed the Woodland Access Standard (WASt) for local authorities to aim for, encapsulated in our Space for People publication. We believe that the WASt can be an important policy tool complimenting other access standards used in delivering green infrastructure for health benefits.

The WASt is complimentary to Natural England's ANGST+ and is endorsed by Natural England. The Woodland Trust Woodland Access Standard recommends:
- that no person should live more than 500m from at least one area of accessible woodland of no less than 2ha in size.
- that there should also be at least one area of accessible woodland of no less than 20ha within 4km (8km round-trip) of people's homes.

Applying this standard in Rochford, 21.1% of people have access to a 2ha+ wood within 500m and 84.2% have access to a 20ha wood within 4km. This compares to 24.6% and 90.5% respectively for nearby Basildon.

This presents an excellent opportunity for creating more accessible woodland to improve health & well being opportunities for sustainable communities and neighbourhoods. The data used can be supplied free of charge by the Woodland Trust both in map and in numerical/GIS form.

Trees within our towns and cities also provide a huge number of benefits and services as outlined in guidance produced by the Trees and Design Action Group - 'No Trees, No Future' (Trees and Design Action Group, 2010): 'There is a growing body of evidence that trees in urban areas bring a wide range of benefits.

Economic benefits of urban trees:
* Trees can increase property values by 7-15 per cent.
* As trees grow larger, the lift they give to property values grows proportionately.
* They can improve the environmental performance of buildings by reducing heating and cooling costs, thereby cutting bills.
* Mature landscapes with trees can be worth more as development sites.
* Trees create a positive perception of a place for potential property buyers.
* Urban trees improve the health of local populations, reducing healthcare costs.
* Trees can enhance the prospect of securing planning permission.
* They can provide a potential long-term renewable energy resource.

Social benefits of urban trees:
* Trees help create a sense of place and local identity.
* They benefit communities by increasing pride in the local area.
* They create focal points and landmarks.
* They have a positive impact on people's physical and mental health.
* They have a positive impact on crime reduction.
Environmental benefits of urban trees:
* Urban trees reduce the 'urban heat island effect' of localised temperature extremes.
* They provide shade, making streets and buildings cooler in summer.
* They help remove dust and particulates from the air.
* They help to reduce traffic noise by absorbing and deflecting sound.
* They help to reduce wind speeds.
* By providing food and shelter for wildlife they help increase biodiversity.
* They reduce the effects of flash flooding by slowing the rate at which rainfall reaches the ground.
* When planted on polluted ground they help improve its quality.

The Rochford Area Action Plan makes welcome references and statements to Sustainable Development as part of Rochford planning and policy context, for instance on pages 10 and 23 of the document. However, it is not clear how the Area Action Plan will ensure that development within Rochford will be sustainable and resilient to the effects from extreme weather patterns/events experienced now and from future changes to our climate, for example, surface water flooding. It is considered that the Rochford Action Area Plan should positively complement content within the Core Strategy, for instance paragraph 8.3 (page 77), and the Development Management Document, for instance paragraph 2.5 (page 16), where the importance of reducing the District's carbon emissions and adapting to climate change at a local level is recognised.

To provide the necessary clarity on this issue the Submission Document should be altered by inclusion in Section 3.1, after the paragraph beginning 'Good accessibility -...', a new additional paragraph to read,

'Rochford, like many other Towns, will be vulnerable to unavoidable climate change and extreme weather events in the future, such as surface water flooding and exposure to extremely high and cold temperatures. To ensure the sustainability of Rochford's economy, continued preservation of the historic fabric and protection of green-spaces in the long-term development proposals will be required to take account of, and be adaptable to, the expected changes in local climate conditions, throughout the proposed lifetime of the development. All new developments should reduce predicted CO2 emissions using a combination of building performance improvements, small scale on-site renewable energy and/or efficient supply of heat, cooling and power.'