Other built-up areas
The relevant priorities for built-up areas focus on increasing the amount of accessible nature-rich green and blue space, and utilising nature-based solutions to adapt to climate change and reduce urban pollution. More nature-rich space will better enable wildlife to travel through urban areas between other habitats, and will benefit people's health and wellbeing.
Reference should be made to surrounding areas to better understand how action in this area could be focused to help achieve wider priorities for nature recovery (e.g. a focus on tree planting in areas that are priorities for improving connectivity between woodlands).
Another relevant priority is to increase the number of local food growing opportunities, including allotments and community orchards, which can be hugely beneficial in reconnecting people to nature and food.
Priorities for nature recovery
Delivering the priorities for nature recovery is particularly important in the mapped Focus Areas for Nature Recovery. ‘Landscape recovery’ measures, which will have the biggest impact on nature recovery, are particularly relevant in these Focus Areas.
There are more waterbodies that are in good ecological status and support thriving populations of fish and other freshwater wildlife.
| Measures | Most relevant to | Land type | Indicative level of land-use impact for nature |
| Reduce the use of artificial sports pitches with ‘rubber crumb’ infill, which can leach into aquatic environments in significant quantities (and is also thought to be harmful to human health), in favour of more environmentally friendly options. | Local Government Businesses |
N/A | N/A |
| Reduce urban run-off by upgrading existing drainage infrastructure, installing sustainable urban drainage (SuDs) features, and ensuring new developments have suitable water management and drainage infrastructure* | Local Government Businesses |
Development and regeneration; Streets | N/A |
| Reduce other sources of plastic pollution, including single use plastics and other sources of microplastics (such as some cosmetic products) | Businesses Communities |
N/A | N/A |
| Use constructed wetlands to address pollution from urban and transport outfalls* | Businesses | N/A | N/A |
| Measures | Most relevant to | Land type | Indicative level of land-use impact for nature |
| Integrate wildlife-friendly measures into homes and other developments, such as nest-hole bricks, and bird and bat boxes | Businesses Communities |
Parks and larger spaces; Development and regeneration; Streets; Gardens and other outdoor space | N/A |
| Install swift boxes on buildings and homes to provide nesting sites | Businesses Communities |
Parks and larger spaces; Development and regeneration; Gardens and other outdoor space | N/A |
| Improve roadside verge management for nature, using an appropriate cutting regime to encourage floral diversity | Local Government | Streets | N/A |
| Create more nature-rich space in gardens and other private spaces, such as native shrubs and flowers | Businesses Communities |
Gardens and other outdoor space | N/A |
| Avoid using pesticides or compost with peat in it | Businesses Communities |
Gardens and other outdoor space | N/A |
| Include ponds and other safe water features for wildlife in gardens | Businesses Communities |
Gardens and other outdoor space | N/A |
| Retrofit wildlife kerbs to existing gullies, particularly near existing nature sites, and install wildlife kerbs on new gullies as standard. This will provide safe passage for amphibians and small mammals around road gullies and drainage openings | Local Government | Streets | N/A |
| Reduce recreational pressure on woodlands and other habitat in urban areas through maintaining clear paths, keeping dogs on leads, and setting aside non-accessible areas for wildlife where practical | Local Government | Parks and larger spaces | N/A |
| Measures | Most relevant to | Land type | Indicative level of land-use impact for nature |
| Increase the area of parks and public spaces managed for nature, including establishing more wildflower meadows or areas of unmown grass | Local Government | Parks and larger spaces; Development and regeneration; Streets | N/A |
| Create pocket parks in unused spaces, prioritising areas with least access to local green space and the highest vulnerability to the urban heat island effect and air pollution | Local Government | Parks and larger spaces; Streets | N/A |
| Design and deliver new housing developments with sufficient accessible, nature-rich spaces for residents (meeting Building with Nature Standards) | Businesses Local Government |
Development and regeneration | N/A |
There is greater tree canopy cover in towns and cities, benefitting urban wildlife, helping adapt to climate change, and improving people’s wellbeing.
| Measures | Most relevant to | Land type | Indicative level of land-use impact for nature |
| Plant new street trees, ideally native species that will most benefit wildlife, prioritising areas with low tree cover and sites that will most benefit from shade for urban cooling | Local Government | Streets | N/A |
| Plant trees, ideally native species that will most benefit wildlife, in gardens and other private spaces | Businesses Communities |
Parks and larger spaces; Development and regeneration; Gardens and other outdoor space | N/A |
There is more community food growing close to where people live, including local agroecological/regenerative agriculture, allotments and community orchards.
| Measures | Most relevant to | Land type | Indicative level of land-use impact for nature |
| Create new allotment sites to provide residents with local, sustainable food growing opportunities | Local Government | Parks and larger spaces; Development and regeneration | N/A |
| Establish other local community food-growing enterprises, such as community farms | Local Government Communities |
Parks and larger spaces; Development and regeneration | N/A |
| Create community orchards, ideally with local varieties of fruits, to provide local food and benefit wildlife | Local Government Communities |
Parks and larger spaces; Development and regeneration | N/A |
Nature-based solutions are widely used to increase the resilience of our population centres to climate change, including to heat stress and flooding.
| Measures | Most relevant to | Land type | Indicative level of land-use impact for nature |
| Install green walls and green roofs on new and existing buildings, helping to cool urban areas and provide more space for nature | Businesses | Parks and larger spaces; Development and regeneration; Gardens and other outdoor space | N/A |
| Remove hard-standing surfaces in favour of permeable surfaces (ideally natural, green ones that also benefit wildlife) to reduce surface water flooding | Businesses Communities |
Parks and larger spaces; Development and regeneration; Streets; Gardens and other outdoor space | N/A |
| Integrate natural features such as swales, wetlands and raingardens to attenuate water within developments and provide additional habitat for wildlife | Businesses | Parks and larger spaces; Development and regeneration | N/A |
Relevant priority species
- Hedgehog
- House Sparrow
- Swift