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Put health at the heart of green space

12-02-2025

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Case study

Guidance

When nature lives nearby, we all feel the benefits. Better access to high-quality, nature-rich green and blue spaces improves health and wellbeing for local communities.
Health & wellbeing - Green prescribing
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©National Trust Images / John Millar

Working together to put health at the heart of green and blue space

Spending time outdoors is proven to be beneficial for our physical and mental wellbeing. Champion the mutual benefits that this can bring for people and nature by putting health at the heart of your green and blue space.

Victorians first recognised that access to green space in towns and cities can support public health. Many of their parks and gardens remain at the heart of local community culture today.

More recently, the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of welcoming green space close to home – yet millions of people in urban areas still don’t have access.

It’s reflected in public policy, too. The Defra 25 Year Environment Plan calls for access to the natural environment to be woven into local Health and Wellbeing Board strategies.

This presents an opportunity for local authorities to develop new, cross-sector partnerships that not only tackle health and access inequalities but deliver benefits for nature too.

Parks for the people in Camden and Islington

The teams at Camden and Islington Borough Councils work with partners across the health and volunteering sectors to give people and nature a helping hand. Hear their reflections on how their ‘Parks for Health’ strategy is re-framing public parks and green spaces as health assets for the whole community.

Read the strategy to discover their vision
A group of people stood on mats practising yoga in an orchard.

©National Trust Images / Annapurna Mellor

"It’s about how we stop people falling into ill health so they don’t need to go to the doctor or the hospital, and parks offer the infrastructure to help with that.”

Ollie Jones - Director of Recreation, London Borough of Camden

Three young people walk down a path in a park. There is trees and housing in the background.

©National Trust Images Rob Stothard

“It’s great to see GPs really getting on board with green social prescribing. We can use parks to deliver health interventions like physio or talking therapy – being in a green space adds to overall wellbeing."

Cerdic Hall - Head of Recovery, Involvement & Engagement at North London NHS Foundation Trust

Volunteers leaning over to plant trees with spades.

©National Trust Images Rob Stothard

“Partnerships with local groups, charities and organisations are key. Thinking in this way also opened us up to joint funding bids, which create a really powerful opportunity to deliver benefits to the wider community.”

Barry Emmerson - Head of Parks, Sports and Physical Activity at London Borough of Islington

A woman take a picture on her phone of some blossom on a tree.

©National Trust Images Rob Stothard

“A community group of Muslim women told us they don’t like dogs. We explained that we have dog-free parks, so they can feel more comfortable and engaged in their local green spaces.”

Barry Emmerson - Head of Parks, Sports and Physical Activity at London Borough of Islington

A group of people walk down a path in a park.

©National Trust Images Rob Stothard

“These green gems provide the space to exercise our bodies and our minds and facilitate the connectivity that we thrive on. Our parks are our outdoor community hubs.”

Octopus Community Network member, Islington

Essential health assets with significant financial benefits

Investment in parks and green spaces is a cost-effective way to promote health and wellbeing. Research shows it can deliver significant savings for the NHS and value for local residents.

£800m

is saved in health costs each year thanks to urban vegetation.

The saving is made because it helps to remove air pollution in towns and cities.

See the ONS data

-45%

is the reduction in risk of poor health by spending time in nature.

People are less likely to suffer health issues if they take just two hours out to visit green space each week.

Read the report

£185m

is saved in mental health treatments by regular visits to woodlands.

This is because people who visit woodlands often are less likely to suffer from depression and anxiety.

See the stats

£3.91

is the value gained per £1 spent on community sport and physical activity.

This return is due in part to the benefits it generates for people and communities.

Visit Sport England.

How to put health at the heart of parks and green spaces

The ten steps in this guide can help you deliver greater health benefits for communities in your parks and green spaces. They’re designed to be followed and revisited in the order that’s most appropriate for your place. Click below for a snapshot of what’s covered in each step, or download the full guide with examples via the button on the right.

Download the full guide (English) Download the full guide (Welsh)

1

Assess green space infrastructure

2

Look at the health data

3

Know your communities

4

Work with public health

5

Activate your green spaces

6

Empower your communities

7

Market your green spaces

8

Invest in your workforce

9

Make an investment case

10

Embed within a strategy

Ways to cross-pollinate nature and health policies

When nature thrives, we all feel the benefits. Bring environment and health ambitions closer through existing policies and strategies, to help create stronger and more resilient communities, green spaces and cross-sector partnerships.

Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA)

A JSNA looks at the health and social care needs of local communities. Include better access to green spaces, to give both people and nature a helping hand. Initiatives could range from green social prescribing for mental health, to nature-based interventions like community gardening.

See South Tees' example
See South Tees' example
Two people tipping a wheelbarrow of soil into a raised bed.

NHS Infrastructure Plans

NHS Infrastructure Plans deliver a 10-year strategy for NHS estates. From occupational therapy gardens to pollinator-friendly planting in hospital courtyards, plans can improve wellbeing and support nature recovery at the same time. Have you seen a great example of this?

Email us if you've seen an example
Email us if you've seen an example

Green Infrastructure (GI) strategies

GI strategies can help build natural features into urban environments. They’re a framework for quality green and blue spaces that address health inequalities too. Natural England’s Green Infrastructure Framework has advice and tools to focus efforts where access to nature is low.

Read Manchester’s Green Infrastructure Strategy
Read Manchester’s Green Infrastructure Strategy

Local Development Plans (LDP)

LDPs set out a vision and framework for area development. The National Planning Policy Framework outlines key elements to include within environment and social health. Ask people living locally to feed in how access to quality green spaces could benefit their wellbeing.

Email us if you've seen an example
Email us if you've seen an example

Biodiversity net gain (BNG)

BNG is a mandatory planning regulation. It presents opportunities for landowners, including local authorities and the NHS, to establish new revenue streams that create high-quality green spaces to benefit people and nature. Bring healthcare partners into the planning process to extend wellbeing benefits further.

Visit Natural England for more
Visit Natural England for more

Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS)

An LNRS can identify opportunities to protect and restoring natural habitats, whilst also protecting and improving the health of local communities. Engage people from health and voluntary sectors, to help increase the number of cross-sector champions for wider nature recovery programmes.

Discover West of England's LNRS
Discover West of England's LNRS

Social prescribing

Social prescribing, including nature-based activities like green social prescribing, helps improve peoples’ physical and mental health. Initiatives such as local walking groups, community gardening and park arts schemes can enhance the quantity and quality of local green spaces, and social wellbeing

Read Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership's strategy
Read Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership's strategy

NHS England Green Plans

NHS England Green Plans support the NHS’ commitment to net zero carbon emissions. NHS and environment partners can join up to plan how these spaces can support health, wellbeing and biodiversity. From hospital orchards to mini meadows on healthcare sites.

See a Green Plan example
See a Green Plan example

Discover more about managing green spaces for health

Camden & Islington Councils’ Parks for Health Strategy

Natural Capital Account for London by Vivid Economics

Sport England blog

Centre for Sustainable Healthcare 'Nature for Health' resource hub