Natural England

Growth Areas - helping to deliver sustainable communities

These areas will see significant change, particularly in housing, education, transport, the environment and public space.   The Government promises high-quality development that will make these attractive places in which to live.   Much of the change will take place on the fringes of existing towns and cities. 

Natural England believes that all development should be of high quality so that it brings positive benefits, ‘net gain,’ to the area and believes that exemplary standards can be achieved in the urban fringe.

The techniques we are promoting in the growth areas are intended to set the standards for development throughout England.  They include:  

• choosing and understanding sites 
• involving communities 
• creating and accessing green space that delivers functional and cost effective benefits to regeneration and development            

Within our Guidance and good practice section you will find further information about the many tried and tested tools and techniques that can be employed to achieve high qulaity development and an enhanced rural urban fringe landscape.

Our work also includes:

• Contributing our experience and knowledge to national policy for growth and development and to strategies to create the right frameworks for quality development.
• Undertaking research to identify how to bring the benefits of growth to surrounding rural areas, and marshalling the evidence for investing in sustainable development.         

Thames Gateway video
'Out to Play in the Thames Gateway' is a film which stars young people voicing their views on the local environment. In the film, the young people speak about the importance of green spaces in new developments.