The Welsh Government have announced plans to invest more than £8.1bn in Green Infrastructure over the next three years, to tackle climate and nature emergency within Wales’ new Infrastructure Investment Strategy.
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The Welsh Government have announced plans to invest more than £8.1bn in Green Infrastructure over the next three years, to tackle climate and nature emergency within Wales’ new Infrastructure Investment Strategy.
Minister for Finance and Local Government, Rebecca Evans, said:
"The overarching ambition of our investment will be to tackle the climate and nature emergency. It will be to ensure we have the infrastructure in place to support the Wales we want to hand on to future generations – a stronger, fairer, greener Wales."
Between now and 2025 £770m will support public transport – with a £585m investment in rail and a £185m investment in bus travel. This will provide newer and greener rolling stock, continue development of the Core Valley Lines, and support integrated transport through Metro schemes.
The Welsh Government have announced a consultation on improving active travel and bus routes between Cardiff and Newport. This consultation will gain views on options to improve active travel and bus routes on the A48 and NCN88.
The strategy will also support the creation of a "National Forest", and improve access to landscapes and outdoor recreation through investment in designated landscapes and the development of the Wales Coast Path, National Trails and Public Rights of Way network. In total more than £153m will be spent to support Wales’ nature and environment.
Deputy Minister for Climate Change, Lee Waters, said:
"By investing in infrastructure we’ll open up greener forms of transport to more people, providing more choice in how we’re all able to get around. And infrastructure is about more than our built environments; we’re dedicating significant funding to enhance Wales’ natural spaces, including through the National Forest. We want to encourage people’s connection to nature and through it support their wellbeing."
Green infrastructure is a network of multi-functional green space, urban and rural, which is capable of delivering a wide range of environmental and quality of life benefits for local communities.
There are multiple benefits resulting from green infrastructure, including improved resilience to severe weather and climate change, better air and water quality, the encouragement of walking and cycling, and enhanced biodiversity.
Climate change is leading to more severe weather events such as heatwaves, droughts and heavy rainfall. The risk of flooding increases year on year, with more frequent and intense storms resulting in a build-up of significant quantities of surface water runoff, and existing networks of sewers can become overwhelmed: green infrastructure can help address these challenges.
Green infrastructure also has a role to play in the creation of better places and according to the World Health Organization green urban spaces “support and facilitate health and well-being by enabling stress alleviation and relaxation, physical activity, improved social interaction and community cohesiveness. Health benefits include improved levels of mental health, physical fitness and cognitive and immune function, as well as lower mortality rates in general”.
Investing in and integrating green / blue infrastructure is fundamental to meet environmental demands, improve resilience to climate change, promote healthy economies and provide vital public space for communities.
CIHT are developing a policy piece to support the transport sector in delivering Green / Blue Infrastructure (GBI). This policy piece supports CIHT's Strategy 2022+ over-arching theme, climate action, and further develops on CIHT's Improving Local Highways recommendation to:
"show how the highway network will support the delivery of a carbon-neutral system, create sustainable, green, resilient, and accessible places, make transport healthier, and help the economy grow".
CIHT would welcome your views on the Welsh Government's investment in GI. Please visit CIHT Connect to provide your views.
CIHT would welcome research and case studies on green / blue infrastructure projects. Please contact technical@ciht.org.uk.
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