The value of parks
and green estate in Birmingham, in terms of what they offer to all aspects of
life in the city, has been calculated as £11billion.
An academic study,
led by Birmingham City Council and the Consultancy for Environmental Economics
& Policy, reached the conclusion – with the city council now looking at
ways to unlock this potential to maximise the benefits for citizens and
visitors.
In summary, the key
findings of the report, entitled Birmingham Health Economic Assessment & Natural
Capital Accounts: Revealing the True Value of Council-managed Parks and Green
Estate, are as follows:
- Parks, greenspaces and
allotments (covering an area of 4,700 ha) managed by Birmingham City
Council have a total net Natural Capital asset value in the order of £11
billion (over a 25-year period);
- Each £1 the Council invests
in its parks and greenspaces returns over £24 to society
- Physical and mental health
benefits provided by Birmingham’s Parks and Greenspaces are expected to
add more than 3,300 Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) each year (83,000
over 25 years);
- Council-managed woodlands
capture more than 350 tonnes of pollutants each year, avoiding
approximately 28 deaths, adding 489 life years for citizens and avoiding
133 hospital admissions;
- The total health benefits
provided by Council-managed parks and greenspaces are valued at nearly
£4.1 billion (part of the overall £11billion);
- Parks and greenspaces managed
by Birmingham City Council store more than 2.1 million tonnes of CO2 over
a 25-year period;
- Nearly 7,300 Council-managed
allotments are estimated to produce 2.9 tonnes of food each year with a
value of approximately £4.3million.
Funding of £900,000
for the city, recently announced by National Trust and The National Lottery
Heritage Fund, and MHCLG, from its ground-breaking Future Parks programme, will
be used to shape delivery models for parks services to tap into the full value
of such settings.
Cllr John O’Shea,
Cabinet Member for Street Scene and Parks at Birmingham City Council said: “Our
parks and open spaces are great places and a jewel in our crown. They are loved
by citizens and the many thousands of visitors they attract on a weekly basis.
“Conventional
financial accounts only tell part of the story because external benefits
provided by Natural Capital are not usually included. What this report does is
methodically look at what value they bring from a health, well-being and
economic perspective, with staggering positive conclusions.
“The creation and
development of parks were hard fought for in the early years of Birmingham’s
history as a city 130 years ago. Thanks to that determination and long-term
vision we now have 591 parks and open spaces – more than any other European
city. As the current generation of custodians, it is our duty to ensure their
promise is fully realised.
“The study is a
prompt to focus our efforts, working in partnership with community groups and
citizens to achieve this. I am excited by what the future holds for our open
spaces and look forward to working towards unlocking this potential.”
The full report can
be viewed here.
A supporting infographic is also availablefor download.
