Green Spaces
Everyone should have access to green spaces on their doorstep, whether a community garden, city park, or rural footpaths.
Urban Green Spaces
We will create more green spaces in our towns and cities by planting street trees and funding the creation of new parks and playing fields. These spaces will provide a place for all to socialise, especially families with children and young people.
We will increase the number of – and access to – community allotments, and plant fruit and nut trees in appropriate public spaces. This will increase food security for the people of the North and improve local biodiversity.
Rural Green Spaces
We will increase access to rural green space by bringing more land into Commons ownership. Local authorities own vast tracts of land and have the powers to purchase more, and far too much land has been shut off from public use.
We will also work to expand and join up existing public rights of way to develop a nationwide system of safe, fenced, accessible walking routes so people can enjoy the beauty of the North no matter where they live. This will provide safe rights of way for the general public and protect livestock from ramblers.
Rewilding
We will rewild the North. We will plant trees, create meadows, and plant more native hedges to provide food sources and nesting sites for our endangered birds. We will fund farmers to play their part in these initiatives.
We will seed roadside verges and other suitable places with wildflowers. Wherever possible these will be continuous “wildlife corridors” to allow wildlife to move freely. This will reduce roadside pollution and protect our natural environment for all to enjoy for generations to come.
River Water Quality
We will ban the practice of dumping raw sewage into our rivers and seas and hold private water companies and other polluters accountable for the safe management of waste. We will achieve this through a well-funded and resourced regulator and embed the “polluter pays” principle into environmental regulation. We should all have the opportunity to enjoy our rivers and beaches, and polluters should pay the price for cleaning up their own mess.