Council launches consultation on local green spaces

Today sees the launch of a consultation on Southampton’s Green Grid which is being developed by Southampton City Council with assistance from the University of Southampton’s GeoData department

This consultation is seeking thoughts from residents and visitors on the green spaces around them, with the information collected being used to improve and connect our green spaces to help create a healthier place to live for people and wildlife.

The Green Grid will be the city’s network of green and blue infrastructure, making Southampton more resilient to climate change, reconnecting the city for wildlife and people. The outcome of the consultation will help inform where green space is lacking, establish what residents want in their greenspaces and highlight where important 'green' connections are missing.

The consultation is designed for people to simply drop a pin on an interactive map, adding in feelings and comments on specific areas as well as being able to add further comments or agreements on other people's pins. Each pin dropped can take as little as two minutes and is a fun way to express thoughts. Not only does the consultation have an interactive map, it also provides the optional opportunity for respondents to dive deeper into areas that might interest them such as Biodiversity, Health and Wellbeing, and Recreation.

Councillor Steven Galton, Cabinet member for Environment says: “As part of Our Greener City plans we are determined to improve our environment across the city. We are looking forward to hearing about the green spaces that matter the most to you and what we can do in your opinion; to improve, connect and manage those spaces. This is an opportunity for you to have your say, so please do spend just a few minutes helping shape our green ambition for the future of Our Greener City – our Southampton!”

The consultation is open until 18 March and can be found by going to Green Grid.

Some paper copies of the survey will be available in the libraries across the city from 21 February.

GeoData is an enterprise group within the University of Southampton that engages in impactful research addressing social and environmental challenges. GeoData’s expertise extends into open data management, analysis and processing. As part of the Greener City work, GeoData have collated and analysed over 90 data sets to produce a detailed report and set of maps which, together with the feedback from the consultation process, will be used to design a Green Grid for the city.