Hull's green spaces 'vulnerable' to developers - charity

Hull is the second largest city in England with no designated Green Belt, the CPRE said

None of Hull's green spaces have the classification needed to protect them from development, an environmental charity has said.

Local Green Space (LGS) designations protect small areas of land for reasons such as their beauty and wildlife.

But none have been issued in Hull, according to the the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE).

Hull City Council said its green spaces were protected by a policy in its 2017 Local Plan.

The city is the second largest in the country to have no designated Green Belt, CPRE said.

The campaign said the city has more than 100 parks, 26 conservation areas, two registered parks and other open spaces.

But it claimed the council had done "nothing to address the lack of LGS designations" in its most recent Local Plan, which maps out what land can be used for.

As a result, the city's urban greenspace is "vulnerable" to pressures from developers, the CPRE said.

'Safeguard parks'

Brad Taylor, author of a report on the country's green spaces, said Hull's residents "must be empowered to engage in the local and neighbourhood planning processes that will help to secure LGS designations and safeguard their parks, playing fields and other important places for generations to come".

"Hull's green spaces are there for everyone to enjoy - everyone needs to be involved in deciding how to protect them," he added.

Councils decide what land is designated as Green Belt when they set their Local Plans, according to the government.

A Hull City Council spokesperson said: "Green spaces within the city's boundary, the majority of which are parks and school playing fields, are protected by Policy 42 of the Hull Local Plan which was adopted in 2017."