Comment

Representation ID: 15291

Received: 11/10/2021

Respondent: Natural England

5 Health and Wellbeing

We would add that public access/closeness to wildlife rich green spaces and green infrastructure from their doorstep out into a widening landscape, where biodiversity can thrive alongside nature based solutions such as flood mitigation and, carbon storage, all contribute to mental and physical wellbeing. For example, through the Midland Heath Heartland partnership - Purple Horizons Nature Recovery Project (see Annex 1 for more details). This project aims to create, enhance and connect up fragmented heathland habitat and other wildlife-rich habitats between Cannock Chase and Sutton
Park, which will benefit local communities in escaping the urban environment to ‘recharge their internal
resilience through nature’. The health and wellbeing of people living in a very urban environment will be compromised if the Core Habitat Zones (Ref. Natural Capital Mapping 2021-contact Natural England
for further detail) within the greenbelt area are not assessed fully to accommodate these opportunities.