Green Infrastructure

A high quality environment is important to investors, residents and those considering relocating to Kent. Ensuring a quality landscape is in the interests of developers in order to attract investment and developments which are integrated into their locality succeed and contribute to local regeneration.

In Ashford and Thames Gateway Kent, the approach to green infrastructure is ensuring that landscape quality, recreation, access and wildlife are of increasing importance in development. This includes high environmental standards for developments and linking green infrastructure to the surrounding areas. This approach has already attracted investment from government and other sources through the £10.5m Parklands Programme and targeted Growth Area funding.

In Ashford the quality of the location is echoed in a network of planned open space and waterways. The Green and Blue Grid Strategy aims to make the most of these assets to benefit new and existing communities and identifies green infrastructure across the Growth Area to assist developers.

Greening the Gateway Kent & Medway aims to provide green infrastructure, recreational spaces and linkages to countryside and estuaries. This will support regeneration and help developers add value to their sites. Local partners work with developers to secure investment for green infrastructure delivery to benefit areas beyond the development sites. Assembly of compensatory land from developments is creating green space with ongoing land management to benefit wildlife. This focus on green infrastructure brings investor confidence, enhances perceptions of an area and raises the quality of life for residents.