Biodiversity strategy and delivery plan: fairer Scotland duty assessment

Access to green space

An outcome of the strategy is the creation of nature rich environments in towns and cities close to all communities contributing to nature networks and measurable increases in urban biodiversity. Evidence suggests that people who experience socio-economic disadvantage may be more restricted in their access to green space.

In the most recent years access to green/blue space was lowest in the most deprived quintile of areas (62% in SIMD 1 compared with 73% in SIMD 4). Also in 2018, people in SIMD 1 were least likely to make visits to the outdoors (43%), while those in SIMD 5 were most likely (66%.) The Scottish Household Survey Key Findings (2020) found that adults living most deprived areas were more likely not to have not made any visits to the outdoors in the past 12 months compared to those in least deprived areas.

The Scottish Household Survey 2021 reported that most adults (70%) living within a five-minute walk of their nearest area of green or blue space in 2021, was around the same proportion as 2020 (68%). This proportion was lower for adults in the 20% most deprived areas (62%) compared to other areas (all 70% or above)

However, those who lived closer to their nearest green or blue space were more likely to use it more frequently: 59% of those living within five minutes' walk visited every day or several times a week compared to 17% of the smaller proportion living more than ten minutes' walk away. Furthermore, the proportion of people who lived more than ten minutes' walk from their nearest green or blue space and who did not use it at all (27%) was more than double the corresponding proportion of people who lived within five minutes' walk (11%).

This evidence suggests that living in close proximity to green space increases visits to the outdoors, which will consequently improve the health and wellbeing of those communities. People living in areas of multiple deprivation are more likely to suffer ill-health and it is well documented that time spent outdoors in nature has multiple benefits for physical and mental health.