Telford & Wrekin Council officials aware of ‘greenwashing’ risk from new Green Pledge scheme
Owners of estates where residents pay a management fee to look after green spaces will be encouraged to join a new council scheme.
The Green Pledge is looking for non-council owners of land across the borough to sign an agreement with Telford & Wrekin Council to look after their open spaces.
Senior councillors agreed at a meeting on Thursday (June 19) to approve the new scheme to help provide “peace of mind for residents that their community green space will be managed well in the long term".
“The Green Pledge will provide long-term management and safeguarding of green spaces of local importance, which are not in council ownership,” said a report presented by Councillor Carolyn Healy (Labour, Ironbridge Gorge) the Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, Planning & Sustainability.
Councillors say they want to make sure that owners who sign up are not ‘greenwashing’, or joining for the kudos and then doing nothing or very little.
Council officers say the company or organisation responsible for the Green Pledge site will also have access to marketing materials to support the promotion of the site.
Officers believe that the Green Pledge could assist developers to sell homes.
The report read: “These materials could be very valuable on residential developments where the quality and long-term management of the open space is often a selling point for potential residents, encouraging higher uptake of the housing offered, as well as providing peace of mind for residents that their community green space will be managed well in the long term.”
The report said officials are aware of possible ‘greenwashing’ and reputational risks of awarding Green Pledge status to sites which have been mismanaged historically, or are under scrutiny for poor management.
Councillors also said they believe that the benefits of living close to accessible green spaces include decreased levels of obesity, heart disease and diabetes as well as lower levels of stress.
Other examples of potential Green Pledge sites could include land managed by local museum trusts or utilities providers, or land owned by businesses in industrial estates.
The report said that the “borough is approximately 90 per cent green space, with roads, buildings, roofs, footpaths and carparks making up only 10 per cent of the land coverage".
The council anticipates that it won’t incur any costs for management or maintenance of these sites.
Officers say that funding from the private sector, Section 106 development agreements and other infrastructure investment funding can be sought to assist in the maintenance and management of play and sports facilities and other site infrastructure where it has been secured against a particular need in that area.
