flood risk mitigation, cooling/shading, carbon storage or food production1. The green wedges within Leicestershire provide all these functions providing open space and recreational facilities within easy reach of urban residents; through the penetration of urban areas, they preserve and promote green and blue networks and landscape and wildlife corridors between the countryside and urban areas. They also provide flood risk management measures, such as the Knighton Park flood storage area (LCC) as well as build in climate resilience by supporting ecological networks and sites of great ecological importance, such as Groby Pool and Wood SSSI (HBBC).
2.17 Paragraph 131 of the NPPF highlights that 'The creation of high quality, beautiful and sustainable buildings and places is fundamental to what the planning and development process should achieve'. Green wedges enable green space to integrate into the urban fabric providing a design feature which is fundamental to the urban areas it penetrates as it helps to define neighbourhoods from each other, brings the countryside into the urban area and provides movement corridors for the community and wildlife. These interactions mean that the green wedge ensures better quality development for people to live and work and can help guide master planning work.
2.18 Paragraph 157 of the Framework notes that 'The planning system should support the transition to a low carbon future in a changing climate, taking full account of flood risk and coastal change. It should help to: shape places in ways that contribute to radical reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, minimise vulnerability and improve resilience; encourage the reuse of existing resources, including the conversion of existing buildings; and support renewable and low carbon energy and associated infrastructure'.
2.19 Paragraph 158 continues that 'Plans should take a proactive approach to mitigating and adapting to climate change, taking into account the long-term implications for flood risk, coastal change, water supply, biodiversity and landscapes, and the risk of overheating from rising temperatures. Policies should support appropriate measures to ensure the future resilience of communities and infrastructure to climate change impacts, such as providing space for physical protection measures, or making provision for the possible future relocation of vulnerable development and infrastructure'.
2.20 Green wedges provide a proactive approach to mitigating and adapting to climate change by providing opportunities for:
Mitigating Climate Change
Adapting to Climate Change
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