Trudy Harrison corrected a written answer on Recreation Spaces: Urban Areas

10 October 2022 · Commons written answer · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Martyn Day (Scottish National Party, Linlithgow and East Falkirk) asked written question 51840 on 20 September 2022. Trudy Harrison answered on 28 September 2022 for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and Trudy Harrison corrected the answer on 10 October 2022. The corrected text no longer gives the figures 100, 150,000, £4.4 million, £6 million, £8 million, £9 million. Altogether 169 words differ between the two versions.

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure that local tree and plant growers are utilised in outdoor public projects in urban areas to help improve air quality.

Original and corrected answer

Struck through: original only. Bold: correction only.

Original	Corrected
We know that trees outside woodlands, including trees in urban areas, parks, and along roads and footpaths can provide many environmental benefits for ~~people, including improved~~ air quality. Through the Nature for Climate Fund we are boosting the numbers of trees near to where people live including: · up to £4.4 million available to local communities through the Local Authority Treescapes Fund to plant and establish new trees; · providing almost £8 million of financial support to local authorities to increase their capacity and specialist skills to plant and manage trees, through the ground-breaking Woodland Creation Accelerator Fund; · planting up to 150,000 large trees in ~~towns and cities across England using~~ the £6 million Urban Tree Challenge Fund; · contributing to ~~the £9 million Levelling Up Parks Fund, which will create over 100 new parks to increase access to green space in urban areas.~~ Additional funding is being provided to support tree growers and seed suppliers across England, to help meet the growing demand for trees. We have developed capital and innovation grants for the sector that will encourage the adoption of mechanisation and automation, and help enhance the quantity, quality, diversity and biosecurity of domestic tree production. Alongside this, Defra has been working closely with the Ornamental Horticulture Roundtable Group who have published an action plan 'Unlocking green growth: A plan from the ornamental horticulture & landscaping industry'. This sets out the industry's potential contributions to tackling some of the environmental challenges facing the UK, including through the use of a greater proportion of British-produced plants and trees in public sector projects, and the incorporation of more community green spaces within the urban planning process. Where Government can help, we will work with the sector to help it take advantage of the opportunities outlined in the action plan.	We know that trees outside woodlands, including trees in urban areas, parks, and along roads and footpaths can provide many environmental benefits for people. There is strong evidence that healthy, well-chosen and well placed urban trees can provide a large range of benefits valuable to the economy and to people. This includes a relatively small but beneficial impact on urban air quality. However, current evidence suggests that trees would not be enough to solve the air quality problems at a city scale. Through the Nature for Climate Fund we are boosting the numbers of trees near to where people live, investing millions of pounds in tree planting and in the skills to incorporate trees in the right places to generate maximum benefits. Additional funding is being provided to support tree growers and seed suppliers across England, to help meet the growing demand for trees. We have developed capital and innovation grants for the sector that will encourage the adoption of mechanisation and automation, and help enhance the quantity, quality, diversity and biosecurity of domestic tree production. Alongside this, Defra has been working closely with the Ornamental Horticulture Roundtable Group who have published an action plan 'Unlocking green growth: A plan from the ornamental horticulture & landscaping industry'. This sets out the industry's potential contributions to tackling some of the environmental challenges facing the UK, including through the use of a greater proportion of British-produced plants and trees in public sector projects, and the incorporation of more community green spaces within the urban planning process. Where Government can help, we will work with the sector to help it take advantage of the opportunities outlined in the action plan.

Original

Corrected

We know that trees outside woodlands, including trees in urban areas, parks, and along roads and footpaths can provide many environmental benefits for ~~people, including improved~~ air quality.
Through the Nature for Climate Fund we are boosting the numbers of trees near to where people live including:
· up to £4.4 million available to local communities through the Local Authority Treescapes Fund to plant and establish new trees;
· providing almost £8 million of financial support to local authorities to increase their capacity and specialist skills to plant and manage trees, through the ground-breaking Woodland Creation Accelerator Fund;
· planting up to 150,000 large trees in ~~towns and cities across England using~~ the £6 million Urban Tree Challenge Fund;
· contributing to ~~the £9 million Levelling Up Parks Fund, which will create over 100 new parks to increase access to green space in urban areas.~~
Additional funding is being provided to support tree growers and seed suppliers across England, to help meet the growing demand for trees. We have developed capital and innovation grants for the sector that will encourage the adoption of mechanisation and automation, and help enhance the quantity, quality, diversity and biosecurity of domestic tree production.
Alongside this, Defra has been working closely with the Ornamental Horticulture Roundtable Group who have published an action plan 'Unlocking green growth: A plan from the ornamental horticulture & landscaping industry'. This sets out the industry's potential contributions to tackling some of the environmental challenges facing the UK, including through the use of a greater proportion of British-produced plants and trees in public sector projects, and the incorporation of more community green spaces within the urban planning process. Where Government can help, we will work with the sector to help it take advantage of the opportunities outlined in the action plan.

We know that trees outside woodlands, including trees in urban areas, parks, and along roads and footpaths can provide many environmental benefits for people.
There is strong evidence that healthy, well-chosen and well placed urban trees can provide a large range of benefits valuable to the economy and to people. This includes a relatively small but beneficial impact on urban air quality. However, current evidence suggests that trees would not be enough to solve the air quality problems at a city scale.
Through the Nature for Climate Fund we are boosting the numbers of trees near to where people live, investing millions of pounds in tree planting and in the skills to incorporate trees in the right places to generate maximum benefits.
Additional funding is being provided to support tree growers and seed suppliers across England, to help meet the growing demand for trees. We have developed capital and innovation grants for the sector that will encourage the adoption of mechanisation and automation, and help enhance the quantity, quality, diversity and biosecurity of domestic tree production.
Alongside this, Defra has been working closely with the Ornamental Horticulture Roundtable Group who have published an action plan 'Unlocking green growth: A plan from the ornamental horticulture & landscaping industry'. This sets out the industry's potential contributions to tackling some of the environmental challenges facing the UK, including through the use of a greater proportion of British-produced plants and trees in public sector projects, and the incorporation of more community green spaces within the urban planning process. Where Government can help, we will work with the sector to help it take advantage of the opportunities outlined in the action plan.

The question and answer on the Parliament website.

Receipt

Read from	https://questions-statements-api.parliament.uk/api/writtenquestions/questions/1506874?expandMember=true
Date read	15 October 2026
SHA-256	`5998f2acac16ae257b93c047b8b8a53985fd8e745e825fb7e2a7bd58424434a2`