Young buyers in the UK are being forced to move to areas lacking nature, a study has found.
Experts say young people are moving into natural deserts because government policies have failed to create greener, healthier new properties.
Research has shown that for every square meter of green space lost per person, 494 first-time buyers move to the area.
The research was carried out by Wildlife and Countryside Link, a British nature coalition calling for changes to the government’s new planning legislation to improve access to nature.
The proposed legislation would likely make these problems worse because it would allow housing developers to build on top of once-protected green space without replacing natural loss in nearby areas.
Natural areas, parks and community gardens created to offset the removal of green space for housing development don’t even have to be in the same county.
Richard Benwell, CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: With the right reforms, we can transform today’s natural deserts into greener, healthier places to live. People of all ages and backgrounds deserve a home they can afford without sacrificing a beneficial relationship with nature.
This means rethinking how we build the homes we need, while providing high-quality, green communities that protect people’s health and create the homes nature needs.
Areas with fewer parks and green spaces relative to their current population tend to attract more first-time buyers due to lower housing costs.
Wildlife and Countryside Link carried out a regression model analysis using the official Office for National Statistics (ONS) data set for first-time buyers in local authorities in 2023 and compared this to ONS data on the number of adults in each authority as a proxy for the proportion of adults who were first-time buyers.
We then used in-depth green space data to analyze and map the proportion of first-time buyers and found a direct and statistically significant correlation between a lack of green space and an increase in the number of first-time buyers.
The Windsor Gate development in Berkshire consists of more than 100 properties built on former countryside and wildlife habitat. Photo: Maureen McLean/Rex/Shutterstock
Lack of access to nature has significant impacts on physical and mental health. A recent study found that living near a park or natural green space reduced anxiety and depression by about 20%.
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Conversely, people living more than 800 meters from green space reported noticeably higher levels of wellbeing issues, especially during the COVID-19 lockdown. Therefore, if young homeowners are unable to purchase homes in nature-rich areas, there is a risk of worsening health inequalities.
National Trust director Ingrid Samuel said: It is right for the government to tackle the housing crisis, but it must also tackle the crisis of access to nature. Green space is not a luxury, it is a basic human need and is essential for physical and mental health.
The British public will be disappointed if new homes are built without new parks, waterways and wild spaces. That’s why we’re calling on ministers to support amendments to planning legislation to ensure green and blue space in all future developments.
Previous research by the charity has found that one in three households in England do not live within a 15-minute walk of a natural space such as a park, and the most deprived communities are more than twice as likely to be deprived of nature.
Wildlife charities are supporting amendments to Part 3 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to ensure all communities have access to green space. This bill has so far been neglected by the government.
These amendments provide stronger protections for existing green space and provide requirements for incorporating new parks and natural areas into development.
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