The scientists said that this does not correspond to the decisions of the councils to limit the natural areas. The research, funded by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, created a valuation tool for outdoor recreation (Orval). This assesses the value provided by each park, timber, river walk, country trail and beach across England and Wales, and also identifies which residents enjoy the benefits of each green space and when. The researchers, who ranked each park in terms of value for money and well-being, found that small parks offer the highest value for recreation and that three key factors for increased outdoor recreation were weather, good access to quality green spaces and the dog property. They also found the 10 most valuable recreational sites, all of which were in or around urban areas. Hyde Park in London, Sutton Park in Birmingham and Blaise Castle in Bristol are the top three. Brett Day, a professor of environmental economics at the University of Exeter and co-author of the study, said: “The magnitude of this advantage is in stark contrast to the deep cuts in green space budgets in the UK councils, cuts that threaten to condemn our green spaces to neglect and desolation. “The Orval tool makes clear the very real, but very often overlooked, losses that people suffer as a result. Subscribe to the First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7 p.m. BST “Leisure access is not the same for all people, not only because of where they live, but also because of access to a car. “Orval can show decision-makers how to spot new facilities in a way that provides the most benefits to the most disadvantaged groups and gives them better access to the environment.” The report also found that dog owners were four times more likely to use recreational areas, but people from ethnic minorities and less affluent socioeconomic groups were less likely to participate in outdoor recreation, even when given the same leisure opportunities. A white person is 1.8 times more likely to make a trip to a recreation area than a black person and the richer socioeconomic group is 1.6 times more likely to make a trip than the poorest.
The 10 most valuable recreation areas
Hyde Park, London – £ 24.101.440. Sutton Park, Birmingham – £ 15,627,180. Blaise Castle Estate, Bristol – £ 12,921,910. Hampstead Heath, London – £ 12,149,370. Windsor Great Park, Windsor – .0 9,026,620. Croxteth Hall, Liverpool – £ 8,496,720. Ashton Court, Bristol – 7,773,005 £. Southampton Common, Southampton – 40 7,408,252. Bute Park and surroundings, Cardiff – 7,258,230 £. Greenwich Park, London – .0 7,090,455.
