Research boosts campaign for green space in Spodden Valley

Overhead view of Spodden Valley in 1999

Campaigners calling for a 'green lung' link along the Spodden valley from Rochdale town centre to the South Pennine hills have welcomed a new study that confirms living close to open green spaces and forests improves peoples' health.

Community health benefits are a key feature of calls made by the Save Spodden Valley (SSV) campaign who has expressed concern on plans to build over 600 homes and a children's nursery on the site of what was the world's largest asbestos factory.

SSV was formed after hundreds of trees were felled at the former Turner & Newall site one weekend in May 2004.

Alternative brownfield land development and emphasis on the importance of urban greenspace was raised by Communities Secretary Hazel Blears in a recent speech on the economic importance of green infrastructure.

This has been seen as a response to the credit crunch and collapse of new house building. Such a market correction may allow for other uses for brownfield land and for such projects to be valued as an asset to improve community health.

The latest findings by scientists at the University of Glasgow are linked to use of recreational areas and give a boost to the principle for development of amenity land to remediate brownfield sites, especially in urban areas.

Using parks and playing fields for walks and other activities lowers blood pressure and reduces the harmful effects of stress, according to Dr Richard Mitchell.

The expert, based at the university's department of Public Health and Health Policy, said: "Not everyone has equal access to green spaces, but when people do have access they tend to use them, regardless of what part of the social spectrum they are from. This has a direct impact on their health.

"Obviously, resources must still be ploughed into trying to narrow the inequality gap between rich and poor, and with that will come advances in the population's general health.

"However, we would encourage the Government to consider carefully what their policy on green spaces is and to bear this research in mind when planning urban areas for the future."

Researchers obtained mortality records for 366,348 people in England from 2001-2005 to study the link between different causes of death and exposure to green spaces.

They found that in the greenest areas the health gap between the richest and poorest people was about half as big as that in the least green areas.

A report published in this week's issue of The Lancet concludes: "The implications of this study are clear: environments that promote good health might be crucial in the fight to reduce health inequalities."