Sustainable and biodiverse design is at the heart of the Green Infrastructure concept, helping to adapt to climate change and halting the loss of species, while at the same time creating living environments that support the long-term health and wellbeing of residents and users.
Our approach to design seeks to optimise the sites green infrastructure – providing a connected network of multifunctional spaces and corridors. Responding sensitively to local biodiversity, landscape and historic character and tree cover. Optimising spaces and corridors for blue infrastructure and designing for public accessibility and amenity. We design sustainable and climate resilient landscapes – promoting habitat creation, the use of native species and pollinator friendly planting.
Cornwall Council’s Climate Emergency Development Plan Document (DPD) has set out important policy requirements relating to Green Infrastructure and Tree Canopy Provision – to ensure development is responsible – retaining, optimising and enhancing the green infrastructure and tree canopy of a site to achieve its climate emergency goals.
Our knowledge and experience ensure that these are all fully integrated into the landscape design process itself. With our team preparing fully coordinated landscape designs from concept through to tender and construction.
Landscape management is key to successful establishment and long-term resilience of new and existing landscapes, and therefore goes hand in hand with a Green Infrastructure approach to design.
CEC’s key services in relation to Green Infrastructure, Tree Canopy and landscape management are as follows:
Green Infrastructure includes natural and semi-natural green spaces (such as woodlands, trees, hedges, meadows, fields, moorland, waste ground), parks and gardens (including Country parks), amenity green spaces (including private gardens, village greens, green roofs), green corridors (for example rivers, railways, rights of way) and other spaces (such as allotments, community spaces, churchyards).