News story: New online maps to help Britons experience their local greenspaces

• Improved access to greenspaces will help tackle health and environmental issues

The culmination of a project to comprehensively map greenspaces throughout Great Britain is published today (10 July 2017). The greenspace mapping project funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and delivered by the Ordnance Survey provides the public with a rich source of information on the location and extent of greenspaces up and down the country. Greenspaces featured on the map include local parks, play areas, sports pitches and allotments.

Universities and Science Minister Jo Johnson said:

Greenspaces are a vital part of our landscape and this new database and online map will make it easier for people across the country to access local parks and lead healthier lives.

With the completion of this mapping project, we have delivered on an important commitment and shown yet again how innovation can improve everyday lives.

The free comprehensive maps of greenspace, which includes areas such as National Nature Reserves, will provide a hugely valuable resource to the public and public sector organisations who manage these important spaces. As well as providing information about access points to these sites, this rich dataset will provide a framework that will support a wide variety of analysis on our greenspaces to ensure they continue to prosper.