Earth Day research reveals just two miles of green footpaths within walking distance in Hemel Hempstead

People in Hemel Hempstead have around two miles of green footpaths within walking distance, new analysis has revealed.

The Ramblers – a charity for walkers – researched the extent of green rights of way across England, using satellite observations of land cover.

They found, despite the majority of England being green land, many areas, particularly urban ones, are lacking in green routes.

Ahead of today’s Earth Day (Monday), charities called for more action on greening cities across the UK, to “improve people’s quality of life and provide a home to nature”.

Dating back to the 1970s, the annual conservation event aims to encourage people to take action to preserve the natural environment.

The figures revealed 2,829 meters of green public rights of way are accessible to people in Hemel Hempstead within a 10-minute walk.

This ranks 167th out of 448 constituencies in England.

Ramblers campaign head James MacColl said everyone should live “within 15 minutes’ walk of accessible green space”.

He added: “We should be working to make our towns and cities some of the best and most liveable in the world by creating green walking routes that allow residents and visitors to experience all the benefits of walking in nature right from their doorstep.”

The Ramblers added tree planting and other initiatives such as pocket parks in urban areas could be beneficial.

Separate figures from environmental organisation Friends of the Earth, show 43 per cent of neighbourhoods in England have less than 10 per cent tree canopy cover, while 84 per cent have less than 20 per cent.

The analysis revealed nine neighbourhoods in Hemel Hempstead (14 per cent) have less than 10 per cent tree canopy cover.

Overall, the constituency has just under 15 per cent tree cover – equivalent to 1,548 hectares.

The figures also showed there are fewer trees in the poorest neighbourhoods.

Mike Childs, head of policy at Friends of the Earth, said: “Green space and tree cover are important for people’s mental health as well as vital for nature.

“Councils need the tools and long-term resources to increase tree cover, green streets and develop new parks. Greening our cities will improve people’s quality of life and provide a home to nature.”

Earth Day president Kathleen Rogers said: “We need a wave of tree planting across the UK and globally, especially in towns and cities. The UK has lost 109,000 hectares of tree coverage in the last 20 years and needs to invest in a huge tree planting campaign.”

Further Office for National Statistics data shows people in the UK spend less time in nature than they did before the pandemic.

Around 1.1 million fewer UK residents gained health benefits from being in nature in 2022 compared with two years earlier.

A Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs spokesperson said its Environmental Improvement Plan set targets for every household to be within a 15-minute walk of a green space or water.

They added: “We are also reducing other barriers preventing people from accessing green and blue spaces, including through our £14.5 million ‘Access for All’ programme.”

They have also announced measures for a new National Park, 34 new landscape recovery projects, new forests and funding to help more children get outdoors and into the countryside.