Guidance on developing accessible green infrastructure (GI) has been published in the latest eco-town worksheet.

Published last week by the Town and County Planning Association, the green infrastructure worksheet is the fourth in the series, following on from the transport, community development and water cycle management worksheets launched in March.

The latest worksheet states that green infrastructure should be a primary consideration in planning, developing and maintaining an eco-town, and should be laid out as part of the first phase of eco-town construction.

The strategic planning of GI requires a co-ordinated approach from a multi-disciplinary and cross-organisational team involving engineers, landscape architects, park managers, planners and ecologists, it recommends.

Other guidelines include providing a network of ‘greenways’ to connect larger or more expansive open spaces; developing safe-routes across a network of streets between open spaces, parks, homes and schools to encourage children to play without danger from traffic; and ensuring GI plays a central part in surface water management, for example, through sustainable drainage systems.

The worksheet also outlines how to implement a successful GI strategy, which should forge links with other relevant strategies, such as Local Transport Plans and flood management plans.

Produced by the TCPA in collaboration with Communities and Local Government (CLG), the green infrastructure worksheet was developed through a series of roundtable meetings involving government departments and agencies – including DEFRA, Natural England and the Environment Agency.

Helen Phillips, chief executive of Natural England, said: ‘[The] guidance will ensure that developers and planners raise the bar on eco-town development.’