Twenty years ago, people were just beginning to realise the importance of improving the environment in both new and existing developments. Public bodies including Scottish Natural Heritage, Scottish Enterprise Network and Strathclyde Regional Council recognised the need for a vehicle to facilitate solutions for the future repair and management of urban fringe landscapes, including new development open spaces and so, in 1992, they jointly formed The Strathclyde Greenbelt Company Limited.
Regional director for Scotland operations, Robin Waddell explains, “A number of enterprise companies were set up and we became involved through our links with local authorities. In addition, our staff had extensive knowledge of woodland management and forestry. In 1999 the company reorganised as a stand-alone private company to form The Greenbelt Group of Companies Limited. Over the years we have widened our services, grown our range of expertise and spread our coverage throughout the UK and Northern Ireland. We also took on amenity management, including play areas.”
In 2004, the remaining public sector interest, satisfied that its original initiative was secure, exited, leaving ownership responsibility with the current owners. Today, the Group has a rigorous policy with regard to taking over the responsibility for new areas and now owns and manages greenbelt land formed as part of new housing developments. It cares for more than 750 locations across the country.
So how does this work? When a property developer submits plans for a new development, there has to be a certain amount of amenity space for local residents, which can be green space, play areas or tree-planted woodland and storm water retention facilities. Greenbelt will be asked to calculate the costs to manage these features in perpetuity and propose funding options to their clients. These options include a lump sum payment paid by the developer for Greenbelt to take ownership of the features or using Greenbelt’s Greenspace Mechanism which relies on resident’s contributions paid annually to Greenbelt . The latter option is by far the most popular and more sustainable option.
According to Robin, “We have found that if open space is communally owned problems can arise with changes of residency and gradually the quality of the maintenance can fall away. If Greenbelt take ownership of public open space and thus full liability of the open space, this means that one credible body will be solely responsible for the up-keep in perpetuity providing consistent land management solutions for the future. It also provides one point of call to any queries from Local Planning Authorities and interested stake holders rather than the LPA or stakeholders having to canvass or enforce issues amongst, in some cases, hundreds of co-owners who reside on a development.
Greenbelt Group is a subsidiary of Greenbelt Holdings and in response to the diverse needs of the development industry Greenbelt Holdings in the last five years has acquired Greenhome, a property management company to manage communally owned property e.g apartment blocks, MG Contracting, a landscape contracting company, Greenbelt Energy and Greenbelt Property, to manage specific land holdings.
For further information please telephone 08450 940 940 or visit www.greenbeltgroup.co.uk
