The green infrastructure valuation toolkit user guide

Building natural value for sustainable economic development: the green infrastructure valuation toolkit user guide
ROPNER PARK, Stockton-on-Tees
“The toolkit provides some really useful data to demonstrate the
multi-functional nature of the park and its social, environmental and
economic value. For a site like Ropner Park this helps to justify
previous capital investment, and can be used to support the case for
maintaining high-standards of management in the future in order to
maximise the benefits to local people and the Borough as a whole”
Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council
Stockton-on-Tees is one of five boroughs within the Tees Valley in the north-east of
England. It is an area of traditionally heavy industry. Stockton’s population is around
178,000, and that of the wider metropolitan region is around 651,000.
Ropner Park is a Victorian urban park, established in 1893 as Stockton’s principal park.
It covers an area of 15.5ha. The park is laid out in a classical style, with grassed
areas, formal bedding, bowling greens, a fountain, a bandstand and an ornamental
lake. In 2006 Ropner Park underwent a major refurbishment, with substantial
landscape restoration, construction of a pavilion, tennis courts, a play area and the
installation of an art feature. The total cost of this work was nearly £3.5 million, 69% of
which was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, with the balance funded by Stocktonon-Tees
Borough Council.
The green infrastructure valuation toolkit was used to evaluate the benefits of this
significant investment in the park.
Preparation: Understanding physical characteristics and beneficiaries
The physical characteristics of the park were analysed to establish the extent of each
green infrastructure asset, such as area of woodland, rough grassland, lawn and open
water.
Then the likely beneficiaries were identified. These were deemed to be visitors to the
park (103,500 per annum) and also the people who live within its range (over 4,500
within 300m and over 22,000 within 1200m) and those businesses which are located
nearby (over 70 within 300m and over 1000 within 1200m).
Assessment: Identifying potential benefit areas and applying relevant tools
The next stage was to consider which of the 11 green infrastructure benefits were likely
to be significant. Parks and formal gardens are likely to have a good climate change
adaptation impact, particularly for temperature regulation. This type of space is also
likely to contribute to quality of place, improved health and well-being, uplift of land and
property value as well as tourism and recreation and leisure. Information on
beneficiaries and maintenance levels (both in terms of density of population and level
of park use) both point to a good likelihood of those benefits occurring.
Looking into the green infrastructure assets in greater details confirmed this initial
assessment, but it allowed the evaluation to be further refined.
The relevant tools were applied in order to assess the benefits. These were valued in
monetary terms for those benefits that could be costed, as well as other quantitative
terms and qualitative terms. Some valuations were expressed as a precise figure,
whereas others were expressed as falling within a range of figures. Some benefits
were deemed to last for 20, 30 or even 50 years. In each case, the valuations were
discounted to give a present value (PV) figure, so that benefits which accrued for
different lengths of time could be easily and directly compared.
Reporting: Articulating a strong return on investment case
The benefits were calculated as follows:
Climate change adaptation and mitigation
The park, as a large green space, has an impact on urban temperatures and
consequently on city liveability. The cooling effect was calculated to be 1°C
and this benefited an estimated 2000 households and 74 businesses. This
benefit was not monetised.
The value of stored and sequestered carbon in trees and woodland was
calculated to be £30,200 (PV).
Water management and flood alleviation
The park provides natural evapo-transpiration of c5iMI of rainfall/annum.
Within an urban context this is a benefit as it reduces volumes entering
combined sewers. The value of avoided energy costs and carbon emissions
from the reduced need for water treatment was calculated to be £215,000
(PV).
Health and wellbeing
The park provides good opportunities for walking and cycling. Take-up of
such moderate physical exercise helps to reduce mortality rates and this was
calculated at PV of £0.35m over 5 years, £0.65m over 10 years. Annual
mortality reduction benefit was calculated at £75,000 p.a.
Various green infrastructure elements within the park have an impact on
improving air quality. The savings from avoiding other pollution control
measures was calculated to be between £21,000 and £165,000 (PV).
Land and property values
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