Councillor Tom Briars-Delve (Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change) introduced the Plymouth Plan for Nature and People and discussed:

a)     Historically, there had been a perceived disconnect between the Council’s respect for nature and the excellent work already being delivered by the Environmental Planning Department;

b)    There was a need to rebuild trust, rethink engagement, raise the prominence of nature in decision-making, and develop an ambitious long-term vision for nature recovery across the city;

c)     A new strategy was commissioned with the vision of co-creating the plan with communities and environmental groups;

d)    Hundreds of residents were engaged through public events, focus groups, and a steering group with external partners, with further changes made following final consultation to demonstrate responsiveness;

e)     The plan focused not only on enhancing nature but also on the relationship between nature and communities, including health and wellbeing benefits, sustainable skills and jobs, social cohesion, volunteering, and children’s personal development;

f)      The title of the plan was amended to reflect the equal importance of people and nature;

g)     The plan included a five-year action plan detailing delivery commitments and measurement frameworks, including:

                     i.         Planting 1,000 street trees in low canopy urban areas;

                    ii.          Co-producing neighbourhood-level landscape masterplans;

                   iii.         Achieving Green Flag status for 12 sites;

                   iv.         Establishing new community orchards and free culinary herbs in major parks;

                    v.          Expanding ecotherapy and green social prescribing;

                   vi.         Creating Plymouth’s first natural capital investment prospectus and aiming to raise £50 million of external green investment by 2030;

h)    The plan reflected and connected existing work in Plymouth, including:

                     i.         The UK’s first National Marine Park;

                    ii.          The Ocean City Nature habitat bank;

                   iii.         The Green Communities Team partnership with the National Trust;

                   iv.         The BRIC project for flood resilience;

                    v.          Plymouth Natural Grid, which improved 50 hectares of habitat and supported apprenticeships and Kickstarters;

                   vi.         The planting of 50,000 trees by the Plymouth and South Devon Community Forest;

                  vii.         Initiatives at Derriford Community Park including beaver reintroduction, youth work, and ecotherapy at Poole Farm;

i)      Most of the initiatives were grant-funded, and special thanks were given to Kat Deeney and Chris Avent for their decade of work, as well as to officers for coordinating feedback and incorporating extensive revisions;

j)      The Cabinet and wider Council departments were thanked for their constructive input over the past year, and the public’s engagement was acknowledged as central to the plan’s development;

k)     The plan was described as Plymouth’s plan for nature and people, co-created and owned by the city, with a public launch scheduled for the following day at Saltram.

Kat Deeney (Head of Environmental Planning and Chris Avent (Green Estate Manager) added:

l)      Communities, stakeholders, and partners had engaged constructively throughout the process, offering challenge and solutions;

m)   The plan had strong join-up across Council departments, including Children’s Services and Public Health, and would deliver across multiple agendas.

In response to questions, the Cabinet discussed:

n)    The plan was a strategic framework that narrated Plymouth’s relationship with nature, particularly for younger generations;

o)    The plan aligned with recent curriculum developments, including the review led by Becky Francis, which emphasised climate and nature in education;

p)    Nature experiences were important for young people’s mental health and wellbeing, and the plan supported social prescribing and curriculum enrichment;

q)    The plan marked a significant shift in the city’s approach, complementing existing blue, grey, and green strategies and supporting Plymouth’s branding as a “life of adventure” destination;

r)     The integration of branding elements into the plan was noted and welcomed.

The Cabinet agreed:

1. To endorse the final version of the Plymouth Plan for Nature and People to act as a strategic delivery framework integrating nature and natural spaces into the city’s growth;

2. To approve the creation of a Year One Action Plan for delivery in 2026.