In August 2022 we started on a journey to co-design a vision for Urban Green Spaces across Northern Ireland. NI Environment Link and the National Trust have been joined on this journey by hundreds of experts, leaders and enthusiasts from Local Authorities, VCSEs, Health Sector, Private Sector, Investors, Academics and members of the public.
This work has culminated in the production of a vision document, a routemap & action plan, along with a lot of background studies, strategic policy context information, research reports and an economic study.
You can download the various reports here:
- Vision, Routemap & Action Plan – Full Document pdf
- Vision, Routemap & Action Plan – Summary pdf
- Appendices

Keep up to date with this project by asking to be added to our mailing list.
Contact lizzy@nienvironmentlink.org
Urban Green Spaces in Northern Ireland
The following charts show visually the:
- The percentage of publicly available green space within the town/cities development limit (average is 6.2%)
- The total area in m2 of publicly accessible green space (average is 1120ha)
- The area of green space per head of population as per the 2011 census (average 31m2 per person)
The green spaces are strictly within the town/cities development limit so do not take into consideration any publicly accessible green space that it immediately adjacent to the urban area. It therefore does not reflect the complete picture of residents’ access to green space.
N.B. The Craigavon urban area includes Aghacommon
Some examples of great work already happening in Urban Green Spaces in Northern Ireland include:
(click on the links below for more information)
To find out more information about the project click below to listen to the launch event.
Speakers include Paul Mullan from the National Trust Heritage Fund, Eleanor Potter from the Future Parks Accelerator Team and Julie Procter from Green Space Scotland.
Julie Procter_urban greenspaces
To find how other cities in Europe have carried out actions relating to Urban Greening and bringing nature back into cities Click Here
Check out the work of Green Space Scotland for more ideas about Urban Greening.
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The key aspect of NIEL membership is the facility for co–ordinated action, a shared agenda and strong voice for environmental protection.