Environment JSNA

What is being done and why

Non-resilient and inefficient housing stock (especially in Hartlepool town centre)

Hartlepool

  • Hartlepool Housing Strategy 2019–2024 outlines a multi-pronged approach:
    • Regeneration of existing homes, especially in deprived areas.
    • Partnerships with developers and housing providers to improve housing quality.
    • Support for vulnerable residents to access and maintain appropriate housing.
    • Focus on town centre regeneration, including tackling poor housing conditions and anti-social behaviour in areas like Dent Street and Raby Road17, 18.
  • £120 million Waterfront Development:
    • 650 new homes planned across brownfield sites near the town centre.
    • Includes affordable, retirement, and family housing.
    • Aims to transform derelict areas into vibrant mixed-use communities19.

North East England

  • Retrofit and Energy Efficiency Campaigns:
    • Ashden’s policy briefing calls for a £60bn national retrofit strategy.
    • North East homes are among the least energy efficient in Western Europe.
    • Retrofit could reduce fuel poverty and create up to 60,000 jobs locally20.
  • The UK government has committed to building 300,000 new homes per year by the mid-2020s to tackle housing undersupply and poor-quality stock21.
  • The Social and Affordable Homes Programme (2026–2036) aims to deliver 300,000 affordable homes, including 180,000 for social rent, with £2.5 billion in low-interest loans to support development22.
  • There is growing recognition of the need to retrofit existing homes to improve energy efficiency and safety. As much as 1 in 10 owner-occupied homes face basic health and safety hazards23.

Policy Innovations

  • The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) has been revised to accelerate housing delivery and encourage adaptive reuse of buildings (e.g., converting offices into homes)24.
  • Support for small and medium developers and streamlining planning permissions are key areas of focus.

Unequal access to green space

Hartlepool

  • Tree Equity for Hartlepool Project:
    • Hartlepool has the second lowest tree canopy cover in England.
    • £250,000 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
    • Plans to plant 10 hectares of trees in nature-deprived areas.
    • Will engage 1,500 residents in tree planting and nature-based activities25, 26, 27.

North East England

  • NHS Biodiversity Initiatives:
    • Hospitals and care centres are integrating green spaces for staff and patient wellbeing.
    • Includes allotments, woodland areas, and mindfulness spaces28.
  • National Green Infrastructure Framework:
    • Led by Natural England, this framework helps councils co-design green spaces.
    • Aims to reduce health inequalities and improve climate resilience.
    • Supports community-led projects like eco-parks and living walls29.
  • Nature Towns & Cities Initiative:
    • A UK-wide programme to improve access to green space in 100 urban areas.
    • Hartlepool is eligible to apply for funding and support30.                                        
    • A coalition led by Natural England, National Trust, and the National Lottery Heritage Fund is investing £15.5 million to improve green space access in 100 towns and cities across the UK30, 31, 32.
    • The goal is to ensure everyone lives within a short walk of nature, especially in deprived urban areas. Over 40 million people currently lack this access33.

Health and Climate Benefits

  • The Green Infrastructure Framework by Natural England helps councils co-design green spaces that improve mental health, climate resilience, and community wellbeing34.
  • Community-led projects like eco-parks, living walls, and urban gardens are being scaled up.

Increasing flood risk and need for climate resilience

Hartlepool

  • Local Flood Risk Management Strategy:
    • Hartlepool Borough Council has a dedicated strategy to manage flood risk.
    • Focuses on localised flooding from surface water and drainage issues35, 36.

North East England

  • National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy:
    • £2.65 billion investment announced in 2025 to improve flood defences.
    • Aims to protect 52,000 properties by 2026.
    • Emphasises resilience, adaptation, and natural flood management37.
  • Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme (FCRIP):
    • Supports 25 pilot projects across England.
    • Encourages nature-based solutions and community resilience.
    • Though focused on the North West, learnings are applicable to the North East38.
  • Strategic Recommendations for the North:
    • Calls for system-wide flood management, integrated land use planning, and partnerships with anchor institutions.
    • Emphasises the need for public engagement and natural flood defences.

National flood and coastal erosion risk management strategy

  • Led by the Environment Agency, this strategy envisions a nation resilient to flooding and coastal change by 2100 39.
  • The FCERM Roadmap to 2026 outlines practical actions to protect communities, including:
    • Nature-based solutions (e.g., wetlands, tree planting)
    • Climate-resilient infrastructure
    • Integrated water management40.

Evidence-based planning

  • The National Flood Risk Assessment (NaFRA) and Coastal Erosion Risk Map (NCERM) now incorporate UK Climate Projections, showing that 6.3 million properties are at flood risk, with surface water flooding being the most common41.

Natural flood management (NFM)

  • DEFRA and UKRI have invested in NFM approaches that work with nature to reduce flood risk, improve biodiversity, and support carbon capture.