Land Trust Annual Review - Measuring our impact - the added value of the Land Trust

The long term success of our spaces is important to the reputation of the Land Trust, our managing partners and the developers and land owners we work with. In this article our Director of Portfolio management, Alan Carter, discusses the added value of well-managed green space.

We believe that our role goes beyond simply managing green space but about creating communities and places where people want to live, work and play.

We have developed a Social Value Model that allows us to measure our impact, by assessing the benefits of our green space management against our five key charitable objectives of:

• Environment and biodiversity
• Health and well-being
• Education and learning
• Economic vitality
• Community cohesion and volunteering

The model provides evidence-based, measurable indicators of the benefits of well managed green space for communities.

Contributions to this overall economic value come from:

• Reduced energy consumptions
• Reduced carbon emissions
• Carbon storage
• Health care cost savings
• Health and well-being value
• Educational engagement
• Land management and use
• Tourism
• Volunteering
• Community engagement

After analysing the information provided from all of our sites in 2017/18 the results showed that for every £1 that we spend there is an overall economic and social benefit of £4.

This is hugely valuable information for the Land Trust and our development clients. To be able to put an economic value on the work we do is absolutely vital for our future work and will be particularly important when it comes to putting a convincing case forward to government and key decision makers for greater investment in green infrastructure.

The model will also help us as we continue to grow our business proposition. While traditionally the sites we have managed have come in the form of an endowment we now have three service charge sites under our management with more to follow over the next couple of years.

Being able to demonstrate our added value to the residents and the communities that we work with will not only help them feel positive about the communities they live in but will also be of significant reputational benefit to the Land Trust and partners going forward.

It also enables us to demonstrate the value we can add to new strategic residential schemes as they come through the planning system, so that the green spaces are designed and maintained in a way which meets community needs and maximises social value delivered.