SEEPARK (South Essex Estuary Park)

SEEPARK: The South Essex Green and Blue Infrastructure (GBI) Study The SEEPARK plan provides a radical vision to transform South Essex into a single parkland system, encompassing 70,000 hectares. It sets an ambitious, revolutionary vision for tackling climate change, ecological collapse and social inequity by creatively utilising green and blue infrastructure at a regional scale. Located within the Thames Estuary, the effects of climate change are particularly evident, including: the highest temperatures in the UK; imminent sea-level rise and flooding, and associated threats to property and infrastructure; and loss of internationally important habitats. SEEPARK presents a new language of adaptable, resilient infrastructure, where human life is understood as part of nature rather than separate. It is an integrated landscape-scale plan with vast areas of transformation, that will not only protect South Essex and all of London, but will provide an attractive offer for modern living, that supports residents, businesses, industry, tourism, and leisure activities, right on the doorstep of one of the world’s greatest cities. SEE Park provides benefits at the local, regional, national and international scale, as an exemplary model of strategic planning, especially within estuary environments (of the thirty-two largest cities in the world, twenty-two are located on estuaries.) Estuaries have suffered greatly with the impact of human activities and face immense climate challenges. This project offers the following solutions to the climate crisis: • Flooding – natural management with absorptive landscapes (12,500 hectares of restored marshlands) that protect: local communities; important infrastructure; significant coastal habitat sites; and London, with a long-term solution to managing the impacts of sea-level rise. • Biodiversity net gain - safeguarding and restoring 23,000 hectares of natural habitats and ecosystems (including floodplains and woodlands) as part of a Nature Recovery Network. • Active Travel - an efficient network of routes, promoting health and well-being, across 200km of continuous waterfront paths, and 550km of greenways. • Targets & Standards - exemplary urban open space standards, and strategies for sustainable growth and development, including high quality green space within 300m of everyone’s home. • Community - facilities within nature areas and links to schools to support green learning opportunities for children. • Regeneration - Transforming sensitive industrial sites/structures and heritage assets into thriving nature, recreation and visitor destinations • Climate Change and Net Zero Carbon - Accelerating the transition to net zero carbon and providing carbon-offsetting opportunities. • Collaboration – coordinating across six local authorities, linking in with other initiatives, including Thames Estuary Growth Board, Creative Estuary, Thames Chase Forest, etc. • Economy - Promoting eco-tourism, green job creation and recovery. • Investment - Presenting a scalable and replicable green investment model to create a high-value investment proposition. A preliminary natural capital account has been prepared that estimates a total value of £7.2billion. In summary, SEEPARK emerges out of a demand for innovative practices of planning, pioneering a strategic landscape approach that integrates natural systems, built environment and social equity to create an extraordinary and resilient place.