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Inequality in garden space in Cornwall


The ratio between land occupied by residential buildings and the land used as gardens varies across Cornwall. On average the figure is 5.2, but in ‘Wadebridge Whitecross, Burlawn and Sladesbridge' LSOA, the ratio is 10, while at the other end of the scale, the figure in ‘Penzance Wharfside and Town’ LSOA is 0.5. It’s quite a difference.

Looking at the areas with the lowest ratios indicates they are urban and generally in town centres. Conversely, those with the highest are in rural areas, including small settlements. This is what would be expected with denser concentrations in towns.

Looking at other factors, there is a moderate correlation of +0.55 between the share of owner-occupied properties and the ratio between built residential and garden residential land. The implication is that people who rent – either social housing or private have less garden space than owner-occupiers.

If we look at the amount of garden space per dwelling we find that the average per dwelling is a tenth of an acre (0.04 ha). It ranges from 0.32 a in ‘Rock, St Minver, Polzeath and Trebetherick' to 0.1 a in 'Penzance Wharfside and Town'.


Space and non-occupied properties

The data does not show a correlation between garden space and the share of non-occupied properties (second homes, holiday lets etc). Perhaps this should not be surprising. Most holiday homes and lets are in coastal areas – ideal as a base for visiting beaches etc, so perhaps less of a need for a garden.

Garden space and social status

In this case areas are ranked according to the share of those in the ‘AB Higher and intermediate managerial/administrative/professional occupations’ category There is a medium correlation – of + 0.48, between the amount of garden space and social status..The higher the social status the more garden space per dwelling. ‘Feock, Point and King Harry' has the highest share of those in AB at 43.9%, with an average of 0.335 acres per dwelling. ‘Camborne Pengegon' has the lowest share of ABs at 3.5% with an average of 0.4 acres per dwelling.

There were variations within the dataset. Although all of the top ten had a higher garden area than the Cornish average there are quite interesting differences ranging from 0.335a in ‘Feock, Point and King Harry' to 0.063 a in ‘Truro Station Road, New County Hall and Chapel Hill'.



Conclusion

Access to green space is an important element in peoples health, particularly garden space. The Covid lockdowns when people had to spend more time at home illustrated the need for green space.

Is there a policy solution? A difficult one – what do you do in areas of high density housing?

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