Access-to-nature crisis ‘on par with that of Victorian Britain’s filthy air’

Clissold Park in Stoke Newington, London. The Wildlife Trusts said there was increased need for cool, shady and nature-rich spaces. Photograph: Richard Barnes/Alamy

Nearly half of all parliamentary constituencies in England have low access to nature despite a government target to ensure everyone is within a 15-minute walk from a green or blue space, new research reveals.

The analysis by the Wildlife Trusts comes as the charity presents a green paper to ministers in an attempt to speed up Labour’s manifesto promise to improve access to nature and promote biodiversity.