More than £3.3 million is set to be invested by a council over the next five years on rejuvenating green spaces.

North Herts District Council (NHDC’s) new Green Space Strategy sets out how the council will maintain and improve parks and gardens, play areas, cemeteries, sports facilities and pitches throughout North Hertfordshire between 2014 and 2019.

Cllr Ian Knighton, NHDC’s portfolio holder for leisure, said: “The importance of green spaces is well recognised. Our health and wellbeing, a sense of pride in the local area, the enjoyment of being outdoors and the environment around us – all these are affected by the quality of our green spaces, from parks to play areas and from woodland to sports pitches.

“At a time when local authorities face increasing financial pressures, the council will be increasingly reliant on external funding to support the many and diverse projects set out in the strategy, but we are confident in our ability to continue delivering the work required to maintain and enhance our green spaces.”

In recent years, NHDC has secured external funding and grants to support projects such as the redevelopment of Howard Park and Gardens in Letchworth GC.

In total, more than £3.4m of external investment has been made in this and other green space projects over the past five years, in addition to a further £1.52m of direct investment by NHDC.