Amplifying Marginalised Community Perspectives for Local Nature Recovery

Between May and August 2025, Street Space was commissioned by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to listen to people, whose voices are often underrepresented in environmental decision making, to shape the development of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy.

The Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) is a new plan to protect and restore nature across West Yorkshire — guiding how land, water, and wildlife are cared for in the years ahead.

Focusing on people living in areas of deprivation, young people, people from ethnically diverse backgrounds and people living with disabilities or long-term health conditions, our approach centred on working in partnership with trusted local organisations embedded within these communities. In each district of Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield, we collaborated with a partner organisation to co-design and deliver activities that felt relevant, accessible and valuable to the people involved. While each workshop looked different, the process was guided by the same aim: to listen carefully and support people to explore how both nature and people can thrive together in the future and in-turn influence the evolving strategy.