Greater Manchester

Climate adaptation

IGNITION - Innovative financinG aNd delIvery of naTural clImate sOlutioNs in Greater Manchester

“This funding will play a key role in accelerating our plans to make Greater Manchester a world leading city-region for green, resilient and low carbon living. We will be working with our partners to increase our city-region’s urban green infrastructure by 10%, leading the way in finding financing and delivery solutions that will play a vital role globally in ensuring our cities are adapted to climate change. The Living Lab on the Salford campus will be an amazing visual and technical demonstration of the measures needed by city-regions like Greater Manchester to adapt to the increasing impacts of climate change and more extreme weather. ”

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester
The project in numbers
x10
increase of flooding and heatwaves incidents since 1950 in Greater Manchester
€13m
infrastructural costs of 2.250 homes and 500 business getting flooding in 2015
10%
more green infrastructure needed in Greater Manchester to combat climate change related hazards
€10m - €50m
size of Nature Based Solutions projects needed to deliver the 10% uplift in green infrastructure
EUR 4,559,842.80
Total ERDF budget granted
Challenge addressed

As flooding, burst river banks and upland fires become more common and summer temperatures soar, it can be impossible to know what extreme weather to expect next.
Current data suggests that around 250,000 properties across Greater Manchester are currently at risk of surface-water flooding and around 50,000 properties have a 1 in 100 chance of flooding in any given year. In December 2015, 31,200 properties lost their power supply and repairs to infrastructure damaged by flooding cost €13m alone. Increased temperatures have also doubled the number of heat stress incidents since the 1950s, affecting vulnerable citizens in particular, and storms now account for more than 20% of all weather events across the region. 
It’s safe to say that the effects of climate change have begun to take their toll on our city region, causing problems with housing, transport and the city region’s economy, as well as having a effect on citizens’ physical and mental health.
 
That’s where the IGNITION project comes in. The €4.5m IGNITION project is well on its way to giving us the tools we need to increase green infrastructure in Greater Manchester by 10% by 2038 and helping to stop the effects of climate change.

Solution proposed

Greater Manchester feels that the solutions to these challenges lie in substantial retrofit programmes of urban green infrastructure and nature-based solutions (NBS) to combat urban over-heating (provision of shade and evaporative cooling) and flooding. 
These measures will slow the flow of excess water caused by extreme weather events. Nature-based solutions will also help to improve air quality, the visibility of the region, increase the level of biodiversity within an urban environment, and help to improve the health and well-being of citizens.
It is estimated Greater Manchester requires a 10% uplift in urban green infrastructure by 2038. Implementing and funding delivery at the scale and pace required needs the formation of an estimated minimum €10m of investible packages of projects to persuade businesses and organisations to invest in NBS and climate change adaption features.

Partnership
  • Greater Manchester Combined Authority
  • Manchester City Council - municipality 
  • Salford City Council - municipality
  • Environment Agency - environmental agency
  • Business in the Community - business community representative
  • United Utilities - business community representative
  • UK Green Building Council - business community representative
  • City of Trees - NGO
  • Groundwork - NGO 
  • Royal Horticultural Society - NGO
  • Manchester university - higher education and research institute 
  • Salford university - higher education and research institute 
Expected results

The IGNITION project will deliver the following results by establishing innovative nature-based solutions funding and delivery mechanisms to increase Greater Manchester’s urban green infrastructure (GI) coverage by 10% by 2038. The project is divided into the following areas:

1.    An NBS project identification process, which sets out a full pipeline of projects equating to a 10% increase in Greater Manchester’s urban green infrastructure by 2038 (from a 2018 baseline).
2.    A breakdown of the overall pipeline into phases, each valued at €10m+.
3.    The development of a range of innovative business models and financing mechanisms which represent the funding required to deliver the project pipeline.
4.    Increased investor confidence to invest in NBS projects through visibly showing the impact of GI on buildings and the real world returns to the public, urban managers, decision makers and investors. This will focus on the University of Salford’s campus Living Lab. 
5.    Innovative governance, delivery and procurement mechanisms and processes that are capable of increasing Greater Manchester’s capacity to deliver and maintain NBS projects. 

Main milestones

October 2019: Version 1 of the city-scale nature-based solutions project pipeline process will be complete, with phase 1 of deliverable set of projects identified.
April 2020: Funding models and finance mechanisms to deliver phase 1 of the Greater Manchester NBS pipeline will be established.
April-October 2021: Greater Manchester governance and delivery frameworks will be set up with the delivery vehicle for phase 1 of pipeline procured and contracts for funding and delivery signed.
October 2021: Nature-Based Innovation Centre on the University of Salford campus will be installed and matured in its role as a visible demonstrator and living test lab of the urban green infrastructure approach to combatting climate change.

The project in numbers
x10
increase of flooding and heatwaves incidents since 1950 in Greater Manchester
€13m
infrastructural costs of 2.250 homes and 500 business getting flooding in 2015
10%
more green infrastructure needed in Greater Manchester to combat climate change related hazards
€10m - €50m
size of Nature Based Solutions projects needed to deliver the 10% uplift in green infrastructure
EUR 4,559,842.80
Total ERDF budget granted
Contact of the project
Michael Ramsey
Project manager, Greater Manchester Combined Authority
Birgit Georgi
UIA Expert

Project news & events

Blooming Amazing Alley

Ecostreets 2.0 – upscaling of a successful IGNITION practice

It was not in the plan of the IGNITION project, but under the COVID 19 restrictions, the project had to review its citizen engagement activities. It h...
Old channel

The IGNITION Green Infrastructure Explorer turns data into a powerful practical urban planning tool

Over the course of the IGNITION project, it became evident that not only the financing schemes and business models to implement nature-based solutions...
green roof

Boosting green businesses and jobs in Greater Manchester

In this Zoom-in, UIA expert Birgit Georgi tells how the IGNITION project triggered the creation of new businesses, business segments and more jobs; ...
different nature-based solutions

The project ended, but the journey has just started - IGNITION Journal 4

After three years of intensive work, the IGNITION project came to an end in spring 2022. It started with the idea of developing innovative financing m...
Table with display of different IGNITION tools during the final event

The legacy of IGNITION: Multiple support tools making co-investment for nature-based solutions work

The goal of IGNITION, which started in November 2018, was to develop innovative financing schemes for the implementation of large-scale nature-based s...
Ginnel garden. winning the competition

Ecostreets – How small-scale action can inspire large-scale solutions

Over summer 2021, the IGNITION partner Groundworks in collaboration with the charity We love Manchester organized a competition among local communitie...
IGNITION sign at a building at the University of Salford

First tangible results and a continuous learning loop - IGNITION Journal n3

With roughly half a year left to its end, the project’s results are taking shape, such as the fully functioning Living Lab with its multiple interconn...
SuDS at Moorland Junior School

Finding innovative ways for local authorities to boost greenspace and nature-based solutions

This Zoom-in reflects on the lessons learned in the IGNITION project on the way to find wider options for local authorities – despite challenges - to ...
generic image with money and vegetation

The long and winding road to financing nature-based solutions

Unlocking innovative sources of finance for nature-based solutions is a critical but challenging goal facing many city regions across Europe....
primeroses

The IGNITION project: How support for greenspace has increased during Covid-19 pandemic

The multiple and immensely negative impacts of the COVID-19 crisis are felt almost everywhere and at all times. When the IGNITION project started in 2...
IGNITION Journal 2: get an update about reater Manchester's project

IGNITION Journal 2: get an update about Greater Manchester's project

IGNITION is mid-way on its journey to develop innovative financing for nature-based solutions. In this 2nd Journal, UIA expert Birgit Georgi sees a su...
green wall in the raingarden

IGNITION’s Living Lab for nature-based solutions - more than a nice experiment

“The Living Lab at the University of Salford will be a critical element of the project.” That is what I was told at the beginning of the IGNITION proj...
Campus University of Salford, where the Living Lab will be constructed

Experience and learned lessons from procuring innovative solutions – IGNITION’s Living Lab

A core element of the IGNITION innovation project is the Living Lab at the campus of the University of Salford. Here, different nature-based solutions...
Zoom in 1

Knowledgeable citizens push for more green - Zoom In 1 IGNITION

First Zoom In of the UIA project IGNITION and visualisation of the project’s citizen engagement activities....
Ignition GMA

IGNITION Expert Journal 1: Get to know the project and what happened in the first 6 months!

In her 1st Journal, Birgit Georgi, UIA expert of the GSIP project, discusses all key activities that you need to know about, what the project is about...

How to convince investors that nature-based solutions are good to invest in?

IGNITION aims to develop innovative financing of nature-based solutions for climate resilience. The lead partner Greater Manchester Combined Authority...
credit to https://writix.co.uk

How IGNITION found an innovative approach to collaborate with its diverse team

Finding innovative solutions goes beyond business as usual approaches, though the driving partner might lack the specific skills and expertise require...

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