Why is the Land Use Framework important?

RICS is pleased to see the long-awaited Land Use Framework for England published, following submission of our response to the detailed consultation on the framework. 

The framework sets out how England should use land more effectively to meet housing, energy infrastructure, clean power, food production, nature recovery, resilient landscapes, landscapes for water, and communities' needs.  

As outlined by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the most important point about the framework is that it is not a replacement for the planning system.

Instead, it is a blueprint for smarter, more informed decisions, and it shares cutting-edge data with those who need it the most. The framework makes a clear, long-term commitment to maintain overall food production in England, to underpin future food security and drive economic growth. 

It sets out how England's most productive land will be safeguarded and how every farmer, whether owner or tenant, will be given the rights, data and certainty to invest with confidence.  

Firstly, and most importantly, there is sufficient land to meet national objectives. If land were used more efficiently there would be enough land to deliver the government's vision and increase the resilience and productivity of England's economy, food system and environment. 

Secondly, changes should play to the strengths of the land. Different parts of England are better suited to some uses, and change needs to happen in the right places to maximise benefits. 

Thirdly, cross-sector opportunities are key to efficiency and growth – spatial decisions made by one sector will often affect another, meaning strategic spatial planning at landscape scale will be key to growth, food security and nature recovery. For example, restoring the most carbon-rich and degraded peat areas delivers climate benefits, while also allowing some food production to continue through grazing, improving wildlife habitats and preserving heritage assets.

The framework goes on to highlight the competing demands that led to a 'trap' of inefficient land use, which was reflected in many of the responses to the original consultation as being 'a barrier to the development of critical infrastructure and new homes, a threat to food production, or a cause of the ongoing collapse of river ecosystems and rising flood risk'. 

The critical importance of land use change to increase the resilience of agriculture and maintain our food production has become evident. 'Creating and restoring a range of wildlife-rich habitats in a connected way will be needed to provide the foundations for nature's recovery.' 

The framework outlines a vision for land use in 2030 and 2050 across housing, energy infrastructure and clean power, food production, nature recovery, resilient landscapes, landscapes for water and communities. 

The table shows that most farmland will need to be managed differently to adapt to climate change, increase its long-term capacity for food production, and reduce environmental and climate impact. It is expected that the majority of land will remain as farmland, but it will have improved input efficiency and soil health by, for example, planting cover crops and reducing fertiliser use.

The key specific changes outlined in the table are based on UAA percentages in England.

• 5% will be proposed changes in agricultural practice for environmental and climate benefits while remaining primarily for food production 
• 9% will see land use change toward climate and nature benefits
• 2% will be land used for renewables
• 2% will be land becoming non-agricultural, used for development including housing.  

Figure 4 outlines the estimated type and extent of land use change needed as a percentage of England's total area to 2030 and 2050. 

Figure 5a shows where the greatest opportunities for agroforestry in England may lie – in the East of England. 

Importantly, government analysis shows that these land use changes are not suggested for the most productive agricultural land – Best and Most Versatile (BMV) – land in England. From a development perspective, 'this reflects the approach of National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which directs development away from BMV land'.   

Two key messages in this section are that any land use change should 'play to the strengths of the land' – so that strengths can 'help to optimise benefits and reduce potential trade-offs between different outcomes' – and secondly that cross-sector opportunities are important for efficiency and growth.  

'Government will take a leading role in applying these principles. This includes using them to inform the development of policy and delivery mechanisms where they relate to or impact the use of land'.

Government will also support others to integrate them into their own planning and decision-making. From a planning perspective, they will be taken into account when government prepares or updates relevant statements of national policy. This includes the NPPF and National Policy Statements. Government encourages all land managers to factor the principles into the way they manage land. 

To provide clarity on the government's national approach to land use, it will:

• 'Set out national spatial priorities for infrastructure as part of the refreshed 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy in 2027'.
• 'Publish an updated version of the National Planning Policy Framework'.
• 'Develop a coherent set of spatial plans for key infrastructure sectors'.
• 'Prioritise the development of Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs)'.

To give planning authorities, developers and investors a clear picture of environment, climate, food and rural priorities to make informed investment decisions, government will do the following.

• 'Establish a Land Use Unit in Defra to produce the first single map of national spatial priorities for Defra outcomes.'
• 'Develop a long-term assessment of climate change impacts on land use in 2°C and 4°C scenarios, which will inform spatial priorities for infrastructure, housing, food production and environmental outcomes'. 

The second article in this series on the Land Use Framework will focus on how the framework is intended to tackle the problems caused by disconnected decision-making across sectors at local and regional levels, in addition to supporting multifunctional and efficient land use, making land digital and sharing responsibility for the stewardship of land. The article will also analyse how concerns raised in RICS consultation response have been addressed in the framework.