About 7% of England’s land – an area roughly two-and-a-half times the size of Cornwall – will need to be given over to nature, forests and renewable energy, to meet the UK’s environmental targets, new data shows.
But there will still be enough land to grow the food needed, and to house a growing population, according to the government’s first land use framework, published on Wednesday.
Ministers hope to take some of the heat out of debates over housing development v nature protection, by mapping in detail for the first time how England’s land is used and how it can be adapted to meet changing needs. Current land use is “highly inefficient”, they have said.
Under new rules, a “default yes” will be given to housing developments within walking distance of existing train stations. Housebuilders will also be told to include ponds, wetlands and improved urban drainage schemes in their developments, to combat the rising risk of flooding.
Farmers will also be told whether their land would be better turned over to forestry, wetland or peatland restoration, or other uses rather than farming. Where appropriate they will be encouraged to do so by new incentives, but not coerced. The UK’s outdated classifications of agricultural land will be updated.
Only about 1% of England’s land is likely to be needed for solar and windfarms and other renewable energy, according to the report, but this estimate may already be in need of an update, as the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has admitted that it did not include any increased needs for water and energy from the building of new AI datacentres.
Other measures contained in the 56-page report, work on which was begun under the previous Conservative government and which has taken several years to complete, include:
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Placing a high priority on restoring peatland, all but 13% of which is degraded across England, but this will not include an outright ban on development such as wind or solar farms.
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Encouraging the “multi-use” of land, for instance with livestock grazing alongside wind and solar farms, and wildlife protection and nature restoration on arable land.
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Encouraging local authorities to put nature reserves in urban areas as well as in the countryside.
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Grouse moors to come under closer scrutiny and tighter regulation, which will go further than EU rules.
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No new “right to roam” is included in the framework, but there will be a consultation on “making landowner liability more proportionate”, which could open up areas for public access.
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A national soil map will be published.
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A new land use unit will be established.
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Government planning for changes to the UK’s landscape under global heating of 2C above preindustrial levels, and of much higher heating of 4C.
The environment secretary, Emma Reynolds, said: “Food security is national security, and this government is making a clear long-term commitment to maintain domestic food production at current levels. Our most productive agricultural land will be safeguarded for food security. This is vital for our country’s resilience in the face of geopolitical events and climate change pressures.”
She said at the launch of the framework that nature recovery would also be treated as a national priority. “We are committing to give nature recovery the same strategic ambition and spatial rigour that we are applying to housing and energy. We will publish a single spatial map of England’s critical natural assets, showing which land delivers most for nature and where recovery and food production reinforce each other.”
The nature minister, Mary Creagh, said: “We can do infrastructure, nature and housing all together, creating beautiful places where people want to live and places where people can easily get to and from because we’re very good at building houses in the middle of nowhere” and then creating car dependency.
Farmers and campaigners broadly welcomed the framework. “This is a step in the right direction,” said Tom Bradshaw, the president of the National Farmers’ Union. “[But] delivering on all the objectives within existing land is an ambitious aim and will require clear guidance, the right policy framework and incentives to avoid unintended outcomes.”
Martin Lines, of the Nature Friendly Farming Network, said: “Land managers across England will require a clear funding pipeline from both public and private sectors to deliver the things we need in this report.”
Tom Lancaster, the head of land, food and farming at the ECIU thinktank, said: “The UK has in recent years experienced its worst three harvests on record owing to the climate crisis. Taking a more coherent approach to land use is a prerequisite to building our resilience to climate shocks.”