CPRE brings together land use decision-makers for centenary conference
Today, CPRE hosted a conference in London, gathering policymakers, farmers, planners and researchers to confront the growing pressures on England’s land and explore what joined-up thinking could make possible.
The conference asked how more joined-up approaches to land-use decision-making could be designed and delivered, and what needs to change to make that possible.
England is losing countryside at an alarming rate with seventeen thousand hectares lost to development every year. At the same time, finite land is expected to grow food, restore nature, support new homes, generate clean energy and help communities adapt to climate change.
Yet decisions that shape England’s land are still too often made in silos, with different sectors pursuing their own solutions independently of one another.
That was the starting point for ‘Running out: facing the crisis in land use’, CPRE’s centenary conference held at UCL East in East London.
Bringing together over 150 delegates from across policy, planning, farming, conservation and local government, the conference asked how more joined-up approaches to land-use decision-making could be designed and delivered, and what needs to change to make that possible.
Opening the conference, Roger Mortlock, CEO of CPRE, said:
‘The demands on England’s land have never been greater. The challenge facing us is not simply one of land availability, but of how we make decisions about land use in a way that recognises the many competing pressures and opportunities. Addressing this will require collaboration, innovation and a willingness to think beyond traditional boundaries.’
Speaking at the conference, Nature Minister Mary Creagh announced the publication of the Government Estate Nature Plan.
The plan sets out how publicly owned land will be managed to support nature recovery, climate adaptation and public service delivery through the principles of the Land Use Framework.
CPRE welcomed the Land Use Framework on its publication in March, while calling for stronger safeguards to ensure the countryside is protected as competing demands on land intensify.
How did we get here?
The opening session, chaired by CPRE President Mary-Ann Ochota, examined the roots of the land-use crisis. Emma Pinchbeck, CEO of the Climate Change Committee, set out the scale of transformation required in UK land use if the country is to meet its climate commitments and argued that, with the right support, this could represent a real opportunity for farmers and land managers. Professor Mark Tewdwr-Jones of UCL traced the structural problems in a planning system asked to deliver contradictory objectives on a finite amount of land. Author Guy Shrubsole explored how land ownership shapes which decisions even get made and what accountability for landowners might look like. Sue Pritchard, CEO of the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission, argued that the difficulty of talking openly about land rights and ownership has held back progress for too long.
Designing systems that work
Session 2, chaired by writer and broadcaster Tom Heap, looked at what better systems for land use might actually involve. Rachel Fisher, CEO of the Royal Town Planning Institute, called for a National Spatial Framework for England to help bring together the many plans and strategies that currently shape decisions about land. Natalie Prosser, CEO of the Office for Environmental Protection, reported that the government remains largely off track to meet its legally binding environmental commitments, and set out what the OEP’s recommendations on land use would need to deliver. Tom Curtis of 3Keel argued that spatial plans alone are not enough. The patterns of land use the country needs will also emerge from the way the land economy is structured and how businesses relate to the landscapes they depend on. The panel was joined by Tom Lafford of Defra’s Land Use Unit and Kevin Reid of MHCLG, offering perspectives on the government’s Land Use Framework and the emerging system of spatial development strategies.
From ambition to action
The final session, chaired by Dame Fiona Reynolds, CPRE Vice President, focused on delivery. Helen Browning, CEO of the Soil Association, drew on her own farm in Wiltshire to illustrate how agroforestry and enterprise stacking can make multifunctional land use economically viable. Carolyn McKenzie of ADEPT made a challenge to conventional infrastructure thinking, arguing that environment and nature should be understood as first infrastructure, not as something to be mitigated around. Ellie Brodie of Grounded Insight presented new research commissioned by CPRE, exploring how Strategic Authorities can drive joined-up land-use decision-making across sectors and scales, drawing on analysis of six planning tools and three case studies from across England. Baroness Barbara Young, Chair of the Forestry Commission, closed the conference on an optimistic note, arguing that integrated, practical action on land use is both achievable and essential, and pointing to the Forestry Commission’s own opportunity mapping work as evidence of what spatial tools can already do.
Looking ahead
The conference formed part of CPRE’s centenary programme, marking 100 years of campaigning for England’s countryside, from the creation of Green Belts and National Parks to today’s work on land use, nature and climate.
Conference recordings will be available in the coming weeks, alongside a fuller summary of key themes and discussions..
Read more about CPRE’s work on land use and the On the Edge campaign at cpre.org.uk
