Land Use in England - Lords launch new inquiry

The inquiry will undertake a wide-ranging study of all aspects of land use in England and will be looking at how the Government can develop a strategy to plan for any short-term or long-term changes in land use which may occur. The Committee will be considering the role of the key drivers of land use change including climate change, biodiversity decline, population and economic growth, and the extent of their influence. It will also consider proposed solutions to current and emerging challenges.

The Committee is inviting written evidence contributions with a submission deadline of 4.00pm Tuesday 26 April 2022.

Topics the Committee is seeking evidence on include;

• Pressures and challenges in relation to land use in England and how best these should be tackled including managing conflicting priorities for land use;
• The impact changes to farming and agricultural practices are likely to have on land use in England;
• Key threats to bio-diversity in England and the role land use policy plays in tackling these;
• The impact of the commitment to the 25-year environment plan and the net zero target on land use in England;
• The advantages and disadvantages of the existing land use planning system and associated frameworks in England;
• Lessons to be learned from land use planning frameworks in the devolved nations and abroad.

Lord Cameron of Dillington, Committee Chair, said:

“Land Use is facing a huge range of pressures, challenges and opportunities across the spectrum in this country. This comes at a time when the Country is going through great change following the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the effects of Brexit and related new environmental and farming policies, and the impact of social and technological change.

“We are seeing increasing demands for land for Housing, infrastructure, Agriculture and Forestry, as well as a need to tackle climate change and support nature and biodiversity. We are keen to find solutions to all these challenges and to ensure we can use land sustainably and effectively over both the short and long term.

“Our inquiry will only be as strong as the evidence that we get, and I would encourage anyone with an interest in these issues to give us their views.”